357 versus 38 spcl

[Bezoar]

I was wondering on this. Is there any real balistic difference between say the remington semi wadcutter hollow point when pushed to 850 fps in a 357 or a 38 special case?
Its "common" to be told by gunstore ninjas that anything that comes out of a 357 is always going to be more powerful then the same bullet and velocity combo fired in a 38 spcl. Is this the real deal?

 

[rcmodel]

Total BS!

A 158 grain .357" diameter SWC going 850 FPS has exactly the same power, (253 ft/lb) regardless of what cartridge it is launched from.

rcmodel

 

[ranger335v]

"Its "common" to be told by gunstore ninjas that anything that comes out of a 357 is always going to be more powerful then the same bullet and velocity combo fired in a 38 spcl. "

Say WHAT?

Cases don't make for power, only the load used does. Meaning a hot loaded .38 can easily be more powerful than a light .357 load and both will be equal if the bullet weight and velocity is the same.

Even the most ignorant gunstore dummy should realise that.

 

[Larry E]

The only difference would be that the .357 load would require a bit more powder than the .38 Spl load. The bullet and the speed it leaves the barrel determines what happens when it strikes something not the case. The advantage the .357 has over the .38 Spl is that it can be loaded to considerably higher pressures and consequently higher velocities.

 

[Walkalong]

"Its "common" to be told by gunstore ninjas

all kinds of stupid S***.

 

[GP100man]

it`s there story & thy`re gonna tell it as big as they can !!
try not to get any splattered on ya!!!
the last one that started spoutin off like that i just handed him the revolver back & walked away.


GP100man

 

[joneb]

The advantage the .357 has over the .38 Spl is that it can be loaded to considerably higher pressures and consequently higher velocities.

That pretty much sums it up for me

 

[greyling22]

and a 357 cycles better in my marlin.

 

[ArchAngelCD]

Like the others have said, a bullet of the same weight and diameter pushed to the same exact velocity will give you identical results no matter if it comes out of a .38 Special or .357 Magnum case.

 

[fireflyfather]

The only difference it might make is if you were firing those .38 spl out of a .357 cylinder/gun. You might lose a few FPS (like maybe 5), since there's a bit of bullet jump. Having said that, if you assume equal fps from the muzzle (as opposed to loaded to the same "theoretical" velocity out of a load manual/software), then it should make no difference, all other factors being equal.

 

[SSN Vet]

I think that if you are...

shooting identicle "non-magnum" loads from a .38 spl and a .357 mag. with the same length barrel, there are going to be only two differences.

1. if you shoot .38 spl brass in the .357, cleaning the cylinders will be more of a chore.

2. if you shoot .38 spl brass in the .357, your bullet has a longer "jump" to clear the cylinder and get into the forcing cone. Not sure if or how this affects balistic performance though.

 

[351 WINCHESTER]

A .38 fired from a .357 will loose some velocity. I've read about 50 fps. if anyone's interested.

Don't ask me why because I haven't a clue.