38 Special/357 Magnum?

[Fire_Medic]

Ok so bare with me here guys. Been a semi auto reloader only until this point. I'm not trying to start any arguments on a caliber debate, I am just looking for experience from those who have it.

Is it better to have 38 special AND 357 Magnum loads, or just load down the Magnum cartridge? Of course I know I need a 357 magnum to fire both, but not the other way around.

I want to start looking for components, but first want to know if I need to look for one or two calibers. I will be getting a wheel gun soon…….

Thanks
FM

[William Yanda]

Fire Medic;
Can we include the 44 Special/44 Remington Magnum in this discussion? I don't want to hijack your thread, just asking your permission to expand it.
Thanks
Bill

[Fire_Medic]

Sure why not

You just need to use one of these, lol……. :hijack:

[krw101]

Well I just joined and figured might as well jump in somewhere. I haven't started casting yet, but I do reload.

I load for 44 mag but almost everything is loaded in the special range. I just don't see a reason to push the pressures without a reason. Now if I was going out hunting and needed the higher load that would be a reason to go mag. It is nice to have that option.

I have a 38spl also that I load for, bought it as a side arm for hiking and for plinking. Of course I only load it at spl pressures. If I got a 357 I would load it just like my 44, spl pressures in mag brass. Why? So I don't put rings in my cylinder. Then again if I was buying ammo I would just shoot the spl and not worry about it, but who could afford that?

Just my $.02
Ken

[IllinoisCoyoteHunter]

Some people will load down the mag cases to eliminate the carbon ring in the cylinder.

[Outpost75]

I load mild plinking loads in .38 brass and heavy hunting loads in. 357 brass, which makes identification easy. I have also found. 38 Special brass plentiful and cheap, whereas. 357s are not, at least in my area.

If you have an ample supply of. 357 brass, there is no reason not to use it for milder loads, using. 38 Special charges. Where people get into trouble is in trying to make a magnum load in. 38 Special brass. Exceeding published +P data is not recommended.

[winelover]

Is it better to have 38 special AND 357 Magnum loads, or just load down the Magnum cartridge? Of course I know I need a 357 magnum to fire both, but not the other way around.

I want to start looking for components, but first want to know if I need to look for one or two calibers. I will be getting a wheel gun soon…….

Thanks
FM

I do as Outpost suggests. Besides, this hobby is addictive. Guns tend to multiply and you will soon end up with a dedicated 38 Special or two!:Fire:

Winelover

[seagiant]

Hi,
Well. they aren't the same cartridge. Ok,bear with me on this. You can down load the 357 mag. but why? It is a great cartridge in its self and should be used as intended when it was invented! Can you cross over powder and boolit for both? Yes,and many do, but again you are not taking advantage of what the 357 has to offer!

IMO, a Keith style 173 gr.SWC and a powder recommended for the 357 is the way to go for that cartridge. It is hard to beat that combination and you would be surprised what you can hit with a good pistol with it at 100 yds!












.

[Idz]

Only annoyance I've had with shooting lots of 38 spl in a 357 is the ring of crud that builds up in the cylinder. It sometimes has to be scraped out in order to get the slightly longer 357 to drop in.

[L1A1Rocker]

The ring can be a problem. But for me, I go with what ever brass is cheaper at the time. Or what I have most of.

[Bonz]

Some people will load down the mag cases to eliminate the carbon ring in the cylinder.

Absolutely, I'm definitely one of those guys...

[Fire_Medic]

Some people will load down the mag cases to eliminate the carbon ring in the cylinder.

Thanks I had not even thought of this, lol.

[jonas302]

I load 38s for light loads and 357 for heavy im not sure when the carbon ring will show up if ever might be powder dependent after 500 specials 357 still drops right in

[Doc_Stihl]

I down load a 357 mag brass into plinking ammo. I carefully label all my ammo so I know what I'm grabbing.
38 spl can leave a ring of fouling in the cyclinder which can cause other problems.

The same with 44 magnum.

[Bonz]

I use RNFP for my light .357 loads and SWC or HP for the heavier loads. Very easy to identify ;-)

[375supermag]

Hi...

I load my .357Mags at a several different power levels...same thing with .44Mags.

I never shoot .38Spl cases in my .357Magnums and never shoot .44Spl cases in my .44 Magnums.

