38 special in a 357?

[323D3F3C!7$]

I recently read on another thread that you can safely fire 38 specials out of a 357 revolver, is this true?

The reason I ask is because a relative of my mine left another relative of mine a 357 revolver that he has let me shoot, and in the box of ammo that was with the gun was about 15 packs of 38 spc +p and one lonely pack of 357 mags.

This would be cool for me, becuase although I really enjoy shooting 357s 38 spcs are cheaper around here.

 

[19-3Ben]

yup. a .357mag can fire .38 spl without a problem. Just clean the chambers in the cylinder well after shooting.

look here:
http://www.thenationofriflemen.org/index.php/faqs/single/40/

 

[highlander 5]

tis true just make sure you clean the cylinders of powder residue and bullet fouling so you can chamber 357 mags.
38 spl is 1/8' shorter and loaded to a lower pressure than the 357 mag

 

[Jim March]

Yup. There's a lot more information available if you search but the short form is, the 38spl was released in 1898 if I recall right, and the 357 in 1937. The 357 is the same cartridge but a LOT more powerful and made about 2mm longer so that the hotter stuff can't be fed into a weaker 38spl gun and hand-grenade it.

But the older stuff works in the newer gun, with only one problem: the "crud ring" effect. Search on that .

Actually there was an intermediate critter made in the early '30s (maybe late '20s?) called the 38-44, which meant "38spl ammo meant for 44-sized guns". Too many people put them in smaller weaker guns and damaged them. So the 357 was shipped even hotter and made longer for safety...they can't fit in the weaker 38spl guns.

Finally, most of the "magnum" handgun calibers have an older, milder ancestor they can still shoot. The 44Mag can shoot 44Spl (and 44Russian). The 32Mag can shoot 32S&W and 32S&WLong. There is however no factory "41Spl" so the 41Mag is on it's own.

 

[Cheeseybacon]

Definately make sure you keep the chambers clean. A friend of mine has a S & W 686 that he shot .38 special out of all the time. I guess he wasn't diligent enough with his cleaning because when he started firing .357 mag he soon had trouble getting the rounds in. He had to give a serious working over with some lead remover in order to get his rounds to chamber correctly again.

After that ordeal he started shooting .357 exclusively and hasn't had an issue since. Must be something with .38 special I guess.

 

[bakert]

I have two .357s with many thousands of .38s fired through them. The cause of buildup in the cylinders from .38s is from some shooters being plumb damned lazy. A few passes with a bore brush( a chamber brush is even better) through the cylinder before firing .357 rds and a few patches with solvent after each shooting session will stop problems before they happen.

 

[10-Ring]

Yup, that the great versatility of 357 magnum wheelguns is the ability to shoot 38 specials...just require a litt more cleaning

 

[Jim March]

Now you can guess what the "crud ring" is. It's the gunk that collects just forward of where a 38spl shell goes and can screw up insertion of the longer 357Mag shells.

It's no big deal, just a matter of diligent cleaning. If the crud ring is allowed to get too thick you can get a safety issue. The crud can hold the front edge of the 357 shell closed and prevent easy release of the bullet that was just fired. In extreme cases pressure spikes to the point where the gun turns into a grenade. This is VERY rare but can happen.

 

[323D3F3C!7$]

Thanks guys, I was bewildered when I saw all those 38 spls in the ammo box, but when I read about that it all made sense. Thanks guys, the help is much appreciated.

 

[BigO01]

Use a oversized bore brush such as a 45 for 38's and 357's and cleaning them well wont be a problem . I have done this for over 20 years with mine and have never had an issue with sticking cases no matter if I shoot magnums or Specials in my 357's .