Ready To Start Reloading .357 and .38 Special

[rfd]

i have a ruger gp-100 6" and load for both 38spl and 357mag, with 90% of the time using 38spl rounds and target loads of bullseye under my cast 150 grain 1:20 alloy bullets that are gato feo lubed. never had any cylinder crud build up. guess it's all a matter of load, alloy and lube, with firing 38spl in a 357mag cylinder.

[tazman]

I've found that an M-14 chamber brush, the one with a ratchet, works great for cleaning .357 chambers. The brass bristles are short and stiff and turning the ratchet makes fast work of the job. I must admit that I have never had any particular problem shooting .38s and .357 interchangeably but like to have clean chambers.
Loren

That sounds like a good way to clean the chambers. I think I will try to find one of those in case it ever happens again.

Pooch--- I was using a lube I purchased off eBay. It was listed as Tac1 and was a green color. I have since switched to White Label X-lox and have had no issues since.

[Scharfschuetze]

I've found that an M-14 chamber brush, the one with a ratchet, works great for cleaning .357 chambers.

Here is an M1 chamber brush.

[Thin Man]

+1 on Tazman's experience. Many years ago I was a LEO/instructor/armorer at an agency where we loaded our own 38 WC's for training and carried Model 10 revolvers. Later we upgraded to Model 66 revolvers but issued 38 Spl. ammo for duty and WC ammo for training. The occasional 357 round found it's way toward, but not into the chambers of these 66's. The problem was the crud ring in the front of the chambers from shorter rounds being fired in longer chambers. Why was the ring there? Could have been the bullet lube, bullet diameter, bullet alloy composition, or whatever, but it was there. Like many others I tried the Lewis lead remover, oversize bore brushes on drills, solvents and other witchcraft. These were marginally successful. Then I learned about Brownell's CHAMBER BRUSHES, product 084-455-137. These brushes are larger diameter than a bore brush and are stainless steel. One must have a cleaning rod with a fixed (non-rotating) handle. Install the brush on the rod and start the brush into the chamber while turning the rod handle (brush must rotate while inserting). Continue to push the brush forward while turning the rod until the brush protrudes out the front of the chamber. Now rotate the brush ten (10) complete revolutions and withdraw it from the chamber (while still turning it). This usually gets all the crud out, second applications may be required for really serious junk in the chambers. This is the most effective chamber cleaning system I have found so far. Have never found any chamber damaged by the SS bristles, only clean. One caution - do NOT try to pass this brush down the bore!! The diameter is so large the brush will be extremely resistant to travel the distance from muzzle to frame window, and any attempt to withdraw the brush to the rear before it clears the barrel will be unsuccessful. Then you will have to move it to the frame window and remove it from the cleaning rod in order to remove the rod. You will do this only one time and remember it for ever (as I have from 40 years ago!). Yes, I still keep a supply of these for customers' firearms that require complete chamber cleaning (yes, the crud ring still appears occasionally), and use them on my own revolvers without fear of leaving any crud in the chambers. They work, and very well, better than anything else I have found to date. They are available in either 3 or 12 items in a pack from Brownell's.

[rfd]

i think i would wanna avoid scrubbing a cylinder, or any gun metal, with a s/s brush at all costs. if ringing the cylinder due to firing 38spl rounds became, or was an issue, it'd rather load reduced 357mag rounds. imho.

[apen]

I'm with you there rfd

[tazman]

i think i would wanna avoid scrubbing a cylinder, or any gun metal, with a s/s brush at all costs. if ringing the cylinder due to firing 38spl rounds became, or was an issue, it'd rather load reduced 357mag rounds. imho.

I agree with that with 2 notes.
1-- 38 special brass is more readily available and much cheaper than 357 brass.
2-- I now own revolvers chambered for 38 special and shoot all my 38 specials in those guns eliminating the problem altogether.
I can certainly understand some one who cannot afford more than one gun needing to shoot what they have with whatever they can load most cheaply. I have been in that position myself. If that is the case, a good cleaning system will be necessary if this problem arises. Been there, done that.

[sniper]

As usual, I'm late to this thread, but in another lifetime, for hundreds of rounds in IPSC competition, 5.5 gr. Unique did just fine. I cast RCBS 150 gr. .38/357 boolitz out of a mixture I fondly hoped was somewhere in the neighborhood of Lyman #2 alloy, cast on a Coleman camp stove, lubed in Lee's little flat pan, with some red goo I think was included. Used the cake cutter and push-thru sizer... .358, iirc. .357 brass. I never needed another load! 860 fps from my 4" barrel, with no leading! Following that, I used commercial "hard cast 158 gr SWC, including Oregon Trail, which developed leading.

Looking over what I have now...there are some of the commercial cast 158 grainers, which I tumble lubed with Lee lube, about 500 Hornady swaged SWC, with whatever lube they use, several hundred RCBS 38-150 gr and 158 gr SWCGCs, which I have also tumble lubed. They kinda sat for a couple of years till a cataract problem got sorted out, so NOW all I have to do is see how they shoot with the lube on them, and experiment with 5.0-6.5 Unique and see how they shoot. I wish the weather would warm up, so I can get to the range!

[Lloyd Smale]

never had a big problem with 38s in a 357 but then I haven't owned many 357s and when I do shoot them I about exclusively use 357 brass.. I have seen it in 44mags when shooting 44 specials and especially in my 475s shooting 480s. Probably due the fact that chamber tolarances in a custom gun are tighter then in a production gun. Id about bet most of the guys here claiming it doesn't happen are the type that every day when they get home from the range they thoroughly clean there guns. Mine usually get a spray down if that and get a good cleaning about once or twice a year depending on how many thousands of rounds have been shot in them. Shoot a 1000 38s in a 357 and I don't care what kind of lube you are using or even if its cast bullets and if 357s still chamber you have a gun that has loose chamber dimentions. Me, if I'm shooting a 357 gun anymore I use 357 brass and the same goes for 44s, 475s or anything else. If I'm out shooting my 357s and I run some 38s through it I know that when I get home ive got work to do.

[Mossy Oak]

In my .38 loads I've been using TiteGroup and it seems to work very well. My Uberti likes a 147gr round nose and 2.7-3.0 grains.

Joe

[Boogieman]

Lyman #358156gc bullets have 2 crimp grooves to allow loading low end 357 loads in 38spl. cases .Skeeter's 13.5 of 2400 was one. If you have a swc mold with a gas check it is NOT a Keith bullet .Elmer did not like gc bullets. He claimed they raised pressures

[ghh3rd]

Reviving this old thread to say that a bronze brush with strands of Big 45 Frontier Metal Cleaner wrapped around it makes the crud ring disappear. It's like a chore boy pad on steroids -- has sharp edges and works wonders on lead and crud buildup, but won't even scratch bluing.