I have revolvers chambered for .38Spl and revolvers chambered in .44Spl for those cartridges.

"I carefully label all my ammo so I know what I'm grabbing."
Sound medical advice...all reloaded ammunition should be identified with caliber, case manufacturer, powder and charge weight, bullet type and weight and primer type along with cartridge OAL and velocity. Much safer that way.

I label each and every box of reloads, whether it is a 50 round box, 100 round box or a military ammo can full. That includes any small 5-10 round test run ammo if I am working up a new load. I leave nothing to memory or chance.

I suspect 99% of reloaders do the same (although I have met a couple of reloaders that did not). They scare me and i used to be fearless.

[GBertolet]

I use 38 spl in 357's, and 44 spl in 44 mag's all the time for mid range loads. It's easy to tell which rounds are which this way. I have noticed no accuracy reduction in using the shorter cases in the magnum cylinders. Just don't try to make magnums out of the special cases. A vigorous cylinder cleaning on a regular basis, eliminates the carbon ring problem. Brownell's sells stainless cylinder cleaning brushes, or you can use a Lewis lead remover, or get an old bore brush and wrap it with steel wool to clean the cylinder, if you let the build up get too great. They all work. I guess the ultimate decision is, what kind of brass you have on hand, and what you want to buy.

[Fire_Medic]

GBertolet,

Have nothing on hand yet, just researching. Still need to buy the wheel gun and dies for the new press, and get all of the components save for primers which I have on hand.

Thanks
FM

[Petrol & Powder]

I load mild plinking loads in .38 brass and heavy hunting loads in. 357 brass, which makes identification easy. I have also found. 38 Special brass plentiful and cheap, whereas. 357s are not, at least in my area.

If you have an ample supply of. 357 brass, there is no reason not to use it for milder loads, using. 38 Special charges. Where people get into trouble is in trying to make a magnum load in. 38 Special brass. Exceeding published +P data is not recommended.

I totally agree with this logic. Using 38 brass for 38 loads and .357 brass for .357 loads makes load identification easy. I think you'll find a vast majority of your shooting will be with the 38 Special.
Yes - .357 cases can be downloaded but unless you have a large supply of .357 cases there's not much reason to do so. The extra 1/8" length of a .357 case is not for powder capacity (although sometimes it can be utilized) it is for safety. The extra length prevents chambering a .357 load in a 38 cylinder.
The so called carbon ring has never been an issue for me and I shoot hundreds of rounds in a session, sometimes interchanging .357 loads mid-session.
However, sometimes a 38 Special load will shoot better from the shorter 38 Chamber. I have a 38 Special only GP-100 that will not accept .357 cartridges and it shoots 38 Special better than a very similar .357 magnum GP-100. The .357 mag capable GP will obviously shoot the same 38 Special cartridges, just not as well. The only real difference is the shorter chamber.

Life is complicated enough, don't make it even tougher if you don't have too :wink: Just my $0.02 worth
And BTW - Winelover is correct- you'll end up with some dedicated 38 Special guns sooner or later.

[MattOrgan]

Any .38 Special residue in a .357 chamber is easily removed with a few twists of a .410 shotgun brush. No scraping required. Use a bronze brush, never a stainless. My old Outers take down shotgun cleaning road accepts a shotgun brush directly, making it easier still.

[DeadWoodDan]

I use both cases in two different wheel guns and a rifle. Can't top what has already been said, you will find having both useful and finding once fired mag cases difficult to come by. The spl. cases you can get for free at ranges or talking to others who have a plentiful stock so start with those. Eventually you will want the .357 cases for magnum loads.
DWD

[atr]

I load for both 44 mag/44special and 357mag/38spl
my revolvers are designed for the mag load but if I want to shoot milder rounds then I switch to the specials....I use spl brass for 44 and special brass for 38....and mag brass for 44 and mag brass for 357
I like the ability to go hot or mild which is why I think having both is useful

[s1120]

I use 38 cases for lighter loads, and 357 for hotter loads. Ive never had a issue with a carbon ring, but Im also not shooting hundreds of rounds between cleanings. I do have some different 38 and 357 loadings..but as a general rule its 38 in a 38 case, and 357 in a 357.

[dragon813gt]

Some people will load down the mag cases to eliminate the carbon ring in the cylinder.

