.357 shooting .38

[dog gone it]

Is it ok to shoot .38 in most all .357 revolvers such as the Ruger LCP for example ?

 

[mekusapv.wcf]

Absolutely. It won't hurt the gun or you.

 

[Iggy]

Yup, a thorough cleaning of the cylinder is needed to remove the carbon ring left at the front of the shorter .38 cartridges. If the ring builds up enough, the longer .357s may not go in as far as is needed and you will have difficulty closing the cylinder.

 

[dog gone it]

Excellent !
Thanks

 

[Walkalong]

Overall, I bet there are more .38 Spl rounds shot in .357 Magnums than .357 rounds.

 

[palmetto99]

Yes, unless you just want to punish yourself with nothing but .357 mag.

 

[CZ9shooter]

They are pretty much designed for that. No big deal. Just clean 'er up good before going back to shooting mostly mags. Your brass may get sticky otherwise.

A few other revolver cartridges interchange as well. Wheelguns don't care so much about cartridge length like auto loaders do.

 

[Water-Man]

OP, you meant LCR. LCP is a .380.

 

[ArchAngelCD]

Like Walkalong said, I bet there are more 38s fired in .357 Magnum revolvers than magnum rounds.

Just curious, what were your concerns with shooting .38 Special ammo in a .357 Magnum?

 

[dog gone it]

Thanks for all the help, corrections, and concerns.
I was thinking of buying a LCR .357 and practice with .38 ammo but carry it with Self Defense ammo load for .357
I did recently however notice the price increase for the .357 compared to .38 so Im thinking about just going with the .38 from the beginning as this will work just fine.

 

[HexHead]

I did recently however notice the price increase for the .357 compared to .38 so Im thinking about just going with the .38 from the beginning as this will work just fine.

The .357 has a heavier frame than the .38, to accommodate the additional power.

Remember, when it comes to recoil, weight is your friend.

 

[Stumper]

Weight is your friend when shooting and your enemy when carrying. The LCR .38spl is delightful to carry but a real handful to shoot with full power loads, the ,357 LCR has more steel and is thus a bit heavier. It is also a handful with .357s but it is a delight to shoot with .38 spl.

 

[jrdolall]

I have maybe shot a box of 357 in the past year but have gone through a case of 38. Some of that is shot in 38 revolvers but I would bet that at least half is out of .357's. About every 2nd or 3rd trip I make sure to give each one a good cleaning.

I loaded up a Ruger Security Six last week with three 38s and 3 357s so I could let someone see the difference in the two. They knew what was coming on the 4th round but were still surprised at the difference in recoil and that's a pretty heavy gun.

 

[Zaydok Allen]

Yep. Just clean the crud ring out after.

 

[Carl N. Brown]

I am one of those who bought a .357 to shoot .38 Spl. When I thought about buying a .38 Special revolver back in 1981, I went down the list of what I wanted: not too big for holster wear outdoors, sturdy frame for long life target shooting, heavy 4" barrel minimum, accurate enough for small game hunting, full size grips. I realized what I was looking for in a .38 revolver were the standard features of the .357 Ruger Security Six, with the added option of .357 ammo of serious pedator protection.

 

[gotboostvr]

I picked up my a 6" M19-5 strictly for shooting 38's
It's a little lighter than I'd prefer for alot of magnum usage. In the past I used a 686 and currently a 627 for my heavy loads.

Although I may work up a warm 158gr SWC Magun load for deer in it and use it as my back up deer pistol to my 5" 629. Maybe.

 

[dog gone it]

Thanks for all the great help. For practical reasons Im leaning toward the .38 at this time.
I should have mentioned that this weapon will be carried by my wife in her purse.
Thanks again.

 

[verdun59]

I bought the LCR .38 because of it's weight, and it was so uncomfortable shooting it that I sold it. I really liked the size and trigger but it was brutal on my arthritic hands. So I later on took a gamble on the .357, and what a difference the additional weight meant at the range, in fact I even enjoy shooting it. Just one person's opinion, but you should think about the .357. Good luck

 

[Walkalong]

buying a LCR .357 and practice with .38 ammo but carry it with Self Defense ammo load for .357

Ever fire a short barreled .357 without hearing protection? Very rough on the senses.

For practical reasons Im leaning toward the .38 at this time.
I should have mentioned that this weapon will be carried by my wife in her purse.

Sounds smart to me.

 

[USSR]

My favorite handgun is the S&W Model 19 with 2.5" barrel. Although it's a .357 Magnum, I shoot the .38 Special +P FBI load in it exclusively for two reasons: First, the load allows for a much quicker recovery time between shots; and Second, this revolver has a short ejector rod and case extraction is much better.

Don

 

[dog gone it]

Excellent thoughts and advice.
Im getting closer to a half-way educated purchase.
Thanks

 

[gotboostvr]

I know my girlfriend likes my M19 with 38's for sure. She shot it very well.

For carry off the body, I'd think a model 60 (stainless steel 5 shot, fixed sighted J frame) with grips picked for comfort not concealment would be just the ticket.

Heavy enough to help dampen recoil, big enough stocks to help control it through the muzzle flip and should still be small enough to disappear in all but small clutch purses.

Too light of a gun with too small of grips can be pretty harsh to some shooters.

 

[Win73]

Ever fire a short barreled .357 without hearing protection? Very rough on the senses.

I hope no one fires any gun (except in a defense situation) without hearing protection! I put foam earplugs in when I go hunting. That .30-06 is brutal on the ears without protection. I have tinnitus now. Most likely from not using hearing protection when younger and dumber. My ears ring constantly.

 

[200Apples]

.

gotboostvr

For carry off the body, I'd think a model 60 (stainless steel 5 shot, fixed sighted J frame) with grips picked for comfort not concealment would be just the ticket.

jenrick, from this thread, titled: .38 vs .357- Law Enforcement Edition

Having done a lot of ballistic testing in my current position I've been lucky enough to see what modern rounds produced for the LE market will do. Modern .38 Spl +P rounds are basically 9mm's, they perform almost identically. I would have no issue using it on the street, and I think it's a better choice then .357 magnum in modern loadings out of a service sized handgun.

9mmepiphany, from the same thread

Too bad they didn't have the Speer 135gr +P JHP .38Spl load back then...

Earlier this month I acquired this new Model 60 (-15). I installed a Hogue Monogrip, but didn't like how bulky it was so I swapped the factory S&W rubber grip back on the gun, then shot it with .38 Special, .38 Special +P and .357 Magnum loads. The gun felt good in my hands with all loads, if a bit snappy. I've settled on a .38 +P defensive load; either the Remington or the Speer. They both shoot to the same POI (as well as can be expected, offhand).





I'm fortunate that in my regional market (the heavily restricted Los Angeles) to have found these two cartridges available.



Offhand, target placed to 7 yds. 30 rounds of .38 Special +P Remington SJHP and Speer GDHP to the head, 5 rounds .357 ball to the body



I mainly target shoot a 5" steel Springfield 1911, with a Kimber Ultra CDP II serving as a carry gun (where allowed, out of town) and purchased the Model 60 at first as a plinker, only to dispose of a mountain of .38 my Marlin 1894CS357 won't digest... but now I have another backup gun.

Just wanted to post that I too use a .357 to shoot .38s. It's nothing new.

 

[gotboostvr]

200apples, man I really like those 3" 357Mag M60's
If I had one pistol to handle "everything short of deer hunting" it might be one of those. They seem so handy and versatile.