Reloading 38 Special and 357 magnum

[rwsmith]

They weren't afraid.....

You can do all sorts of stuff that's not a good idea. Just like I do a bunch of stuff that I wouldn't recommend to strangers on the internet.

Just the same, Skeeter was a great reloader and a good shooter. He also did some stuff that, in retrospect, wasn't the greatest idea in the world. Ditto for Elmer Keith, and just about anybody else you might mention. Pobody's nerfect.

Also, you should look up "argument from authority".

Since they acted like they had sense and didn't just take a gun in hand and fire far beyond max loads, they were able to test and stretch the limits. Many people that do this aren't safe about it and blow their hands off.

 

[Lebauffe]

Well...

I simply asked a simple question...
I had great answer, wich makes sence... Thanks to those people.
I had comments that might remain to the writer's...

I gave some information of my background...
I had replies like i was the last dumb jerk on earth...
So i believe that this forum isn't that friendly...
I believe that there is some ( or many ) people thinking everyone else is a dumb...

I know what reloading rifles is...
I know what reloadint pistol is...
I know what reloading shotgun is...
I do all that !
I might shoot much more than most of you over here...
Even if i'm not the best on earth !

So, as "greating" i've seen MUCH BETTER !
I was new on this forum, but you won't see me anymore.
Thanks to those who gave good advices, those who believe i'm dumb might go to hell !

Period !

 

[Wise_A]

Since they acted like they had sense and didn't just take a gun in hand and fire far beyond max loads, they were able to test and stretch the limits. Many people that do this aren't safe about it and blow their hands off.

They still did some gonzo stuff. Good for us, though, we got some great cartridges out of the deal.

The problem is that you hear their names used as licenses to pursue some pretty bad ideas--argument from authority. Bad ideas that don't really have a percentage in them...no real reason to try them out at all aside from laziness or cheapness or such. Which is a shame, I rather like reading Skelton Sr, and lately Bart hasn't been half-bad. Skeeter might have loaded his .38/.357s, but I'd bet he wouldn't suggest it as a common practice. He had more sense than that.

Take the whole "load a .357 into a .38 thing". Sound in theory, the problem occurs when you leave a box at the range, or pass the wrong box to a buddy, or shuffle off this mortal coil and one of your buzzard friends bogarts a box off your widow. And in any case, why risk it? Brass is pretty cheap.

 

[Tom S.]

I had replies like i was the last dumb jerk on earth...
So i believe that this forum isn't that friendly...
I believe that there is some ( or many ) people thinking everyone else is a dumb...

Don't take things to heart. It's easy to misunderstand what someone posts and take offense when no offense was meant.

As for your original post, unless you have a 38 Special, why even reload for it? Shooting 38's in your 357 is acceptable but because the case is shorter than the 357 case, it will leave a ring in the cylinder, which if left uncleaned, can build up to the point of being an obstruction to 357 cases. 357 cases can be loaded to the same specs as 38 Special with a few notable exceptions which involve very light loads. For proper ignition of powder, the powder needs to be covering the primer flash hole. Ignition properties for reloading data assumes the powder ignites from the rear and burns towards the front of the case. Very light loads can leave the powder in the case only partially covering the flash hole, or not covering it at all. The theory goes that this allows the primer to ignite a larger amount of powder, which causes a sharp spike in pressure. Note that this is not something that will happen every time, but is a concern that is easily mitigated by either not loading cases in this manner to begin with, or adding a filler to the case, between the powder and the bullet, to keep the powder charge in the proper relationship to normally loaded rounds. Believe it or not, Cream of Wheat is one of the more popular fillers used in this manner.

As noted, beyond these exceptions, most loads given for 38 special can be used in 357 brass without issues. Limiting your brass to 357 will eliminate any possible confusion of charges, and also eliminate the need to change your die height to bell cases and properly seat/crimp bullets.

Don't shy away from asking questions. When it comes to reloading, the old saying about the only dumb question is the one you don't ask is the golden rule. And consider this about posts you feel they are being offensive: even an offensive post is worth it if it keeps us from doing something that would have endangered ourselves and others. Take the rudeness of those posts with a grain of salt, but pay attention to their message as it relates to the subject.

 

[Andrew2105]

I didn't read anything insulting in the replies to the poster.

 

[silentflyer]

Since I am no Skeeter or Elmer by a long stretch, I will opt for .38 loads in .38's, and .357's in .357's.
That being said 95% of what I reload are Skeeter loads, they have always worked well for me in 40+ years of reloading.

 

[cowboy4evr]

Skeeter Skelton did load 13.5grs of 2400 in a 38spl case using a 158-160 gr cast bullet . BUT-- it was not a std swc like you buy anywhere . It was the Lyman 358156 ( double crimp groove) designed by Ray Thompson . In a 38spl case , bullet crimped in the lower groove it gives about the same capacity as using a 357 case and bullet crimped in the upper crimp groove .
I have shot this every bullet for many years , LIke Skeeter , I started out using 38 spl brass as I didn't have much 357 brass . When I got enough 357 brass I stopped using 38spl brass . It is a wonderful bullet and that seems like the magic combination of powder and bullet .
So please remember , his load was NOT using a std 158gr bullet in a 38spl case . That would cause excessively , very excessively high pressures .

 

[Stopsign32v]

What if your .38 special only revolver is rated for .357?

 

[cowboy4evr]

I think the first question would be , " Is your 38spl brass going to take that much pressure " ? Your std 158 gr bullet has a much longer shank than the bulllet mentioned above when crimped in the lower crimp groove . The std bullet will decrease powder capacity , raising pressure -- quickly .

 

[Tom S.]

I think the first question would be , " Is your 38spl brass going to take that much pressure " ? Your std 158 gr bullet has a much longer shank than the bulllet mentioned above when crimped in the lower crimp groove . The std bullet will decrease powder capacity , raising pressure -- quickly .

Bullet seating is the key answer. The only difference between a .38 and .357 case is the length. Neither case is stronger than the other. But having to seat the bullet deeper in the .38 case due to the length difference will effect case capacity and thus pressures. While it's true that the initial .357 loads were developed in .38 cases, loads have moved far beyond those when case capacity increased. Also keep in mind that pressure measurements of the day were hit or miss due to the rather crude technology available at that time. This is why if you look at loads recommended 40+ years ago to those given today, you will find significantly lower charges in today's data than what used to be recommended. I can remember one charge of HS5 or 6 I took from a then current Speer book that literally shook the screws loose in my Model 28. Using that load in a .38 would have been a frightening experience.