As I have said numerous times here, the SAAMI minimum bullet diameter spec for the .38 S&W is 0.355". Look it up. If SAAMI says bullets that small are OK, then it should certainly be believed that the standard .357-.358 bullets for the .38 Special will work fine. The WWII .38 S&W bore diameter spec for Victories (land-to-land) is 0.350-0.3512" and that still leaves plenty of room for rifling engagement on a .357" diameter bullet.
Some years ago, I came into a batch of antique .38 S&W rounds. I broke them down to replace the old primers with new and add new powder for shooting. The pulled lead RN bullets all measured 0.357-.358.
Last edited by DWalt; 04-23-2017 at 07:28 PM.
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