Ammo Options for .357 Magnum

[Nicci]

I am a newbie to guns in general, but I want to make sure I am shooting safely (i.e., using the right ammo). I have a S&W Model 640 .357 Magnum and it came with two cylinders. Are there any special considerations to firing .38 bullets through the .357 cylinder? At this point, I'm not even sure if it's safe, and if it is, if I should expect any difficulties or will need to make adjustments of any kind. I'm trying to figure out if I can avoid switching out the cylinder every time I want to use .38 bullets or if using the .357 cylinder for .38's will degrade my accuracy. To date, I have been handling it by switching the cylinder every time.

 

[ralph7]

One can always shoot .38 special through a .357 magnum chamber.
I am confused as to what the other cylinder is for, unless it is cut for moon clips.

 

[Norsk_jaeger]

Just make sure to clean the cylinders well after shooting .38 before going back to .357. The shorter cartridges will foul the holes short of where the .357 will, if that makes any sense

 

[Nicci]

Ralph, one cylinder will only fit the .38's - too short for the .357's. I suppose that's what made me unsure about whether they needed to be switched out. My big question was safety - thank you. Norsk, thank you for the cleaning tip. I am definitely trying to make a practice of cleaning after every session.

 

[moxie]

The short cylinder is almost certainly cut for moon clips. With moon clips the .357s will fit and so will the .38s. Did you buy it new? Moon clips are cheap and easy to use, much better than speedloaders. See here:
Welcome to TK Custom.com & Moonclips.com

To clarify, use the shorter cylinder with either .38 or .357. Moonclips with both calibers.

Use either caliber in the longer cylinder, without moonclips.

Also see pages 29 & 30 in your owner's manual. If you didn't get one, see here:
http://www.smith-wesson.com/wcsstore/SmWesson2/upload/other/S&W_Revolver_Manual_01-30-2011.pdf

 

[ArchAngelCD]

To answer your main question, yes, it is completely safe to fire any .38 Special/.38 Special +P ammo in any .357 Magnum revolver in good condition.

I have not heard of a M640 being shipped from the factory with 2 cylinders. It's probably part of a special run or it was modified before you bought the revolver. I'm very interested in seeing the 2 cylinders, can you post pictures? If you can please focus on the back of the cylinder so we can see if it's cur for moon clips.

 

[358156hp]

Somebody could have added a 940s 9mm cylinder to the gun at some point too. You need to make certain you know what caliber the cylinders are chambered for before you go stuffing ammo into them.