Question about .38

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PhillipP

New member
I'm sure this question has been asked at least a thousand times but i'm a newbie so it won't hurt to ask one more time.

Is there any lose in accuracy when shooting a .38 bullet through a gun that is made for .357.

Will it be just as accurate as shooting a .38 through a gun like the S&W model 10, which is made for shooting .38s.

I'm sorry for having to ask this again.
But thanks for helping me out ahead of time
 
Not that I'm aware of. I've been to many PPC matches where K&L frame magnums were used to shoot 38 wad-cutters. Didn't seem to be hurting their scores any. A lot of the (funny guns) were even built on magnum revolvers.
 
Once the .38 bullet gets into the barrel, which is where it gets its spin and is directed down range, it fills the barrel as well as a .357. So no difference in accuracy.

I have heard that there is a slight difference in velocity, because the .38 leaves a slight open area in a .357 chamber, but I have my doubts that this matters. There may be a miniscule amount of extra room up there to take the longer .357 cartridge, but it is negligible when compared with the power of the expanding gases of the round being fired.

Unless someone knows otherwise ...
 
In theory there should not be any degradation of accuracy - but that's in theory. In reality, of course, it can be different. Since the .38 Spl. cartridge is shorter than the .357 Magnum some, variables can figure into the actual result.

If the cylinder throuts are slightly oversized, the longer free travel of the .38 Spl. bullet can be affected causing it to contact the forcing cone of the barrel at an off-center angle. Or the larger throuts can allow hot gasses to escape around the projectile (especially if it's a lead bullet), cutting or melting away small portions of the lead and ruining the projectile's balance.

If .38's are used for long periods without proper cleaning of the cylinder, a ring of carbon can build up in the chambers at the mouth of the Spl. case. Also lead and/or copper fouling can accumulate in the chambers as well. While these build-ups may not affect the accuracy of the .38 loads - it WILL affect the use of .357's, possibly to the point of not allowing magnums to chamber!

Don't let me scare you - this is only what could/might happen. Try the .38's and see how they work - most of the time they are very accurate; but that depends on the individual gun. If they shoot to your liking - be sure to clean those chambers!!! ;)
 
Makes no difference at all - The projectiles are the same size no matter whether they're called .38 or .357. In a 357 cylinder the .38 case doesn't quite fill it but by the time the projectile has left the case it has covered the short distance to the forcing cone and is on it's way. I have shot many thousands of .38 cased loads out of a .357 revolver and never had any accuracy problems because of it.
 
I've always been under the impression that the difference was hardly noticeable except for bullseye shooters for instance.
I used to have a Python Target that was chambered for the .38 only. The cylinder was smaller than a regular Python with the barrel being set back to meet it.
They were only made for a short period supposedly for the bullseye shooters of the 70's. It was a very accurate gun but no more so than a .357 Python shooting .38's in my hands at least. :)

I saw one like it the other day for a bargain price of $1000.00, cheapest I've seen them go for in awhile. I'd kick myself in the butt for selling it had I not done it so many times already now.
 
In my experience..

with my taurus 605 357 snub, there is a difference. The longer slugs that mimic the length of the 357 loads shoot straighter than the short slugs. Especially the hollow points. My theory is that the shorter slugs don't hit the forcing cone straight, deform, and then tumble when they come out. I don't know about longer barrel guns, but it seems to make a difference in a snub.
 
There is a small difference. Using a chronograph and a machine rest you can see a difference in velocity and accuracy using .38 Special ammo in a .357 Magnum revolver vs. a gun chambered for the .38 Special. The bullet has a longer space to jump before engaging the rifling and this does cause a small loss in speed and stability. But, the difference is so small that likely 98% of us never notice it. Only a really top-flite shooter would detect the tiny difference in accuracy.
 
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