problem .. trying to shoot .357 after a lot of 38s
- Thread starter Mtman
- Start date
^ yup, you have build-up in the cylinder from shooting the shorter cases. Depending how dirty it is, you can try honing the cylinder with a .45 brass brush on a drill (be slow and careful not to damage any bluing on the cylinder face).
I only shoot .357 rounds now to prevent this same cylinder grit. You can always reload the .357 cases to .38 specs.
I only shoot .357 rounds now to prevent this same cylinder grit. You can always reload the .357 cases to .38 specs.
This. The 38spl case is shorter than the 357, so you get a build up of crud at the front of the cylinder, which can lead to troubles with the longer 357 cases. Nothing a good clean shouldn't fix right up.
If you reload you can just load 357 to 38spl velocities. If you don't reload, then you'll just have to clean it after using 38spl if you want the 357 to be trouble free.
As others have said, you have carbon rings built up inside the cylinder. If you've shot a lot of .38's, the the rings will be a ##### to remove with a regular brash brush. What you need is a stainless steel tornado brush (google it). Because it does not have sharp bristles, it will not scratch the cylinder, but it will make carbon removal a lot easier.
P.S. Do NOT use the tornado brush to clean the barrel. Just the cylinders.
P.S. Do NOT use the tornado brush to clean the barrel. Just the cylinders.
Chuckbuster
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
What I did a few times, a few years back now, was gently tap a .357 case into the charge hole from the front of the cylinder. As the case goes in, it does a pretty good job of scraping off the carbon. The case can then be pushed out of the cylinder with a cleaning rod.
