Disadvantage of .38 in a .357

[Olde School]

http://secure.armorholdings.com/kleen-bore/product174.html

I have been using this product for over 40 years to clean the cylinders and forcing cones on my stainless steel revolvers. If you use alot of lead .38 spl ammo and then without proper cleaning use .357 you could have some excessive pressure exerted where the lead buildup is on the forcing cone.

 

[motorcycle-charlie]

i recently bought a S&W model 28 Highway Patrolman. cleaned it before i shot it, but not good enough. .38s shot fine and ejected well. .357s shot good but did not eject at all. had to push them out from the front of the cylinder. shot .38s the rest of the day. got home to give it a good cleaning and realized the 1/8 of crud at the cylinder ends. looks like the previous owner shot .38s only for the last 30-40 years. i scrubbed it for about an hour or so to get the lead out. should be good to go now. keep those chambers clean and there shouldnt be any problems.

 

[Ala Dan]

As for cleaning the chambers, just keep one fired .357 magnum case in your
range bag, and every now and then run this fired case into each of the guns
chambers. With this, you should be fine as it will push out the gunk from the
fired .38 Specials~!

 

[zxcvbob]

As for cleaning the chambers, just keep one fired .357 magnum case in your range bag, and every now and then run this fired case into each of the guns chambers. With this, you should be fine as it will push out the gunk from the fired .38 Specials~!

It works even better if you chamfer the inside if the .357 case mouth, and flare it so it just barely fits the cylinder openings.

 

[baronello]

When i was a Deputy Sheriff in the 90's, we practiced with 38sp for about 500 rounds. Then switched to 357 for another 100 rounds, and finally used the 357's for our final bi-annual qualification, at which time we were issued brand, spanking new ammo to carry on duty. Like any good gun owner, I cleaned my piece after each use.

 

[mes227]

Shorter casings in magnum chambers can results in lowered accuracy. But my 686 7-shot seems to handle 38 specials just fine. Here are two groups from today's range trip. Bench rest at 7 yrds.

 

[mes227]

And my son shooting at 10 yrds.

 

[bluetopper]

For me it's either nice 38's for target work or snubs for carry or the 44 Mag. I handload for all.

I don't have much use for 357 anymore. Just my opinion.

 

[content]

Hello friends and neighbors // Lol thanks Ala Dan you have just explained why this is not much of a problem when I shoot .38 in my .357s.

Usually I load five .38s and one .357 to loose flinch and give more respect to my grip shooting .38s. I never know when the .357 will come up.
This inadvertantly cleans my cylinder unless by chance the .357 should find the same hole over and over.

I do clean my handguns after each visit but rarely need to take a brush to the chambers.

 

[wrs840]

This is why I have two .357mag revolvers and three .38spl revolvers:

To shoot .357mag out of the .357s, and .38spl out of the .38s.

FWIW, I shoot more accurately with my police-trade S&W M64 .38spl 4" than any other handgun I own, and it's therefore probably the last handgun I'd ever sell... But I "like" them all. Don't limit yourself. Plan on future purchases, rather than looking for a do-all single purchase. It's a fun process you'll enjoy! Think ahead!

 

[gamestalker]

I have a couple .357s, one a S&W 66-5 and a Taurus 608, both decently heavy, but it still requires seasoning to eliminate the reactive flinch. I hand load and have given both a steady diet of H110/296 full house loads which will deffinitely say "Hello" when touching one off. My point, I practice a lot with those loads, and have found a way to rid myself of the reactive flinch associated with a high recoil gun. I will leave a cylinder or two with a fired round in it. That way I am able to recognize and stop my reactive flinch. I do the same thing when shooting my high powered rifles. My Son and I will load for each other and slip a fired round in there every couple of shots.
But if I owned something like the LCR I personally would avoid the magnum stuff, if for no other reason, to avoid damaging the nerves in my wrists and hands. Our body isn't designed to absorb that much energy without something getting damaged. I learned my lesson the hard way with a short barreled 44 mag. some years back, costing me a painful surgical procedure.
Buy the heavier revolver, or don't plan on shooting the magnum rounds very often if you know what is good for you.

 

[Confederate]

You get a slight accuracy hit with a .357 because the throat's necessarily a bit further up the chamber. That said, I'd get a .357 any day. I wouldn't use .357 in an apartment or condo where penetration can be an issue. I think the .38 is very underestimated in today's society as there are some very good loads out there. But outdoors you just can't beat the magnum.

I may take a hit for this as some people say no handgun round is very good, but here goes: The .357 is a good round when stopping someone with one shot is imperative. And that includes feral dogs and smaller animals that may be a problem. For camping or road use, the magnum has the power to penetrate vehicles. And a .38 just won't do it against a black bear. (If forced to shoot a bear, aim for the nose or mouth, not between the eyes.)

I had some psycho ride my tail on a trip home from Kentucky one time, and my .357 Ruger Security-Six was in my trunk. I must of hit 85 mph and shift lanes and this bastard stayed on my bumper. When I looked in the rear view window, he was hunched over the steering wheel and I knew he must have been well over six feet tall, plus that boy looked, ah say he looked demented! Black plastic glasses, a plaid short-sleeved shirt that had been washed too many times and a car that was older than I was! He looked like something out of one of those old Alfred Hitchcock TV shows back when I was a kid. Plus he had his front window down, indicating that clunker didn't have air-conditioning. I took at exit at high speed, which he missed, and I immediately pulled over and got my gun. My mother was with me at the time and it was in the trunk because of her. After seeing the guy when he passed, she never complained about my gun being in the glove box again!

So get the .357. You won't regret it. Heck, it's a lot of peoples' favorite caliber.

Of course, many folks you meet in the great outdoors are wonderful people who just want to be friendly and discuss things like the pros and cons of fixed blades versus folders and chummy things like that!