Happy New Year to all!
For Christmas I received an ammo can full of 148 grain wad cutters and was wondering, besides the carbine build up in the cylinder, is there anything else I should be concerned with? All I have now to shoot them in is a 686-4 and a 386 XL Hunter. Or, do I have a darn good reason to get a model 10 or 14? A model 14 with a bull barrel does sound fun but if my only reason is want and not have to, I will run them thru the 6 inch barrels I now own. Any input would help.
Wade

Well, I don't want to put you off buying a new gun if that's what you want, but they'll be fine in your 686 or 386.

I have shot thousands of .38 specials in 357's over the years. Other than the carbon build up in the end of the cylinder, you are good to go. If you clean your 686 right after your range session you won't experience any problems and the worst case scenario is you will have to scrub the cylinder a little bit harder.

If they are hbwcs I would save them or trade for some 158 gr swcs. Lots of people will do an even swap. If you shoot them keep below 750 fps. You can shoot them in a mag case & not worry about the ring but that would be like a cap pistol & the wife or girlfriend would like it.

They are not hollow based, or I would trade someone for them. There is over 50 lbs of them, should keep me busy this winter.

Load buy the book if hard cast and you are good to go. That is one of my favorite hole punching bullets & works with lots of powers. 700--1000 FPS range. I wish someone thought that much of me at Christmas. All I got was a busted water heater like Snapping Twig.

Yes, load in mag cases and fire away - maybe .1 or .2 additional grains of a fast powder. But ... you would be missing the joy of the dedicated .38 in a M-14

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Some collect art; I shoot it!

They will be loaded in 38 special cases. The bullets came with 900 brass. All i needed was the primers and powder. A friend of mine got them from an estate sale. Don't know what happened to the guns, but I am glad my friend doesn't shoot revolvers a lot!

Wader4:

Welcome to the Forum. I've shot boatloads of the 148gr. wadcutters over the years - many of them through a Model 686 (.357 Magnum) without any ill effects. You will have to remove the lead/lubricant ring that will build up in each chamber of the cylinder prior to firing .357 Magnum rounds, or there will be problems. As of the past few years, 148gr. wadcutters have seem to become more pricey, and harder to find. It is a most excellent bullet, but after I found the 158gr. LSWC (Lead Semi Wad Cutter, aka the "Keith" bullet), I switched to that projectile, and have been using that as my "go-to" for general purpose shooting (i.e. plinking and target shooting). Personally, I'd see about selling or trading your 148gr. wadcutters. There are plenty (I think) of people who would really like having them.

Best of luck,

Dave

S&W advises that 38 Special ammo can be fired in a 357 Magnum. I have been doing that since I bought my first Magnum in 1971. I use the Chore Boy trick to clean the chambers with no problem.

Not to sound dumb, but what is "the Chore Boy trick"?

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SWCA #2967
S&WHF #454

A few strands of copper choreboy wrapped around a bore brush will shave the lead right out of the chambers and barrel.

Chore Boy copper scouring pad, used by crack pipe users. LEO's found that confiscated pads wrapped around a bristle brush scrubbed out the lead in handgun bores.

My story and I'm sticking to it...

"The Chore Boy trick" is as described above. Sorry I wasnt clear on that. I use enough to get a real tight fit. Removes leading easily from bores. Also will remove plastic from shot gun bores.

Make sure you get the all copper version. There is a copper plated one so I take a magnet with me when buying it. Also good for pots and pans.

Hi 824tsv: Spent 30 min. brushing out the cylinders with first Bore Cleaner then CLP using a .38, then .357, and then a .40 brass brushes. I can still see a ring at the front of each chamber but I do not see any carbon. Are the cylinders clean enough? I assume that once one shoots .38 out of a .357 while the carbon is removed, there will be a ring mark from the shorter round.

I have shot thousands of 148 wadcutters over the years in both .38 special and .357 magnum revolvers. I found them to be good target rounds. If you can find one, get a Lewis Lead Remover kit. It will make cleaning the cylinders and barrel a lot easier.

Thanks to all for the help! Will be looking for a Lewis Lead remover kit.

Amazon. com is your friend in this case.

chore boy wrapped brush mounted in your electric drill will make your cylinders shine. use the Lewis lead remover for your barrel and forcing cone.....

You can sometimes use fired, and non-resized 357 brass to scrape out the cylinders. You need to use your belling/flaring die to open the case mouth to just fit tightly into the cylinder. You may need to tap them back out using a dowel rod from the front end of the cylinder. Even easier is to use a bronze phosphorous, 45 cal bore brush and muscle it through. That is what I do, and it works great.

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Thugs that comply don’t die!

I have also shot thousands of .38 wadutters in my various .357's. I use a plastic bristle chamber brush while the gun is still warm (at the range) after shooting and it cleans the chambers plenty good. It's not a problem if you clean after shooting the shorter cases.

My current load is a home cast H&G #50BB 148 gr wadcutter behind 3.2 grs of Bullseye or equivalent (more accurate with the solid base wadcutters than the oft recommended 2.7 Bullseye behind hollow base wadcutters). It is not only an excellent target load but works quite well as an edible small game round, too. It also works in the various .38 Specials that I shoot.

The O.P. might want to check this out:

Ed Harris: Revisiting The Full Charge Wadcutter | Reloading, Ammunition, Hunting | GrantCunningham.com

FWIW
Dale53