What else will a 357 mag revolver shoot?

BongoBob

BongoBob

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Hello all.......

Picking up my first 357 Mag revolver (Colt Python 6" barrel).
What other kinds of ammo will this thing digest. I've heard of 38 spl+p working in a 357.
What else will work, and what should I watch out for ect.
Anyone have any good 357 mag handload data. What works for you??

Thanks in advance for letting me pick your brains.

Greg
 
All .357 mags will shoot 38 spl, including .38 spl +P. Don't confuse this with
.38 S&W. I always advise newbie shooters to go with a .357 as a first revolver as they can shoot the cheaper .38s. A standard .38 target load for years was a 148 gr. lead bullet with 2.7 gr of Bullseye powder. I up that a little as I like a little snappier target load but you'll have to tailor things to your own personal liking.
 
Any 38 special load will work in a 357. The following are rated pressures for various cartridges:

38 Special = 17,000 psi
38 Special +P = 20,000

357 Magnum = 35,000
 
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I shoot .357 and .38 special in mine.

Just remember if you shoot .38's first, you should at least swab out your chambers (or really clean them if you prefer) before shooting the .357's.

The .357's are longer, and the shot/expanded cases may stick a little to the carbon ring left by the .38. I made this mistake first time out..and a few of the empties had to be really PULLED out of the chamber. The extractor rod would not do it.

I run a single wet patch through all chambers, and then a single dry one between the different rounds. That takes care of it until I get home to do a proper cleaning.
 
of course the way to beat this is to use 357 casings and "light" 357 loads- ie 38 special loadings, same as we do for the 44 - that way there's no need for the bullet to "jump" over that extra 1/8 th inch or so
 
Any 38 special load will work in a 357. The following are rated pressures for various cartridges:

38 Special = 17,000 psi
38 Special +P = 20,000
38 Super +P = 36,500
357 Magnum = 35,000
Click to expand...

I don't think you can shoot a .38 super in .357mag
 
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IM_Lugger said:
I don't think you can shoot a .38 supper in .357mag
Click to expand...
you're right - the 38 SUPER, not supper, is , in reality nothing more than a "hot " 9 with an extended case- must have had something else on your mind
 
t-star said:
you're right - the 38 SUPER, not supper, is , in reality nothing more than a "hot " 9 with an extended case- must have had something else on your mind
Click to expand...


Oops, when I copied them over from the table that I have I didn't notice that one, it snuck in there somehow. :eek:

Table now corrected.
 
.38 Short Colt
.38 Long Colt
But why go to all that trouble & expense when you can load or buy .38 Special...

Just remember that you should clean the fouling from the cylinder chambers after firing .38 Special in your .357 revolver.
 
i kind of like the idea of a 38 supper- a shorty we can call breakfast, and a medium we can call supper- of course, we all like the long lunch-
now that i've had my fun, the super has NOTHING to do with the special-
it's an AUTO round, takes 355 bullets, and if you did manage to drop one in the cylinder, would be unsupported in the head area unless you had moon clips or something- in short , a disaster
 
you're speaking of the tauraus triad, which uses an interchangeable cylinder and crane in the same manner as the astra police -i can see them making a spare for the 9mm( which uses "star" clips, btw - to anchor the cartridge in the cylinder) but i don't see them making a spare for the 38 super- not enough demand- however, you still run into the bore problem- the 9mm/355/356 is still about 2 mil smaller in diameter and is sloppy in the 38/357 bore- that's why the guys with 9mm/38/357 blackhawks complain about mediocre accuracy
 
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