.358 bullets in a Taurus .38 special?

[leadhead]

I bought a Taurus 856 revolver new and was shooting .358 dia cast thru it yesterday.
Shot 50 rds and this morning I noticed some lead build up on the face of the cylinder.
I cleaned it really well and then decided to check the exit holes on the cylinder. Using
pin gauges, the exit holes are .356 The bore also slugs at .356 dia. The question is,
should I be shooting .356 dia. bullets in it? Any replies would be welcome.

[Kosh75287]

I think MOST cast projectiles for .38 Special/.357 Magnum are sized at .358". Some are made of softer alloys than others, so depending on how fast you are pushing them, they MAY lead the barrels and leave more lead on the cylinder front and forcing cone.
I'm not sure of at what diameter most cylinders and barrels for these calibers are bored, but .356" sounds a little tight. I BELIEVE your measurements, but wonder if they're the same as industry standard.
If you can find any, you might try reloading some .357" diameter cast bullets, and see if it reduces the leading. If the leading is merely noticeable and not troublesome, I'm not sure I'd change the diameter. I'd probably play with alloy hardness, first. Above all, seek best accuracy, and the other things will usually take care of themselves.

[leadhead]

There dead nuts .356 because I used pin gauges. I'm going to try .356 thru it and see what happens.
I'll bet I won't get the cylinder leading I got before. I didn't get barrel leading either. I might try .357
later and see which one shoots better.

[racepres]

My Taurus 85 3" is able to Group, .358 or .359 equally well... It will push a .358 Boolit thru all holes in cyl. equally well ...Minimal pressure required... yet, .359...will be sized if forced thru..
So... Decidedly Not like what you are experiencing.. Just a Point of Note!
Either .358 or .359, shoot the Same for me... But...I may Not be discriminating enough!!!
I do Not have good luck with .357, and will Not be Experimenting with that size further...The only time I experience lead build up is with Small Diameter in this Piece..
So...Of course...My vote is for you to give .357 and .358 a sporting opportunity to perform...

[JAMESGR]

You can buy a .356 push thru sizing die kit from LEE Precision for about $20.00. However my .357 push thru sizing die actually sizes to about .3565 to .357. My .356 push thru sizing gives about .3555 to .356.There is a little variation bullet to bullet.
I agree with racepres that I would at least give .357 a shot. Pun intended.
James
JAMESGR

[reddog81]

.002 over shouldn’t matter. Size the bullets with the cylinder throats or size the bullets with a sizing die - I don’t think it will make a difference.

[Targa]

I agree with Kosh75287, very good Information.

[DougGuy]

Regardless of what you size to when you assemble your loads, they will exit the front of the cylinder at throat diameter, so you are in reality only shooting .356" boolits.

The majority of shooters on this forum prefer .358" and the cylinder throats sized a tad over boolit diameter. As mentioned earlier, push the boolits through the throats with minimal finger pressure, light drag fit.

[leadhead]

Doug... I sized a few bullets to .356 and they will just push thru the exit holes with
slight resistance. The bore is also .356, so what if I size to .357 or .358 there still
going to be .356 when they hit the forcing cone right. I don't see what sizing to
bigger size will accomplish.

[DougGuy]

Doug... I sized a few bullets to .356 and they will just push thru the exit holes with
slight resistance. The bore is also .356, so what if I size to .357 or .358 there still
going to be .356 when they hit the forcing cone right. I don't see what sizing to
bigger size will accomplish.

It accomplishes nothing really, at this point the cylinder is a multi=port sizing die. I hone 98% of the 35 caliber cylinders that come my way to .3585" which is a light drag fit for .358" cast boolit. This is the right way to fit the boolit to the throat.

[leadhead]

So, are you saying to shoot the .356 dia bullets or .357?
I'm going to try both. And thanks for your input.

[Soundguy]

Sounds like a revolver that was originally meant to be setup for 9mm... My 9mm specific revolvers do in fact have tighter cylinder throats than a few 38's I grabbed to measure.... so.. I'm betting that gun was cut for 9mm..

[mdi]

I have found much of the "cylinder face leading" is from bullets larger than the cylinder throats; "lead spray". For a 38 Special revolver .356" is undersize. I would get a cylinder ream and open the throats then size (or purchase) bullets the same size as the throats. My 38 Specials/357 Magnum throats run .3575" (smallest) to .358"+ (majority). Throats need to be larger than barrel groove diameter for accuracy and clean, no leading shooting.

[leadhead]

mdi..... My barrel slugs at .356 as well as the cylinder throats.

[mdi]

mdi..... My barrel slugs at .356 as well as the cylinder throats.

If it were my gun (and your measurements are accurate) I would open up the throats to about .358". Or buy some jacketed 9mm bullets (.355"-.356") and see what happens loading them...

[Clyde Davis]

I am/was having leading problems in my 357 revolver using mild 38 Special loads. My boolits are .358" and they wouldn’t pass through the throats. Jacketed bullets, .357", did pass through the throats. Just this week Doug honed the throats to .3585". Now .358" boolits pass through the throats. Haven’t had a chance to fire the honed revolver yet. Hopefully, this weekend..

I was having leading issues with two 45 Colt revolvers and Doug found the throats to be tight. The honing seems to have eliminated the leading on these two. For best results you have to match the boolit hardness to loads using the formula “Optimum BHN = PSI / (1422 x .90)”.

[Grayone]

I size 38/357 to .3575 with a lee push through sizer. Bullet is powder coated and several I use are 105 to 200 grain. I have had no issues with leading.

[billmc2]

I was having leading issues with two 45 Colt revolvers and Doug found the throats to be tight. The honing seems to have eliminated the leading on these two. For best results you have to match the boolit hardness to loads using the formula “Optimum BHN = PSI / (1422 x .90)”.

I have not come across that formula before. Could you please tell me where you got it from and where the constant 1422 x 0.90 comes from?
Thanks, Bill

[gwpercle]

mdi..... My barrel slugs at .356 as well as the cylinder throats.

Try sizing your boolits .357" and see how this works ... if throats and barrel measure .356" this size should work well . For the last 40 years I have sized my Ruger Blackhawk Bullets .357" ... it has minimal throats and barrel also ... no leading and great accuracy .
Gary

[Super Sneaky Steve]

It accomplishes nothing really, at this point the cylinder is a multi=port sizing die. I hone 98% of the 35 caliber cylinders that come my way to .3585" which is a light drag fit for .358" cast boolit. This is the right way to fit the boolit to the throat.

This.

If you don't do the surgery then it won't matter what size bullets you load.