Any issues shooting a steady diet of .38 Special loads in a .357 magnum revolver over a long period of time ?
.38 Special in a .357
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4barrel
Member
A good model 19 will shoot wad cutters as good or better than a model 14.
Personally when I want to shoot 38 I use a 38, but there is not any performance/safety reason to worry about
Just remember to clean the chambers well. Very Well.
Some dirty 38s can build up a debris ring forward of the case mouth.
You do not want to impede the chambering or extraction of full power 357 Magnum ammunition when you need it
Just remember to clean the chambers well. Very Well.
Some dirty 38s can build up a debris ring forward of the case mouth.
You do not want to impede the chambering or extraction of full power 357 Magnum ammunition when you need it
DWalt
Member
Absolutely no reason not to use .38 Special in a .357. I shoot very few .357 rounds in my .357 revolvers, mainly mild .38 Special lead bullet loads. I suspect many, if not most, other .357 revolver owners do that also. Crud buildup n chambers that could impede loading of .357 rounds is not an issue at all if you clean the chambers after firing. Which you should be doing anyway. Using a wire brush with solvent on both the bore and the chambers is also recommended.
A clean revolver is a happy revolver. Clean it each time you shoot it, as soon after you shoot it as possible, and the cleaning is much easier. So, shoot away and clean away and know you're doing the right thing.
BLACKHAWKNJ
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Regular cleaning of the chambers eliminates the buildup of lube residue.
.38SuperMan
Member
I haven’t shot a magnum in my 357’s in nearly forty years. Most of my 357’s have never seen a magnum round. I clean them every range trip and have never had an issue.
I only have two .357 Magnum revolvers; a S&W Model 65-5 and a S&W Model 28-2. I feed the 65-5 a steady diet of .38 Special; mostly 158 grain semi-wadcutters and 148 grain hollow base or bevel base wadcutters (my handloads). Rarely do I shoot .357 Magnum loads in the K-frame revolver. The 28-2, in my opinion, is overbuilt for the full magnum loads, so I could probably give it a steady diet of the high power stuff. Nevertheless, I shoot a lot of .38 special in that gun as well. Most days I am punching paper and having fun. .38 Specials are just fine for that. I always clean the chambers thoroughly.
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Miami_JBT
US Veteran
Just make sure to clean the chambers to prevent a build-up of lead.
RobertJ.
Member
My 28-2 with .38 wadcutters is one of my very favorite range guns!
But, as it's been mentioned, clean the chambers really well.
But, as it's been mentioned, clean the chambers really well.
ArchAngelCD
Moderator, SWCA Member, Absent Comrade
I have been shooting .38 Specials in my .357 Magnums for more years than I can count. I have never had a carbon ring build up because I clean my guns after shooting them. If you don't clean the charge holes for a LONG time you will probably have a problem seating magnum rounds all the way but clean your gun and you will never see a problem...
Shooting .38s through a....
...Smith .357? Do you really want the gun to last forever??
Note, when I can I shoot .38 loads in .357 cases. Avoids the dreaded cylinder crud ring.
...Smith .357? Do you really want the gun to last forever??
Note, when I can I shoot .38 loads in .357 cases. Avoids the dreaded cylinder crud ring.
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STORMINORMAN
Member
I, too, routinely clean my guns upon returning from shooting them... UNLESS it is only going to be a short while till I return to the range with the same firearm.
The common example would be on the way out of town with plans to hit the range on the way back.
I actually know a guy who cleans his guns right before he goes to the range, which seems backassward to me, but seems to work OK for him...?
. I don't like to leave my firearms dirty.
Cheers!
P.S. As far as 38s in a 357 IMHO you have to shoot a lot of them before cleaning becomes a chore beyond the normal: maybe I have just never shot enough at one time to notice?
The common example would be on the way out of town with plans to hit the range on the way back.
I actually know a guy who cleans his guns right before he goes to the range, which seems backassward to me, but seems to work OK for him...?
. I don't like to leave my firearms dirty.Cheers!
P.S. As far as 38s in a 357 IMHO you have to shoot a lot of them before cleaning becomes a chore beyond the normal: maybe I have just never shot enough at one time to notice?
Have happily been shooting .38 Specials in .357 S&W Magnum revolvers since about 1980. Never had a problem with crud building up. However, must say I don't half-way clean any revolver. After a trip to the range, the revolver is thoroughly cleaned up to and including the cylinder. This applies to all my revolvers regardless of caliber. Sincerely. bruce.
The only real issue, as mentioned in several posts, is the ring of fouling that will form in the chambers between the 38 Special case mouth and the edge of the chamber throat. So long as you clean the fouling from the chambers, there is absolutely nothing wrong nor harmful in feeding a 357 Magnum revolver a steady diet of 38 Special ammo.
I bought a model 19 from the widow of a friend. He had been on the department pistol team for years and fired thousands of 38 special WC through that gun. I doubt he ever chambered a magnum round as our issue duty ammo was also 38 special. I could not get magnum rounds to seat in the chambers. A Lewis lead remover would not cut it. I chucked a stainless chamber brush in a drill to clean out the carbon ring and that did the trick.
BLACKHAWKNJ
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The M-27/M-28. "Overbuilt" ? Jeff Cooper wrote he fired some original .357
ammo, found it "pretty fierce." Loaded to higher velocities back then. One wonders what Elmer Keith's loads were like. The Combat Magnum/M-19 was developed at the urging of Bill Jordan who thoughts LEOs needed a lighter but more powerful handgun. Firing 38 WCS out of a N-frame is like firing a K-22/M-14. Only drawback is you get too used to that light recoil, when you switch to magnum loads it takes some getting used to.
ammo, found it "pretty fierce." Loaded to higher velocities back then. One wonders what Elmer Keith's loads were like. The Combat Magnum/M-19 was developed at the urging of Bill Jordan who thoughts LEOs needed a lighter but more powerful handgun. Firing 38 WCS out of a N-frame is like firing a K-22/M-14. Only drawback is you get too used to that light recoil, when you switch to magnum loads it takes some getting used to.
Miracle Man
US Veteran
Every 357 I've owned and most if not all of everybody I've ever known to own a 357 shoots more 38 through it than magnums. For a few reasons.
Easier on wallet, easier on hand/wrist, it's a lot more fun to shoot a hundred or whatever mild 38's than it is rip roaring magnums. And it's a lot easier on the gun.
There's no bad issue with 38's in a 357.
Easier on wallet, easier on hand/wrist, it's a lot more fun to shoot a hundred or whatever mild 38's than it is rip roaring magnums. And it's a lot easier on the gun.
There's no bad issue with 38's in a 357.
sousana
Member
I've got a S&W 586 4" that I purchased way back in the 80's or thereabouts, it's had in the neighborhood of 15+ cases of 38sp ammo, mostly of the 130gr FMJ variety with no issues at all, also have a Ruger GP100 with about 10 cases of same ammo without issues, same for my Colt Python and King Cobra, the only pistol I've had issues with was a Rossi where the cylinder crane cracked after about 3k rounds or so. I've got a Taurus Mod 66 4" satin nickel I bought way back near the tail end of the 80's, it went back to the factory after nearly 100k rounds, mostly 38spl, factory said it was in great shape and offered me a new one in exchange for mine along with it's weapons log.
