.38's in a .357 - dirtier & less accurate?

L

LH2

New member
Is it true that shooting .38's out of a .357 will dirty the gun up more than .357's all the time, making cleaning more of a chore? Seems to make sense with the extra space in the cylinder.

Also, how bad does accuracy typically suffer with .38's in a .357 due to the longer distance from casing to forcing cone that the bullet must travel compared to a gun chambered in .38 Spl.

I doubt the accuracy loss is significant in the typical CCW application anyway, but will it be noticeable at the range?
 
Yes to both questions in my experience but the effects are minor. Shooting the shorter .38 Special in a .357 Magnum chamber causes a ring to build up at the spot where the case mouth rests and this must be scrubbed to prevent problems when chambering the Magnum ammo later on. Not a big deal. I have found that .38s shoot just a tad more accurately from a .38 chamber than from a .357 gun. A very small difference but I noticed it.
 
The 38 specials make my 357 dirtier (a little bit). However, they are far LESS accurate in my experience. To me, a 357 is made to shoot 357's.
 
However, they are far LESS accurate in my experience. To me, a 357 is made to shoot 357's.
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So I was thinking of an SP101 since it's small enough to carry, but heavy enough to fire .357's without too much punishment (depending on who you talk to). ;)

We're supposed to practice with our carry load. Practicing with .357's sounds pricey. I'd probably end up practicing with .38's anyway, thus sacrificing accuracy and time spent cleaning, versus a dedicated .38.

Rather than trying to make the SP101 do everything, I think I'd be better off with a dedicated (smaller and lighter) .38 snub for CC, then get a larger-framed .357 for the thrill of shooting .357's.
 
I think by going to the dedicated 38spl+p, you're doing the right thing. There is an accuracy difference. If you want to shoot big ammo, get a big gun ;)
 
"Don't worry about the folklore that a .357 won't shoot a .38 cartridge as accurately as a revolver dedicated to the smaller caliber. I've won many tournaments shooting .38s from a .357."-Massad Ayoob

As far as cleaning...if you have an empty .357 mag case it will clean out the junk when pushed into a chamber after shooting .38s.
 
I don't remember the last time any of my .357 saw a .357 cartridge.All I ever shoot is .38 with no problem.You just have to clean the Cly's a little better ever time you shoot then you won't have problems if you shoot .357. I think most people that have problems just aren't cleaning the gun well enough:)
 
I think that makes sense LH2. I've never really thought it makes sense to shoot 357 loads out of a 2" barrel. You might as well get a gun designed for the 38spl, as most likely you aren't going to shoot any 357 loads through it. If you do, they will probably scare you senseless. Although still offering stellar performance, the recoil and flash of the 357 in short barrels is absolutely brutal and very hard to control, let alone master as your CC weapon. 38spl loads also tend to lose a little velocity when shooting them from guns chambered for 357.
 
Going tomorrow to look at some more snubnose revolvers.

S&W and Taurus .38's and some Taurus 9mm's as well, the 905 I think he said.

How's 9mm +P stack up to .38 +P in a snubby? Are moon clips a pain? Never used them. I like 9mm ammo prices. Although JHP +P stuff is expensive in any caliber. It's the cheap FMJ type stuff that's good for practice, like WWB and American Eagle by Federal.
 
LH2 I would look into the S&W 642 as I think it is one of the best buys out there in the snub category. I had a ruger SP101 in .357, the weight made it great to shoot at the range but cumbersome to carry. That being said, others carry all steel .357/.38s and don't mind the weight at all. Try and go to a show and handle a lot of them.
 
I had an SP101 w/ 3" barrel

It was never very accurate with .38spcls

And I tried a lot of different loads

It was like a rifle with the right .357 mag ammo
 
Shooting .38s out of my S&W PC627, 386 and/or 66 is just as accurate as shooting .357 Magnum rounds. I'm a decent shot out to 25 yards but out of a quality revolver few of us are really good enough to see any real difference. Clean your guns regularly and you'll have no problems! Dennis
 
I haven't noticed using .38spl in a .357 to be less accurate but the difference is probably too small to notice anyway. The only problem is cleaning out the cylinders before shooting .357 but I just use a spent .357 case to take care of the that.
 
LH2 I would look into the S&W 642 as I think it is one of the best buys out there in the snub category.
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The 642/442's are great as far as size & weight, but the triggers are REALLY heavy on them. Lighter springs make me worry about light primer strikes...

How do guys get their carry snubs to have a decent trigger?

I've noticed Taurus .38 snubs have better triggers than J-frames without fail.

Anyway, I'm still looking.
 
My girlfriend shoots .38 out of my sp101. She loves it. That being said, I have to scrub the cylinders with a wire brush afterwards to get the lead deposits off of where the .357 cartridges bed down. Otherwise, they stick.

I don't stop scrubbing until I can fill the gun with hydrashocks, tip it upside down, and have all five cartridges come back out by gravity. If any snag, more scrubbing. Takes about 5 minutes to get it cleaned up properly.

I've heard you can erode the chamber so that a .357 bullet is not guided properly to the forcing cone, causing inaccuracy and even damage to the gun.

I see nothing "wrong" with a .38 snubbie, however. If you want to shoot .38 in a snubby, then get one chambered for .38.

Some people talk about the .357 being too strong for a snubby. I enjoy it.
 
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