Shooting .38 in a .357?

[blujax01]

Vote and comment.

 

[olskool]

i like to shoot hot 38s out of 357 i roll my own, if i shoot 357 brass then it is loaded with about 12-13 gr. of 2400 with a lyman 357156 hp 155 gr, boolit.

 

[mesinge2]

I have enough 38s that are just 38s that I don't shoot any 38 SPL in my 357 magnums. Its not for any other reason than I like the felt recoil of a 357. If I want to shoot a 38. I have model 10s, 64s, 36s, 60s, etc. If I want to shoot a 357, I have 19s, 66s, & 586s. But my favorite lately is my 627-8 times.

 

[Shooting Padre]

Price is the factor here. I reload .38, but haven't .357 just because I guess. But a box of factory .357 is a bit spendy. I do carry it loaded with the .357 and shoot just enough to maintain muscle memory with the heavier loads. Maybe I'll try reloading the .357 now that I read this.

 

[Arik]

Yes!

Cheaper target practice

Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk 2

 

[Stubborn Dutchman]

I shoot both because I pick up range brass in both calibers. Most of my 686 shooting is with target loads so both calibers feel the same to me. Shooting the .38's forces me to do a better job cleaning the cylinder.

 

[Maximumbob54]

I cast a bunch of Lee's 105gr SWC that are great for trigger practice and poke nice little holes in the paper. They use less lead than anything else I can cast, they take alox in tumble lube very well, and unless you are a recoil junky like Mesinge2 is (poke, poke... ) then I think most of us don't really enjoy the felt recoil of a .357 magnum all the time.

 

[Hank783]

Usually shoot 38 wadcutters in all my 357's - 686-1 silloute, 586, 28, 19. All shoot better than I can and its cheeper Old load is 148 HB wadcutter with 2.7 grains of Bullseye.

 

[Rigmover]

Hi i shoot mostly 357 Mags. threw my M28 and mostly 38 Specials threw my M19 but they do get a diet of both.

 

[Linejudgemick]

You didn't put my option in your poll... Yes, I shoot both .357 and 38 spl in my pistol. I'm not sure which I shoot the most, I don't really keep track.

 

[kudzu3]

I reserve my .357 magnums for that ctg. I have .38s to shoot the .38 ctg.

 

[steamloco76]

I have enough .357 Mag brass, so I load light target and medium cast lead rounds for my Mags in the correct brass. I do shoot .38's out of my 357's on indoor ranges where any cartridge with Magnum in the title is banned due to excessive backstop wear.

Reminds me that I need to load a bunch of .357 Mag one of these days.

 

[Fuego]

Shooting .38 Special out of a .357 Magum is a great option, and the main reason to buy a .357 or a .38 Special.

However:: After shooting the shorter .38 Special in the .357 cylinder, a ring of fouling will form in the front of the cylinder. When you shoot a .357 Magnum full power load, the brassw will expand into that fouling ring, and make ejection difficult to impossible without a rawhide mallet.

I reload my .357 range ammo to .38 Special load data using the longer .38 Special cases to avoid that problem.

Bottom line: yes you can do it, but keep that .357 cylinder scrubbed clean. As you should do anyway.

 

[DeadWhiteGoose]

I recently have stopped shooting .38s out of my 686 and now only shoot .357 magnum. For some reason I'm more accurate with the .357s and I prefer them for practice. In a self defense situation especially out in the woods against critters I would be shooting the magnum loads anyway. Might as well be good at shooting them. It's only $4 more for a box of 50 for what I use at the range and practicing with what I plan on protecting myself with is worth an extra $4.

 

[BCDWYO]

None of the poll answers apply to me. For me it depends on the gun. For my J and K frame 357 mags I regularly practice with 38 sp and only rarely use 357 mag ammo at the range. For my L and N frames, I mostly stick to 357 mag ammo all the time. I reload both 38 sp and 357 mag so ammo cost isn't a big factor for me. I do scrub the cylinders after each range session - especially if shooting 38 sp.

 

[VTXS]

I practise with the .38+P whenever I shoot, but I keep my .357 Magnum rounds going through it when I do a 50 round qualification run, just to see how I'm keeping up these days.

 

[vytoland]

my S&W models 28-2, 681, & 686-4PP get the real thing ONLY.

.38 special DEWC come out of the S&W models 64's, 649 & 36

 

[PJS50]

I usually shoot & carry my 340PD with .38Spec.+P instead of the full-house .357 loads. I know, it kinda defeats the reason for paying more for a light-weight .357 when I usually shoot .38's, but I like the option of being able to shoot full power loads if need be.

One thing with those light weight revolvers and .357 loads, one DEFINITELY needs to do some testing regarding what rounds can handle the tremendous recoil in that light of a gun! I've found the Federals and Speers to be the best for this purpose. The Rem. Golden Saber's projos backed out quite a bit when I tested them in the 340. While I love the Golden Sabers in almost all my auto-pistols, they don't have the cannelure to crimp to and thus don't work well under extreme recoil of a light .357...

 

[Gryff]

My 686 is an IDPA gun. No point in shooting .357s out of it.

 

[G.T. Smith]

I had my 65 a long time before I shot any .38's. The first time I used .38's was while I was shooting the targets during the NRA class to get my CCW. I was surprised how accurate that gun, (4") is with .38+P's. I shoot only .38's in my M37 because I can't get a .357 to fit although the poor old guy I bought it from said that he believed it would shoot either or. God bless his heart.
Peace,
gordon