This would be me. Cleaning the ring out of a cylinder sucks. Cleaning the ring out of a rifle chamber sucks even more. My plinking loads and hunting loads are easily distinguishable. I use different bullets for each purpose.

I don't have any 38 Special only firearms anymore so I see no need to load in 38 brass.

[Bohica793]

I actually use 38Spl cases to load my 358429 cast rounds at the crimp groove rather than having to seat at the forward shoulder in a 357. I load these on top of 12 grains of 2400 just like Elmer used to. For the 357 cases, I typically use the 358477 round. The bottom line is what case I use tends to depend more on the bullet I am using rather than the load. Since I only own a 357, I load light and heavy in both and I do NOT allow others to shoot my loads in their weapons.

[Outpost75]

Some people will load down the mag cases to eliminate the carbon ring in the cylinder.

The carbon ring in the cylinder is not a problem if you know how to properly clean a revolver and actually scrub the chambers with an effective cleaner AND a chamber brush which FITS!

I use Kroil on the Brownell stainless chamber brushes for .38 and .357 and .410 shotgun brushes for the .44s and. 45s.

[Lever-man]

Get the 357 mag wheel gun, that gives you the option to shoot either. You may want to add a lever action rifle in 357 mag later, which will shoot both cartridges too. I reload what ever brass I have on hand at the time for plinking and never had a problem with the ring build up, and like others have said it is very easy to clean up with a bronze 410 brush. I was lucky enough to find over 1000 rounds of 38 special brass in a storage unit I was cleaning out so light loads go in 38 brass and full power loads go in 357 brass. Happy shooting.

[mdi]

My take is reloading is fun. I enjoy loading for .38 Special, .357 Magnum, .44 Special and .44 Magnum and can load any bullet/powder combination that can be stuffed into a case. I can load from mouse fart levels up to T-Rex killers, with a lot of cross-over. So, to answer your question; go with what is most fun for you; loading and shooting. It isn't a good load if you don't like loading it or shooting it (some powders and procedures may be a hassle to you). .38 Special brass is available every where, and .357 is right up there too. Powders can be pretty much the same (Bullseye, W231, Unique works in both), you don't really need magnum primers with most powders, and bullets are the same diameter. I'd look for brass first and if I found a bunch of .38 brass that's where I'd start, and visa-versa with .357 brass. Eventually you'll load both, as any reloader worth his salt will...

[bob208]

I have been loading .38 and hot .38 loads and shooting them for years in my .357. have never ran into this ring of crud everyone talks about. never had it in .22 either when firing shorts. when I started loading .38 was every where. .357 was hard to find and expensive. so I ran skeeter skelton loads in my .357s.

[Greg B.]

Another thing to think about is that a .357 revolver will likely weigh more than one in .38 if that is a consideration.

[skeet028]

I load magnums in magnum cases. If I load 38s I load 38s. Same with 44s. I surely don't want to mix up my grizz loads with the powder puff ones. And I may not be the only one to access the ammo. wife, daughter, grandson/daughter. They may not know what to look for. Sounds good marking all the different loads but it will(not may) become confusing at some point. Just run a good bronze brush through the cylinder after shooting the shorter ammo. And as someone said..I really haven't had a problem with this"crud" ring thing. This to me is a non problem

[Outpost75]

+1 on everything which skeet028 said.

I would add that in 50 years of fooling with revolvers and leverguns of the same calibers, starting in my youth with. 44-40s, up through today's options, I've never seen any point in assembling specialized "rifle only" loads which are not useable in your revolvers of the same caliber. Doing so defeats the whole purpose of the revolver-lever combo to begin with.

If your standard 900-1000 fps plainbased, cast lead flatnosed revolver load, which gives about 1200-1300 fs in your lever-action is not enough gun, then junk the handgun caliber lever and buy a .45-70 Guide Gun or a good bolt. 375 H&H game rifle and just quit the foreplay.

[dragon813gt]

I've never seen any point in assembling specialized "rifle only" loads which are not useable in your revolvers of the same caliber. Doing so defeats the whole purpose of the revolver-lever combo to begin with.

I caught hell in another thread for suggesting just this. I was told that while it might be "acceptable" in one it won't be in the other. It was suggested that a revolver/lever combo made no sense because of this. I do not subscribe to any of this nonsense. I will never understand chasing tenths of an inch on paper over meat on the table.

