Loads for 38 Special in 357 brass

[PapaWheelie]

I don't want to shoot 38 brass in my 357 due to the powder ring in the cylinder and the fact that 357 brass is all I have. I do however want to shoot the loads given with the various powders/lead bullets for 38's to keep velocities down to the mid 800's or there about. Is there a conversion factor somewhere to compensate for the longer brass or is one even required?
Thanks.

 

[growr]

Shooting .38 Spl in a .357 mag cylinder is no big deal. Some will have you believe the dreaded lead ring will make it impossible to use .357 casings ever again...

Clean the gun after shooting, I use a .40 brush.....no more ring around the collar..play on words there.

The only time I have seen it needed to do this is in SASS where some .357 rifles will only feed .357 brass. Oft times the .38 spl brass is simply too short for the lifter to reliably feed.

Randy

 

[AlHunt]

Well, Speer #10 shows 4.3gr of Bullseye behind a 158gr lead SWC or RN at 848 fps for 357 Mag. You ought to be able to find something that works for you.

 

[boatbum101]

Just bump the charge weight that is shown in 38 special load data for the bullet you're using . Lets take 148 HBWC loads for instance , classic in 38 special is 2.7grs Bullseye . In a 357 case with a 148 HBWC use 2.9grs Bullseye . To get 800fps with a 148 HBWC in a 357 case use 3.3grs Bullseye with an OAL of 1.360" . Slower powders you'll have to figure out , but just bump powder charge .2 - .3grs to start with . Another classic load for 148 in 38 is 3.1grs W231 , in a 357 bump it to 3.4grs to start & adjust to desired velocity . Don't go crazy as with a HBWC you can blow the skirt off the bullet & if you shoot another behind it you'll bulge your barrel . Personally I'd use a 38 case , bump load .2 to .3 grs & seat bullet out of case neck to an OAL of 1.360". Can do the same with a 158 SWC or RN only use OAL of 1.455"with say 3.7 to 4.0grs W231 or 4.7 to 5.0grs of Accurate # 5 .

 

[SMSgt]

Oh dear . . . the dreaded .38-caused carbon ring. I guess gun cleaning is too old school. I shot .38s for years in my Ruger BH .357, often 100s of rounds at a time, and not once was there ever a carbon-ring issue.

 

[Collo Rosso]

If you go on Hodgdon's data site, pull up 38 spl and 357 mag with the same weight Hornady FTX bullet, same powder, and with the same powder charge, both measured from a 4" barrel, the 357 shows more fps even though it has greater case volume. The gun can mean as much as the cartridge.
boatbum101 does have a good general rule to follow. Unless your at max load, bumping up the powder charge .2 grains should compensate for the extra case volume.

 

[PapaWheelie]

Don't go crazy as with a HBWC you can blow the skirt off the bullet & if you shoot another behind it you'll bulge your barrel . Personally I'd use a 38 case , bump load .2 to .3 grs & seat bullet out of case neck to an OAL of 1.360". Can do the same with a 158 SWC or RN only use OAL of 1.455"with say 3.7 to 4.0grs W231 or 4.7 to 5.0grs of Accurate # 5 .

I'm pretty new at this - could you tell be what you mean when you said you can blow the skirt off? I have not reloaded HDWCs, yet but have been using the Acme 158 LSWC with the hi-tek coating.

I have a little OCD when it comes to cleaning stainless. Many years ago I shot 38 brass in a 686 and those rings in the cylinders used to drive me crazy. Right or wrong, it's too late to change me now. I have a lot of 357 brass and use coated bullets mainly to cut down on cleaning time. I do want to experiment with different powders and coated bullets though, and have done a lot of searching on the various powder web sites, and even bought a book. Most of the recipes that I want to try are written for the 38 case however.

 

[OKFC05]

'm pretty new at this - could you tell be what you mean when you said you can blow the skirt off?"

You get two holes in a target because the bullet comes out in two pieces. You HOPE it always comes out..and doesn't leave a skirt in the barrel!!
HBWC are for light loads of powders like bullseye and HP38. If you want to go faster use DEWC, NOT HBWC.

By the way I shoot tens thousands of .38 in a Model 66 in IDPA, and use a Hoppes Tornado brush to get the lead/carbon ring out of the cylinder in a couple of swipes. Easy and quick.

 

[rockquarry]

Do some searching; there is data out there though some of it may have started out in paper manuals. If I chose to use .357 cases, I'd take .38 Special data and bump it up slightly with successive loads and shoot groups from a solid benchrest setup, chronographing at the same time. I'd go with what was most accurate for my gun.

I've never seen the carbon ring and I shoot only .38 Special in my .357 Magnum guns.

 

[BC38]

I wouldn't even bother myself. Just use the mid-range 38 special recipe as is. The load will be a few fps slower than the same load in a 38 special case, but so what?

It isn't like low-end 38 specials are so slow and under powered that they are going to stick in the barrel or anything.

Think about it, the 38 long Colt using the same bullet is loaded to lower pressures and velocities than the 38 special and they still make it out the end of the barrel, right?

A few fps due to the 10% larger case volume just isn't going to make that big of a difference. Worst case scenario if they aren't fast enough for you, use the top end of the 38 special charge weight. A max 38 special load isn't going to be all that hot in a 357 case.

