.357 Magnums

[Andy Taylor]

I've been trying to find what the difference is between the .38 Special and .357 Magnum rounds. Anyone trully know?

I know the .357 is slightly longer than the .38, but that little difference in length does not explain the difference in shooting those rounds!

Is the powder the same? Is the amount of powder the difference? We shoot a lot of wad cutters and obviously they have less powder in them since the bullet is down inside the brass instead of being only part-way inserted into the cartridge.

SAAMI


The .357 Magnum was developed from the .38 Special. The reason the casing is longer is to ensure that a .357 Magnum cartridge is not loaded into a .38 Special chamber.
The difference is the presure that the cartridge generates when fired. This is accomplished by using different powders and/or more powder.

IIRC the Max pressure for .38 Special is 17,000 PSI, .38 Special +P 20,000 PSI and .357 Magnum checks in at 35,000 PSI. More than double .38 Special.

 

[Avery11]

I love it when TDC gets the comparison pics out!

 

[TDC]

I love it when TDC gets the comparison pics out!

Who was it that said... "A picture is worth a thousand words..."

 

[gtmtnbiker98]

Here's an example of where our QC in manufacturing is going.
Cracked J frame, 357 mag model 60-14, manufactured March, 2012 with less than 300 rounds through, mostly .38 sp.
Any thoughts?

Thoughts? Yes. Dumb, over reacting comes to mind. That "crack" is the side plate.

 

[Wheel Fan]

I just went out this weekend and shot both a model 686-6 plus 3 inch and a model 19-3 4 inch. There was a noticeable difference how they felt in the hand. The 19 bucked a bit harder for sure but not bad. We had fired both guns with .38 specials for the comparison. The 19 does have the firing pin on the hammer, is pinned and recessed, has a blued finish and square butt factory wood grips. It's 42 years older than the 686 and still fires great and I think beats it a bit in the looks department... there's still some good used ones out there. We did shoot one cylinder of magnums through the old k-frame and kept the rest to .38s - the 686 blew through a whole box of magnums with no worries.

 

[MarkDozier]

Wheelfan, get a trigger job on that 686. I just had one done. My DA pull is just over 7lb and single action is just over 2lb.

 

[David LaPell]

If you want to shoot .357's loads all day long and fell like your shooting just a bunch of .38 Specials, then get yourself a Model 27 (like this one) or a Model 28. These are N frames. The hottest loads feel like nothing in this thing.

 

[Wheel Fan]

Wheelfan, get a trigger job on that 686. I just had one done. My DA pull is just over 7lb and single action is just over 2lb.

Every time I go out and shoot and send a few rounds double action, I think 'a little trigger work couldn't hurt'. Single action no problem. May do it some day. Did you do your trigger job yourself? Will it void warranty work if ever needed?