[Fire_Medic]

I caught hell in another thread for suggesting just this. I was told that while it might be "acceptable" in one it won't be in the other. It was suggested that a revolver/lever combo made no sense because of this. I do not subscribe to any of this nonsense. I will never understand chasing tenths of an inch on paper over meat on the table.

Same here brother. I'm putting a revolver/lever action combo together just to have fun at the range, not to win marksmanship trophies.

[Bzcraig]

I started this thread a while back that got interesting.

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?215856-38-Special-loads-in-357-Brass&highlight=

[Petrol & Powder]

I load magnums in magnum cases. If I load 38s I load 38s. Same with 44s. I surely don't want to mix up my grizz loads with the powder puff ones. And I may not be the only one to access the ammo. wife, daughter, grandson/daughter. They may not know what to look for. Sounds good marking all the different loads but it will(not may) become confusing at some point. Just run a good bronze brush through the cylinder after shooting the shorter ammo. And as someone said..I really haven't had a problem with this"crud" ring thing. This to me is a non problem

/\ I totally agree with this. /\
Just because you CAN do something doesn't mean you SHOULD do it. I'm a big fan of simple.
And for the record, that whole "carbon ring" or "crud ring" thing is a complete non-issue for me.

[2wheelDuke]

I've cleaned out the carbon/crud ring with no problem. The thing that really made me start to think different was talking to a guy at the range about the old model 27 he's got. It saw decades of heavy use with at least one police officer before he got it. Since then, it's fired many thousands of .38's.

He says it's actually got some erosion, and if you fire a full house .357 in it now, they expand into the eroded last 1/8" of the cylinder and you have to drive them out.

I'm not sure I'll get to shoot that much .38 from a .357, but I've started to use .357 brass more to run my plinkers. I've thought about buying more .357 brass, and mostly saving my .38 brass for my .38.

[waksupi]

I have different loads for my .44 rifle and revolvers. They will shoot safely in either, but guns, being individuals, have favorite food. I also have different loads for my 1911's. Ditto on results.

[hiram1]

I had a guy tell me he had loaded 38 s up to 357 because he did not have 357 brass.I told him he was a fool DON'T do this.as i said what if you go shoot and some one shoots one of them in a 38 you owe him a new gun.if it don't kill or hurt him bad.........He was new to loading and i guess i saved his buns i sure hope i did.

[Petrol & Powder]

Yep, it is possible to load 38 Special brass to magnum levels and safely shoot them in a .357 magnum gun, but as hiram1 stated, it should NEVER be done. Once the round is assembled it cannot be distinguished from any other 38 Special cartridge and the chance of it accidentally ending up in the wrong gun too great.
hiram1, you may have saved more than that one person.

[Magnum6]

I had a guy tell me he had loaded 38 s up to 357 because he did not have 357 brass.I told him he was a fool DON'T do this.as i said what if you go shoot and some one shoots one of them in a 38 you owe him a new gun.if it don't kill or hurt him bad.........He was new to loading and i guess i saved his buns i sure hope i did.

Yes Sir , there's a Whole lota loaders out there doing pretty stupid thing's" , some New Guy's to the game , and some that just plain Know" better , but can't seem to see the cloud's before the mountain , SORTA Speaking anyhow .
That right there is , the main reason , I don't go to the range when it is PACKED with people ! I like to get off all to myself away from All" shooters , I don't know real good , and ESP: a newbe sittin there with a box or two of reloads , and 0~yeah , you can spot um a mile away if your not blind . Seen 3 different gun's BLOW Up.... All 3 .... rifles.... @ three different ranges in my time , and don't ever want to seen that again , if I can help it , so watch them big crowds boys and girls . Just MIGHT Be A Few sillie people in the mix .

[Johnny Boy]

My only revolver is a 357 magnum.
I have some 38sp cases for loading mini shotshells. These are 38sp pressure loads, safe for either firearm.
I load down 357 cases if I want to have reduced power loads.

[pmeisel]

I load some .38 for my .357s -- primarily for plinking practice for the kids and the wife. But the kids grew and the wife got used to recoil -- so I don't load much .38 anymore!

[dudel]

Same here. I have a Contender and a Hindi in 357Max. I've shot Spl, Mag and Max in them, I also clean them after each use. If there is a carbon ring, I don't give it a change to build into a problem.