I have been reading up on reloading for .357 and I found some info regarding the effects of shooting 38 special in a .357. His issue was that being as the 38 is shorter he believed that the chamber would foul easier possible making it harder to load .357 over time regardless of cleanings. I don't believe this to be true but one answer was to use the .357 case and reload it as you would a 38 spec. Now, would this be a safe practice or would you be creating an new issue because of the extra empty space inside the 357 shell case. Does anybody do this and what would be the possible outcome. This doesn't sound like very good advice but I am fairly new to this so I just thought I would ask.
Reloading .357 as 38 spec
- Thread starter ff33
- Start date
yes you can do this, to compensate for the larger case you would use 1 grain more for the same load in .38 special in the magnum case.
The fouling can be an issue with very dirty powders and also soft cast bullets in the magnum chambers as a ring of hard powder/lube/lead can be deposited in the chamber. Theoretically a top end magnum load can be over pressured in the chamber when it is leaving the case as it runs into this restriction. However in practice I have found that the longer cartridge has pushed up against this fouling before it is fully seated giving warning that it should be cleaned out.
As far as permanent damage I would say "Bunk" as millions of .38 special rounds have been fired out of .357 magnum pistols and .44 special out of .44 magnums and a problem would be widely recognized by now. For those who shoot lots of lead in the revolver without cleaning pitting can form under the skim of lead that may be left in a chamber just in front of the case mouth. Matching your lead hardness with the power of the load and the bullet size with the chamber and bore coupled with a good lube most often alleviates this fear for those who don't care to clean much. Otherwise happy scrubbing.
The fouling can be an issue with very dirty powders and also soft cast bullets in the magnum chambers as a ring of hard powder/lube/lead can be deposited in the chamber. Theoretically a top end magnum load can be over pressured in the chamber when it is leaving the case as it runs into this restriction. However in practice I have found that the longer cartridge has pushed up against this fouling before it is fully seated giving warning that it should be cleaned out.
As far as permanent damage I would say "Bunk" as millions of .38 special rounds have been fired out of .357 magnum pistols and .44 special out of .44 magnums and a problem would be widely recognized by now. For those who shoot lots of lead in the revolver without cleaning pitting can form under the skim of lead that may be left in a chamber just in front of the case mouth. Matching your lead hardness with the power of the load and the bullet size with the chamber and bore coupled with a good lube most often alleviates this fear for those who don't care to clean much. Otherwise happy scrubbing.
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I had that problem with my Taurus "avatar pic".
I was shooting 38 special all summer long. Then I went to put in the 357 rounds...nope. Had to go home and get out the Nitro solvent and give it a proper cleaning. No damage at all to the gun.
I was shooting 38 special all summer long. Then I went to put in the 357 rounds...nope. Had to go home and get out the Nitro solvent and give it a proper cleaning. No damage at all to the gun.
If you have just 357 gun(s), your best bet is to use just 357 brass. You can use any load for either 38 or 357 and anything in between.
If you use 38 SPl brass, the chambers will need cleaning before you switch to 357. not a big deal.
BUT, what is a big deal is if you load hot loads in the 38 brass. While these will work just fine in your 357, Murphy will make sure that one day they will find their way into a 38Spl gun. Not good.
Since I own both 38 and 357 guns, I bought a batch of 357 brass and use only 357 brass in 357 guns and load the 38SPl brass with only loads suitable for a 38.
If you use 38 SPl brass, the chambers will need cleaning before you switch to 357. not a big deal.
BUT, what is a big deal is if you load hot loads in the 38 brass. While these will work just fine in your 357, Murphy will make sure that one day they will find their way into a 38Spl gun. Not good.
Since I own both 38 and 357 guns, I bought a batch of 357 brass and use only 357 brass in 357 guns and load the 38SPl brass with only loads suitable for a 38.
Although I agree more powder will be needed in the larger case, following a general statement like that will not result the same for all powders.
mudgunner49
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
I have "several" 5 gal pails of once fired .38 brass so that's what gets used, no need for barn-burners in the .38 either so if it happens to get into one of my .38's it's no bit deal. Magnum loads go in Magnum brass.
To clean the deposits out of the chambers I simply bell a .357 Maximum case so that it will scrape the inside of the chamber as it's inserted and use a deburring tool to put an edge on the case mouth. Solder to an old screwdriver handle and it cleans things up in one pass...
To clean the deposits out of the chambers I simply bell a .357 Maximum case so that it will scrape the inside of the chamber as it's inserted and use a deburring tool to put an edge on the case mouth. Solder to an old screwdriver handle and it cleans things up in one pass...
