I need some education here

[PeterJ]

It seems that this could fit in a lot of places so I just put it here. I understand that .357 magnum rounds are a bit longer than .38 specials so a .357 can't be fired out of a .38. Ok. The two rounds below are .357 on the left, .38 special on the right. They look the exact same length to me but the case is obviously longer on the .357. I don't think the longer case will prevent firing it in a .38 special. What am I missing here ? I don't own a .38 special gun to see if the cylinder would close.

 

[ISCS Yoda]

That .357 Magnum case will not fit into the cylinder of a .38 Special. The bullets are the same diameter. It's about that simple.

If you can't close the cylinder you can't fire the round.

 

[shakyshoot]

The overall length might be the same, but the case is a larger diameter than the bullet. A .357 case won't fit past the throats in a .38 spl, regardless of how short the whole cartridge is. If the chambers were the same diameter from back to front, you could load it and close the cylinder, but they're not.

 

[PeterJ]

So not to be too thick headed here,,, the .357 case is a larger diameter than the .38 ?

 

[Grayfox]

They are the same diameter. Both bullet and case. The .357 is just a longer case.
Overall length depends on the weight and shape of the bullet. You obviously have two very different bullet designs there. That's why in the pic the two have the same overall length. With identical bullets the .357 would be longer.

 

[PeterJ]

My education continues,,,, thank you all.

 

[shakyshoot]

So not to be too thick headed here,,, the .357 case is a larger diameter than the .38 ?

No, same diameter. But look down the chambers of your revolver. You'll see that they're not straight all the way down. They neck down very slightly toward the front. The longer .357 cases won't fit past that slight bottleneck in a .38 spl.

 

[Wee Hooker]

The other thing to note is that many (and in particular older ) guns don't have the same strength metal in the lesser powered 38 models. Now and then you'll read about some bubba that bored out a 38 cylinder to take 357's only to find the gun doesn't hold up to the extra pressures.

 

[5-Shot]

Directly from the source.

Ed

 

[one eye joe]

I QUESTION WHETHER THE BULLET IN THE .38 SPL CASE IS ACTUALLY SEATED AT THE PROPER DEPTH ? ? ?

 

[Bosquebass]

I QUESTION WHETHER THE BULLET IN THE .38 SPL CASE IS ACTUALLY SEATED AT THE PROPER DEPTH ? ? ?

Look about 1/3 of the the way down on the 38 round. I can see what looks like a heavy bulge from the bullet inside the case.
Could be a 38/200 bullet. They usually size around .362 for the British Service Round. That could explain the length and bulge. Or not...