So, I Have A Pet Load For My 586. Its 6.5 Grains 231 Under 125 Grain Hard Cast Bullets From Hunters Supply. Its Very Accurate, No Leading And Fairly Cheap, Great Target Load. Would This Load Be Safe To Use In .38 Special Brass? I Do Not Own A .38 Special So Not Worried About Accidentally Firing Them In A .38. Does Anyone See A Problem Loading These Up? I Have TONS of .38 Brass But Not Much .357 Brass. Opinions Welcome. Thanks In Advance.

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Still got the shovel

that would be great, until a couple years some form now someone puts them into a mod37 and lights up the world. not a good idea.

Good Point. Bad Idea. .357 Brass Is Just So Friggin Hard To Find Right Now. I'll Be Patient. Thanks

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Still got the shovel

Don't forget the 38 special brass has less case volume, therefore would see increased pressure compared to a 357 case. Also, I believe 38 brass is thinner than than 357 brass. 6.5 grains of w231 seems to be well above 38 +P levels according to the one manual I looked at. So I would be concerned that the brass may not be strong enough for your load.

More experienced loaders can add to/correct the above.

I suggest not using the 38 special brass. I would be concerned with the pressure being generated in a smaller case. Why not go to Gunbroker and buy a couple hundred pieces of 357 brass. You could sell off some of your 38 brass to cover the cost of the 357 brass.

Was Just A Thought, I'll Shoot Up Some Of My Factory Ammo To Get More .357 Brass. Seemed Like A Good Idea At The Time

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Still got the shovel

If you are familiar with Skeeter Skelton and his writings, you could look up his heavy .38sp loads. They were pretty stout in .38 special casings. I do not believe that they were high pressure loads.

Tom

You could probably get away with it with no problems. 6.5 grs in 38 spl
brass is about 1.0 gr above +P 38 spl level according to my Lyman
manual. Their +P 38 loads run about 18,000 cup, way below 357 level.
But here again the value of a chronograph is obvious. If you knew the
velocity your load gives in your gun you could simply work up to the
same velocity in 38 spl brass and stop right there. In the smaller case
it might only require about 6.0 grs to equal 6.5 grs in magnum brass.

That load you have posted will shoot fine out of 38 spl cases. A lot of people do this with really good results.
As for accidently putting them in a 38 spl by mistake, load your bullets long so they stick out of the cylinder of a 38 spl, then no one will be able to close a 38 spl cylinder on them.

If I remember right, the old 38-44 loads that Elmer Keith experimented with, ( that actually lead to development of the .357) were loaded this way. The Elmer Keith bullets were seated longer on purpose and the bullets were designed for this. They would stick out of a normal 38 spl cylinder so that the cylinder wouldn't close if put in the wrong revolver.
The 38 spl brass should take the pressure of the heavier charges just fine, the 38 spl cylinder won't.
Load them long, re-adjust your powder, and have fun.
I load 38spls well into mid to upper range .357mag data with medium speed powders for my 357mags and have never had a problem.

I also couldn't get .357mag cases at the time, but history shows that this does work and works fine.
Cases ejected the same as my magnum shells do with no signs of pressure at all.
Just keep your cylinder cleaned out as the shorter 38 spl cases will leave a carbon ring in your cylinder as everyone knows.

Recognizing that we're just into opinions, and we know what thats like, I'll tell you that I wouldn't do it. Too risky that some day, some body might not know what you've built. There is a reason that they decided to make .357 cases a bit longer.

The beauty of revolvers is that your brass stays yours. No fighting with brass rats at the range. I bought some .44 Special brass from Starline a while back, and I will continue to re-use it forever. Sometimes the easy solution really is the best solution.

Just my 2c worth.

I loaded thousands of 357 loads in 38 spl brass back in the 70's.....I used a load that Skeeter Skelton published in Shooting Times.....it used a charge of 2400 pushing a 158/160 gr bullet..it was 1.5 gr's short of being a max 357 mag load..I fired these rounds in K and N frame 357's....I always labeled my loads and marked these in red "357"..(I also always loaded my magnum loads with SWC's and my 38 spl loads with RN bullets).......These loads were very accurate and I loaded 38 brass over a dozen times with these loads w/o any problems with brass life....I quit using 38 brass when 357 brass became readily available.....but I may start again since I have a quanity of 38 brass and a 357 brass is unobtainable.

As I recall, Skeeter's load was 13.5 grains of 2400 under a Lyman 358156 w/GC in .38 Special cases. He crimped it on the second grease groove. I have used this load quite a bit but only in magnum revolvers. It is quite accurate --and stout.

The reason we never shoot reloads that we didn't load is because we don't know what is in them. If we follow that simple rule we will never have to worry about what else someone loaded. I will probably get my legs switched but if I were you I would use the cheap .38 Spec. brass. I have shot a train load of 158 gr. SWC and 12 gr. of 2400 in .38 Spec. cases in a .357 pistol because the brass was cheaper. Larry

I like the idea of crimping on the second grease groove. The increased COL should reduce the chances of using the resultant load in a 38 special revolver, and it also increases the effective case volume of the loaded cartridge.

You can find used .357 brass for sale on most of your gun forums. You'll have to be diligent and be ready to pounce. The usual caveats. Do some homework and find what a good fair market price is so you can pounce on a good deal when you find it and not get burned by one of the many scammers/profiteers that the panic buying has brought out of the woodwork.

Have a look at Starline's website. Their new brass is top drawer quality and not too awfully painful on the wallet.

When I was starting out I bought a lot of used brass here... You can even check a seller's rep on the "Straight Shooters and Deadbeats" board.

Swappin & Sellin

And lastly... be alert at the range. When I arrive I always have a look around for abandoned revolver brass.

[QUOTE=Fishslayer;137205547



And lastly... be alert at the range. When I arrive I always have a look around for abandoned revolver brass.[/QUOTE]

That is how I get cheap .38 Spec. brass. I hardly ever see a piece of .357 laying around. Larry

Thanks For The Opinions. If I Have To, I'll Use The .38 Brass And Just Keep Those Loads In A Box Labeled .357 Mag. I'll Know What They Are Anyway AndDon'tPlanOnGivingAny Ammo Away.

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Still got the shovel

( To add to my post #11) In addition to labeling my loads in red, I also used a red felt pen to draw a red "X" on the head stamp.....so with the fact that I did not load SWC's in my 38's, and that the bright red "X" on the head stamp would keep me informed as what the load was in the 38 spl case.....good shooting.