 

[4barrel]

I'm pretty new at this - could you tell be what you mean when you said you can blow the skirt off? I have not reloaded HDWCs, yet but have been using the Acme 158 LSWC with the hi-tek coating.

I have a little OCD when it comes to cleaning stainless. Many years ago I shot 38 brass in a 686 and those rings in the cylinders used to drive me crazy. Right or wrong, it's too late to change me now. I have a lot of 357 brass and use coated bullets mainly to cut down on cleaning time. I do want to experiment with different powders and coated bullets though, and have done a lot of searching on the various powder web sites, and even bought a book. Most of the recipes that I want to try are written for the 38 case however.

Look down in the case. That is a skirt blown off. I was making a target load for my 19 using 3.2 of American Select at 25y. This happened several times. I couldn't make it do that with Bullseye powder. Here is the target and the far right hole is where the sliver of lead went and stuck in the board. The sliver in on the duct tape I was using to sight in. The lower hole in the group was that shot. I happened to have a spotter telling me the shots.

 

[PapaWheelie]

Look down in the case. That is a skirt blown off. I was making a target load for my 19 using 3.2 of American Select at 25y. This happened several times. I couldn't make it do that with Bullseye powder. Here is the target and the far right hole is where the sliver of lead went and stuck in the board. The sliver in on the duct tape I was using to sight in. The lower hole in the group was that shot. I happened to have a spotter telling me the shots.

Wow, did not know that could happen. That would be a day wrecker if stuck in the bore without knowing.

 

[Carrier]

I don't want to shoot 38 brass in my 357 due to the powder ring in the cylinder and the fact that 357 brass is all I have. I do however want to shoot the loads given with the various powders/lead bullets for 38's to keep velocities down to the mid 800's or there about. Is there a conversion factor somewhere to compensate for the longer brass or is one even required?
Thanks.

Just what bullets do you plan on reloading. I shoot 38 specials in my 357 guns and shoot 38 special loads in 357 cases all the time. Like has been said it's not magic vodoo. Pick a bullet and load for 38 special and adjust powder charge slightly by a couple grains higher.
I have loaded lots of 38 special loads in 357 cases without adjusting the charge. However I normally do not start at the lowest load and usually start a few grains higer if using 357 cases.

 

[PapaWheelie]

Oh dear . . . the dreaded .38-caused carbon ring. I guess gun cleaning is too old school. I shot .38s for years in my Ruger BH .357, often 100s of rounds at a time, and not once was there ever a carbon-ring issue.

My intent was not to start 38 vs 357 brass. It's really not that I don't want to clean my gun, it's because I must have them spotless after each session. When I shot with 38 brass I did get rings that were easy to see against the s/s. Tried many different brushes and cleaners to remove them too.
I just don't want to do it anymore. So far 357 brass and coated bullets make for easy cleanup for me and as a casual shooter it works.

 

[Turn4811]

I shoot 38 brass in my Model 65 all the time. Hoppes #9 and a nylon .40 brush with strands of copper from a Chore Boy pad in a cordless screwdriver makes cleaning up 150 rounds of residue a less than 5 minute chore.

 

[Carrier]

My intent was not to start 38 vs 357 brass. It's really not that I don't want to clean my gun, it's because I must have them spotless after each session. When I shot with 38 brass I did get rings that were easy to see against the s/s. Tried many different brushes and cleaners to remove them too.
I just don't want to do it anymore. So far 357 brass and coated bullets make for easy cleanup for me and as a casual shooter it works.

Ha ha that reminds me of me. When I got my first stainless S&W I was so anal about not having a spot of anything on or in it. Used every chemical and mechanical items known to man to keep that baby like new.
Now with the ones that I shoot a lot with they get a quick but good cleaning of barrel and cylinder chambers/throats.
However the carbon rings on the end of the cylinder gets a quick brushing with a brass brush and Ballistol as I've learned to live with the ring and life is so much better.
But there is nothing wrong with what you want to do and I commend you for it.

 

[Univibe]

I load .38 power loads in .357 brass. Same for .44 mag brass. Works just fine.

 

[Warren Sear]

Just what bullets do you plan on reloading. I shoot 38 specials in my 357 guns and shoot 38 special loads in 357 cases all the time. Like has been said it's not magic vodoo. Pick a bullet and load for 38 special and adjust powder charge slightly by a couple grains higher.
I have loaded lots of 38 special loads in 357 cases without adjusting the charge. However I normally do not start at the lowest load and usually start a few grains higer if using 357 cases.

A "couple of grains"????

I hope you mean a couple tenths of a grain.

As was stated, just increase the .38 load by about 10% and you will have the very near equivalent load in a .357 case.

Don't use hollow base wad cutters. Ever. I suggest using 158 grain semi-wadcutter bullets.

 

[Warren Sear]

PapaWheelie, I am convinced that guns are damaged more from cleaning than from shooting. Clean it, but forget about making it look "spotless". You can do it.

That said, I do understand the desire to use .357 brass in a .357 revolver.

 

[Carrier]

A "couple of grains"????

I hope you mean a couple tenths of a grain.

As was stated, just increase the .38 load by about 10% and you will have the very near equivalent load in a .357 case.

Don't use hollow base wad cutters. Ever. I suggest using 158 grain semi-wadcutter bullets.

Yes I do mean tenths. Trying to post on this iPhone with my left hand while my right arm is in a sling is not working so well.