38 vs 357 cylinders

[tomcatt51]

I have a 66-5 with a 1.625" long (measured with my dial calipers not a micrometer) cylinder. Are any of the late 64, 67, etc. cylinders the same length? I shoot .38 specials trimmed to .900" for competition as the cases at that length are pushed clear of the cylinder by the ejector. Great for faster reloads but accuracy degrades with the even longer jump the bullets have to the cylinder throat. Are any of the later (new style) .38 special cylinders the same length (1.625") or are they all shorter?

 

[scha]

I checked my Model 67-1 (1988 vintage) and the cylinder length is 1.565. It looks like the 38 Special cylinders are shorter than those used for 357.

I hope this helps, Steve.

 

[m1gunner]

There were some M19s made in 38 sp. Those cylinders should fit.

 

[H Richard]

In terms of "practical accuracy", the jump of a .38 in a .357 cylinder is about nothing. I routinely use .38's in my 686, and shoot 1.5" groups at 25 yards, and have no trouble clearing .38 brass from the cylinder.

I do not understand why you would want to shorten .38 brass. A mod 66 should clear .357 brass. Unless your 66 has a very short barrel, but should still clear .38 brass easily.

 

[tomcatt51]

In terms of "practical accuracy", the jump of a .38 in a .357 cylinder is about nothing. I routinely use .38's in my 686, and shoot 1.5" groups at 25 yards, and have no trouble clearing .38 brass from the cylinder.

I do not understand why you would want to shorten .38 brass. A mod 66 should clear .357 brass. Unless your 66 has a very short barrel, but should still clear .38 brass easily.

Perhaps you missed the part of my post that said "competition". There, "practical accuracy" is the difference between 10's and X's. If you measure the length of stroke of the ejector rod/extractor you'll find an ~.900" long case is all that will be pushed fully clear of the chamber. Longer cases certainly do extract but only eject when assisted by gravity or a good whack on the ejector rod launching them but they still don't always clear.

 

[tomcatt51]

There were some M19s made in 38 sp. Those cylinders should fit.

I checked my Model 67-1 (1988 vintage) and the cylinder length is 1.565. It looks like the 38 Special cylinders are shorter than those used for 357.

I hope this helps, Steve.

Thx guys. My 14-7 also measures about 1.565", I wasn't sure if any of the newer stuff had the longer cylinders. I have a feeling the model 19 38 special cylinders are rare.

 

[KAC]

I also wonder why you are shortening the brass. By doing so you run the risk of having a piece of empty brass stick under the extractor. The .38 revolvers I use for competition are set up with longer extractor springs to help prevent this happening. Keeping the muzzle up when ejecting will (nearly) always allow complete ejection of the empty brass.

KAC

 

[tomcatt51]

I also wonder why you are shortening the brass. By doing so you run the risk of having a piece of empty brass stick under the extractor. The .38 revolvers I use for competition are set up with longer extractor springs to help prevent this happening. Keeping the muzzle up when ejecting will (nearly) always allow complete ejection of the empty brass.

KAC

It's a carryover from using short brass in moonclipped 627's for ICORE or USPSA L-10 (or Open). Using 38 short colt brass is more usual. Trimming brass is a PITA. ICORE has a "retro", speedloader, division now. My 6" 14-7 seems perfect for it. Yes, you can catch the empties under the extractor on a non-moonclipped gun but there seems to be a greater advantage (and fewer hangups) having the brass clear the chambers more easily with less flipping the gun around. Clearancing the grips is important. Trim half a dozen 38 special rds and try it. Accuracy is an issue (and finicky) with 357 chambers. Less of a problem with 38 special chambers and lessened "bullet jump". Bullets with long bearing surfaces seem to work best. The short brass is illegal in IDPA.