Glenn Fryxel addressed a heavy .35 caliber in the .357 magnum. Refer to the LASC site for his articles and specifically his article, "A Bullet For All Seasons". Should give some great information on your question.
Originally Posted by Gatorhunter1313
I finally found a thread on another forum about running 38 special cases. A lot of mixed reviews but the main issue people seem to have is the danger of one of those rounds making its way into a 38 revolver
If it won't fit in a 357 chamber I doubt it would fit in a 38.
Originally Posted by kenton
If it won't fit in a 357 chamber I doubt it would fit in a 38.
I don’t even think of that. Makes me feel better about them making their way into a 38
Just a point:---we are talking about a round/case that has already been reworked to fit. So-----?
R.D.M.
I shot silhouette for 22 years and used the RCBS 35-200 gr bullet that was designed for the .35 Rem.
I was using a Freedom Arms .357 revolver with 357 brass. I don't remember if the FA's cylinder was
longer or not, but the bullets weighed 210 gr. I won a lot of matches with that bullet.
leadhead
I've got Lee C358-200s loaded in my bedside .38 Special M10 S&W right now. Length is fine as long as the cases are crimped over the larger diameter band at the base of the ogive (I don't know what this is called) forward of the normal crimp groove/front driving band. Pressure isn't an issue if you follow published pressure tested loads. LoadData has several dozen 200 grain .38 Special loads that don't exceed 16,000 psi, and older Lyman manuals list a few more. I've loaded the same boolit in a .357 S&W Model 60 crimped in the crimp groove forward of the first drive band, and length isn't a problem in the .357, but crimped this way, they are too long for the M10 .38 Special.
I've also loaded the 195gr Lyman SWC in both guns without issues. I haven't done a lot of shooting or load development with the 195/200 gr boolits, but using several standard pressure published loads, they've been reasonably accurate with mild recoil. The load I like best so far is the Lee C358-200 in .38 Special cases loaded over 3.6 gr of Unique. LoadData lists this at 15,700 psi and about 780fps in a 5.6" barrel.
I have that same Lee mold. I can load them to the crimp groove. They feed in my Rossi 92. The only 357 revolver I have is a Taurus poly defender. That is my wife’s so I don’t shoot it much. She shoots 158gr Hornady with it. She won’t shoot my reloads and she won’t shoot fmj ammo. She took train with what you carry to the extreme. I spend a lot on Hornady ammo for her to practice
Turns out the notes my friend put in for the mold triggered a list of questions. He has changed his design to a 180gr that will work much better. Guess this was all for nothing. I want to than everyone for the great information though.
BP | Bronze Point | IMR | Improved Military Rifle | PTD | Pointed |
BR | Bench Rest | M | Magnum | RN | Round Nose |
BT | Boat Tail | PL | Power-Lokt | SP | Soft Point |
C | Compressed Charge | PR | Primer | SPCL | Soft Point "Core-Lokt" |
HP | Hollow Point | PSPCL | Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" | C.O.L. | Cartridge Overall Length |
PSP | Pointed Soft Point | Spz | Spitzer Point | SBT | Spitzer Boat Tail |
LRN | Lead Round Nose | LWC | Lead Wad Cutter | LSWC | Lead Semi Wad Cutter |
GC | Gas Check |