Yes, 357's will shoot .38 Specials---no question about it!
So the question becomes shoot .38 specials to make noise---or scores?
Accuracy is all about a bullet passing through a bore and emerging in as pristine condition as possible. That's not going to happen shooting .38's from a Magnum. Problem #1 is that shoulder sitting just ahead of the .38 case mouth. It's going to do damage---a little or a lot. Problem #2 is the additional throat length encountered by the .38 in a Magnum. That translates into the .38 bullet entering the barrel at a higher speed than would be the case from a .38----and traveling further---skidding and sliding and becoming damaged a little or a lot before the rifling gets a hold of it.
If you'd like to see for yourself, get a machine rest (at less cost than pretty much any decent gun in your stash)-----and join the enlightened.
Or you can do what I did before a machine rest. I loaded up a Ruger Old Army with 20 grains of fff, an Uncle Mikes lubed wad, and a Speer .457" round ball---seats DEEP within the chamber---LOOOOOOOOOOONG throat. Then I sat down, held the gun with two hands on a rest, and let fly. That group measured just a tad over 4" at 25 yards. Then, after adding corn meal to the mix in 5 grain increments, I did it again--four times; ending up with 20 grains of corn meal under the bullet which was now seated flush with the end of the chamber---virtually ZERO throat. That group fit nicely in the X ring---fit under a quarter actually. The interim groups shrunk in an almost linear fashion.
Shoot .38's in a Magnum? Sure, they'll go bang.
Ralph Tremaine
I just thought of something that got my clock cleaned before I joined the "in-crowd"---way back when---shooting Bullseye. All of a sudden folks were showing up with some really weird looking guns---.38 Specials with cylinders the same length as a Wadcutter---and custom barrels set back into the window to meet the cylinder---as in ZERO throat!! NO FAIR!!!! Well, what the hell-----it's only money.
