I’m asking the question now because I’ve never thought to ask it. “What pressure signs?”

While browsing a forum discussing working up loads for the 38 Special, talk turned to Keith’s published loads, as it usually does. One feller mentioned, pressure was fine because the cases dropped from the cylinder easily. Another pal fired back how that’s not the only or the most relevant (paraphrasing) pressure sign. He continued to stress that the feller was foolhardy and a missing digit waiting to happen (again, my words).

Here’s what I’m thinking. The 38 Special was worked up to pressures sufficient to blow up anything but a heavy duty and cases still slipped from the cylinders. We take that same cartridge in a slightly longer case and call it the 357 Magnum, and except for nice, flattened primers, there are no signs of pressure. I’ve loaded 38 Special to magnum ranges (replicating Elmer’s 358421 loads) with no problem in my 686. I read that to mean, essentially the same case can range pressures from 17K to 40K but in the wrong gat, the first observable sign of over pressure might very well be a top strap launched into orbit.

Before you hit your reply button, please accept that I’m not suggesting the Special and Magnum are interchangeable. No sir, not at all. What I am suggesting is an adventurous soul could easily stoke his 38 Special up to 357 Magnum pressure with no signs of danger. The feller in the post wasn’t so wrong by citing his cases slipping from the wheel. Rather, he was risky by (maybe) stepping out on his published max limits because you can slip right through the Special range, skip past all the plusses and P’s to land in magnum range without observing the pressure signs depicted in a loading manual. The specials are easily wolves in sheep’s cylinders and I think the pal missed the lesson.

What pressure signs?? Thoughts?