.38 +p out of .357

N

Northrider

New member
This question has been asked before, I am sure, but I could not find it. I have a S & W model 19-3 .357mag that I shoot mostly .38spl out of and once in a while .357. My question is that since the gun is rated for .357 magnum, is it ok to shoot .38 +P out of it? Not a very technical question and not one to generate tons of discussion, but this is how we all learn---without doing something really stupid and ruining our gun or hurting someone.
Thanks.

Shoot Safe and Often
 
@Northrider: "bamacisa" is correct. .38 +P's should be fine in your model 19. The maximum industry chamber pressures are:

.38 special - 17,000 psi
.38 special +P - 20,000 psi
.357 magnum - 35,000 psi

I wouldn't even say that the 38 +P is a .38 on steroids. I would characterize it as a .38 that worked out at the gym once a week. Matter of fact, I wouldn't be surprised if the extreme spreads for some .38 special loads approached the maximum average pressures for the .38 +P. And don't apologize for the query. My dad always told me that the only dumb question is the one you don't ask.
 
As stated above, there is no problem shooting +P outta a 357 mag gun.

The only issue is that a continued diet of 38spl ammo without proper cleaning on the charge holes will result in build up that will prevent 357mag ammo from chambering. Not an issue if you clean the charging holes throughly each time. Its repeated neglect that will lead to problems.

Shoot and enjoy. Just clean afterwards:)
 
Aaaaaaannnndd... There you have it. Yet another 357 Magnum owner concerned about shooting 38 Special +Ps in his gun.

Do you see why I find this so frustrating?
 
PS: hammie, that 17,000 PSI you listed for the 38 is not maximum, it's the industry standard for "standard" loads. A The actual maximum for the 38 Special is 21,500 PSI. The 38 and the 38+P are not two different cartridges. The standard 38 is simply loaded 4,500 PSI under max while the +P is loaded 1,500 PSI under max. The +P is not a hot load and the standard load is ridiculously anemic.
 
@saxonpig: Thanks for the clarification. I should have been precise. These things can change and so I re-visited the saami specification page a few minutes ago. The numbers they gave were:

Maximum average pressure:
.38 special - 17,000 psi,
.38 special +P - 20,000 psi, and
.357 magnum - 35,000 psi.

The maximum probable sample mean (I assume that signifies an average of the high pressure extreme) was:
.38 special - 18,300 psi
.38 special +P - 21,500 psi, and
.357 magnum - 37,800 psi.

I hope I got that right. You can check me out a saami.org.
 
SAAMI max. specs for the 38 special + P are 21,000 P.S.I. SAAMI max. pressures for the .357 Magnum are 33,500 P.S.I. So it's way safe to shoot 38 special +P in your M 19 - 3.
 
SAAMI max. specs for the 38 special + P are 21,000 P.S.I. SAAMI max. pressures for the .357 Magnum are 35,000 P.S.I. So it's way safe to shoot 38 special +P in your M 19 - 3.
 
just make sure you scrub the ring out of the chamber really good so you wont have issues loading 357s in it.

I like have a spent 357 shell with me so I can insert it in the chambers every so often to scrape away crud from the 38 rounds during a range session.
 
The only problem might be that the 38 is a shorter bullet, so carbon deposits can form inside of the cylinder. This might make a 357 fit a bit tighter eventually.
I don't worry much about it, as I never shoot 357 out of my Ruger SP101,(in 357).
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top