light loads in a 357, 38 vs 357

[rwsmith]

If you load .38 in .357 cases......

Unless the load is WAY TOO light, any load you shoot out of a .38 can be shot out of a .357 case. In cases that evolved from black powder days, that extra minutia of case volume in the .357 case makes practically no difference.

 

[fredj338]

IF you reload, it makes perfect sense. Why bother loading 38sp cases when you are already setup for 357mag? Just download the mag cases. I like things simple.

 

[fredj338]

#1 is exactly correct. The added bullet jump hurting accuracy is
theoretical only, and not observed in practice.

#3 There is more to worry about. Light loads can cause detination.
The theory is that powder level in the case is so low that when the
primer discharges, it blows over the powder charge and not through it,
leading to a radical pressure spike.

Therefore, I'd caution you to not load your .357 case at less
than 80% full, as you might do using .38 load data in a .357 case.

Joe

The light load detonation myth seems to still be alive. It has never been proven in a lab. Virtually all of those so called detonations could be traced back to dbl charges of uber fast powders like BE & TG.
80% full, seriously? Most of us load our magnum cases far lower volume than that for 1000s of rds & we are still here. Consider 6gr of something bulky like Unique doesn't even fill a 357smag case 50%, shoots jut fine.

 

[Luke Duke]

.38

That's what I needed to hear.

Pete

Ive found .38 Special brass to be way cheaper than .357 brass. You can reload 38 brass almost indefinitely and I've never saw a huge difference in accuracy. My Old Model Black Hawk .357 will Stack a .38 Special 158 gr SWC with a reasonable amount of Unique all day long

 

[fredj338]

Ive found .38 Special brass to be way cheaper than .357 brass. You can reload 38 brass almost indefinitely and I've never saw a huge difference in accuracy. My Old Model Black Hawk .357 will Stack a .38 Special 158 gr SWC with a reasonable amount of Unique all day long

The cost diff 50y ago might have been way diff but today, almost the same price for new or once fired. If you have a bunch of 38sp & that is all you shoot out of your magnum cool. If you have a magnum to shoot magnums & midrange 357, might as well load your light stuff in 357mag brass too. It has an even greater life span with mild loads than 38sp.

 

[sniper]

I load everything in 357 brass. That's the decision I made when I started loading in the '60s. That said, my everyday carry ammo is Remington or Speer 38 spl. +P. And, I load my 357 cases to a good solid +p velocity, or maybe a skosh higher. Accurate and good enough for any reasonable purpose.

 

[bmcgilvray]

I'm another who does not use .38 Special cases in the .357 Magnum revolvers here.

3.0 grains of Bulls Eye under a 148 grain hollow base wadcutter seated flush makes a dandy powder puff .357 Magnum load for target use.

 

[STORMINORMAN]

Well, I reload both... Why? Because half of my .356-3.58" S&W revolvers are J-frames.

IMHO, the 357 MAGNUM J-frames are certainly very desirable weapons, but many are most often carried with 38 Special +P loads (and usually factory?) anyway? Not claiming "all" are, but willing to opine "most". There is a real-world difference between a 2 1/2" Model 19 and any J-frame when hot 357 Magnum loads are fired!

As far as segregating ammo is concerned I find having some nickel cases makes it pretty easy to discern. I have accumulated a lot of mixed 38 Special brass that gets loaded primarilly for the range. Funny thing, I don't seem to lose much brass when shooting revolvers: semi-automatic brass almost always has a 10% loss factor.

Cheers!

P.S. I clean my guns 95% of the time upon returning from the range: revolvers, pistols, rifles as well. The 1 in 20 would typically be when I planned to return with the same gun in a very short period of time or when I only shot a limited number of test rounds, anticipating a return when more were reloaded.

"Should 5% appear to small, be thankful I don't take it ALL!"

 

[BAM-BAM]

Dad use to shoot his King modified 6 inch Colt New Service .357 as his centerfire target gun........... he was on the Dept Pistol Team reloaded his own .38 wadcutter target loads (cast his own bullets) and must have shot tens of thousands of rounds over his 20 years on the team. He shot "Master" (+640/700) so it must have worked OK

FWIW his brass was once fired .38 brass that an FBI friend brought back from a training facility in Va. (in 5gal buckets)

Duty loads in the 70s was factory....... "+P+ .38 Law Enforcement Only" ammo. Two of his three work guns were .38s. (2 & 4 inch)

Never heard of any issue.

I've shot both out of my K,L and N frame .357........ only recall the crud ring issue when I was shooting a lot of cheap 3rd party reloads.

 

[JHB51]

I used to avoid using 38s in 357s because of the carbon buildup. Then I found Bore Tech Carbon Remover. A wet patch let it sit for a few minutes then a quick scrub with another wet patch dry patch done. That stuff works like advertised.

 

[SLT223]

I never really bothered with .38 cases bc I have no .38 Spl only guns. I have at least 800-1000 38 cases from range floor pick up over the years, but it turns out I'm too lazy to adjust my dies. Downloading .357 cases with fast powder has yet to fail me for target loads.

 

[Univibe]

All my loads for my 686 go into. 357 cases. Simpler and works just fine.

 

[Nevada Ed]

Not this discussion yet again!!!!

Randy

Just a minute now.............

it was only posted on Jan. 2011.

Give these guys a break.

 

[Boogsawaste]

I use mostly 38 brass because I have a lot more of it. If I had as much 357 brass I’d just use that. Hint hint if anyone has any excess 357 brass they want to sell.

 

[Maurice H]

I have at least 800-1000 38 cases from range floor pick up over the years, but it turns out I'm too lazy to adjust my dies.

Redding makes spacers (link) so the switch takes about 90 seconds. I have a set for 38/357 and another for 44. Excellent.

 

[sniper]

Problem solved!

My ancient set of RCBS carbide 38-357 dies (I can't remember exactly when I bought them) came with a a spacer that you would just put under an adjusted 38 length die, (Do they even do that any more?) and it worked O.K. for the magnum length brass. Not perfect, but close, depending upon case length. (Does anybody hate trimming pistol brass like I do?) PITA, but...if you desire consistent crimps, you gotta!

 

[yeti]

Have some stock of shorter brass, but I use the magnum brass for all loads now. Just makes it simpler.
I've done the work up on my light target loads in mag brass and the differences are modest. Some very light loads I adjusted an extra tenth of a grain, most I didn't.