...when shooting .38 special cartridges.

Here's the thing. I have a lot of .38 special ammo on hand because I use it a lot for teaching, and for a relaxing day of target shooting. Up to this point, I have always owned .357 magnum handguns so that I could shoot both .38 and .357 mag with the same revolvers. My 4" bbl. GP-100 is a very accurate gun, but it is the only launching pad I have for accurate target shooting with the .38 specials. My snubbies in .38 spec. are not for the longer range target shooting.

So, I am thinking about adding a 6" bbl. .357 or .38 special S&W to the family. The question is, are the revolvers that are chambered for the .38 special cartridge inherently more accurate with that cartridge than a revolver chambered for the .357 magnum? Does the extra distance that the .38 has to travel in the .357 mag chamber before hitting the forcing cone make a difference as far as accuracy goes?

If a revolver chambered for the .357 magnum is just as accurate as one chambered specifically for the .38 special, with the .38 special cartridge, I may just get another 686 with a 6" bbl. If this is not the case, then what model .38 special should I be looking at for super accuracy?

Model 27? Don't any of y'all have a heart attack, but I am not a big fan of the K-frame.

Thanks,
WG840

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