As mentioned, .38 Specials with lighter bullets won’t damage a modern revolver. It’s always wise to read the owners manual and take note of any warning or cautions.

Some of the modern light weight .38 revolvers have a warning on the barrel that reads “... +P jacketed only”. Shooting +P lead bullets won’t harm the gun, but they may seize it up. Jacketed bullets hold the crimp more securely than lead. These light weight revolvers recoil severely and can act as a bullet puller for the unfired cartridges in the cylinder. If the bullets pull far enough, they protrude out the front of they cylinder and render the gun inoperable.

.357 Magnums operate at much higher pressures than .38 Specials and pressure relates to temperature. The issue with light bullets is their length. They’re all the same diameter and typically constructed of similar materials, so the weight is altered by changing the length. 110 grain bullets are very short and leave the case mouth sooner than heavier/longer bullets, often when pressures are near peak. This can cause flame cutting of both the top strap and the face of the cylinder. Some light weight .357 revolvers with titanium cylinders have a warning that states, “No less than 120 grain bullet”. Failure to heed that warning can lead to serious erosion in a short period of time.

I’ll shoot just about any factory ammo out of my .38 Specials. I prefer mid-range lead wadcutters or semi-wadcutters, with the exception of guns with a titanium cylinder. S&W warns not to use anything abrasive on that material and lead build-up is an issue, so I only use jacketed bullets in those guns.

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