Should I see flash firing .357's from 5" Pre-27

[bushmaster1313]

Took my 5" Pre-27 to the range last night and tried it with Remington green and white box .357's.

Lots of fun - Very accurate

But I did see a very noticable flash of flame, something I did not notice firing .38 specials.

Is the flash normal or a sign of too much space between the cylinder and the forcing cone.

BTW - at 7 yards double action the first shot was off the mark by three inches but the next five made one ragged hole the size of a quarter.

 

[hatt]

If it was also really loud I'd be concerned.

 

[venomballistics]

magnums with flash ..... I should hope so

 

[bushmaster1313]

I was wearing earplugs under ear muffs so I heard nothing. The .357's were 125 JSP's. A very manageable round.

 

[David LaPell]

Magnums produce more flash since naturally you're using more powder. You should see the glow from a hot .357 with 2400 powder from my 3 1/2 inch 27-2.

 

[Ron H.]

Took my 5" Pre-27 to the range last night and tried it with Remington green and white box .357's.

Lots of fun - Very accurate

But I did see a very noticable flash of flame, something I did not notice firing .38 specials.

Is the flash normal or a sign of too much space between the cylinder and the forcing cone.

BTW - at 7 yards double action the first shot was off the mark by three inches but the next five made one ragged hole the size of a quarter.

Sir, you're supposed to see the muzzle flash, even with a .22. If you don't, you're closing your eyes before breaking the shot. That's probably why your first shot went wild.

To the original question, yes, .357 loads typically exhibit greater muzzle flash than .38s. Nothing to worry about.

Hope this helps, and Semper Fi.

Ron H.

 

[Rule3]

Yes, it's normal. Rem factory loads are fairly stout

If you shoot outside, try some at dusk or night if possible.

 

[LVSteve]

Winchester 110gr Magnum loads are the flashiest I have ever seen. I get huge batwings from the cylinder gap when I shoot them in my 686+. It really gets the Japanese tourists in the next lane wondering what they have got into.

 

[Rock185]

Normal. I have noticed over a period of years that Remington ammo, in particular, gives a very high flash compared with some other ammo. Apparently they do not use flash suppressants in much of their standard ammo. Perhaps they do use flash suppressants in whatever their top-of-the-line LE type ammo is...

 

[Art Doc]

My 5" 357s produce a LOT of flash.

But then, the 125 JHPs are leaving the muzzle at over 1700 FPS...

 

[H Richard]

If you really want to see flash, wait until just after dark, then touch off a few rounds. Ball powder is frequently used in the hotter .357 loads, and it will have more "flash", both form the B/C gap and the muzzle.

 

[Dave T]

My 5" 357s produce a LOT of flash.

But then, the 125 JHPs are leaving the muzzle at over 1700 FPS...

Really??? Wow!!!

Most factory 125g loads produce from 1400 fps to a maximum close to but not generally over 1500 fps, this from 4"-5" barrels.

Dave

 

[JSR III]

All of that hot gas has to go somewhere and it all won't go out the barrel while pushing the slug. Since the cylinder to barrel connection is not air tight, you will get some blow back. Many S&W's have a flash cut at the top of the frame above the cone to direct the gasses sidewards.

 

[pennlineman]

Reloads with H110 or 296 get lots of flash.

 

[iLikeOldGunsIlikeNewGuns]

I own three S&Ws, but my only .357 (so far!) is a ruger, here are two photo's I got at the range, same gun in each photo. They are both definitely full-on magnum loads. The first photo I believe I was shooting cheaper Remington rounds made for range/practice use. The second photo is a friend of mine shooting the more expensive 'defense' ammo I use, produces much less of a flash. (they're pixel-y because I cheated and took them from video)

 

[Black_Sheep]

Even a little ol' .38 will have some muzzle flash...

 

[FirebirdV8]

You don't even have to wait until dark to get a flash from 357 mag. While its not as impressive as a shot in the dark, it still gets some attention.

 

[boykinlp]

This is also why fingers or anything else must not be near the front of the cylinder when shooting.

 

[phenson]

Have been shooting my "new" 4" 28-2 with light 38 Spl's till this evening. I shot some 125 gr .357's about dusk at the local outdoor range. I have been a .44 Spl fan for a long time, but this was a real hoot. I may be converted! I can understand why the old LEO's loved these things. Sheer power, as opposed to volume in the new semi auto genre.

 

[Walter Rego]

I had an interesting experience at the range recently. I was shooting a 3" Model 65 and a 4" Colt Python. The ammo was 158 gr. white box gun show ammo. There was clearly more flash out the sides from the barrel/cylinder gap with the Python than there was with the S&W. When I got home and checked the barrel/cylinder gaps on both revolvers, the S&W measured .004" and the Colt .006". The S&W at .004" isn't considered particularly tight, and the Colt at .006" is just fine, nowhere near being on the high end of the recommended B/C gap. But the .002" wider gap on the Colt clearly gave a much larger flash.