Winchester model 94-.357 mag...is .38 spl bad?

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bbqbob51

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I recently bought a new Winchester Model 94 in .357 mag and am getting ready to take that baby to the range and try it out. I bought a box of Winchester 130 gr 38special ammo to christen the rifle. When I told a friend about this he said I should not shoot .38 spl ammo through a lever action rifle, it's not good for the rifle long term. I had never heard of this and I think he is full of crap, my brother said is he also full of crap. It did get me thinking though and figured I would check with you fine folks, what do you think?
 
It won't damage the rifle, but it may not feed too great. I know that Marlin will work with both .38 and .357, and I'm pretty sure that Winchesters will also.
 
The 38 Special operates at half the pressure of the .357 magnum. So using 38 special will actualy make the gun last longer. Some lever actions don't like to feed 38 Special rounds though, that is the only problem I can see and that isn't a major problem.
 
If it doesn't feed the 38s very well, work the action slower and sometimes that makes the difference. Sometimes it doesn't make any difference and it just doesn't feed 38s. You will soon find out. Good luck.
 
chamber gunk

Also keep an eye out for what the revolver shooters have known for a long time. Shooing a lot of .38s (especially dirty ones / lead bullets) can leave a build up of crud (including lead) in the chamber at the front end of the .38 Special case. If enough builds up, chambering a .357 (longer) may be difficult, or even impossible until the chamber is cleaned.

Usually, firing a few .357s every so often while shooting mostly .38s prevents a problem. How many .38s it will take to make a problem in your gun, depends on too many things to give any kind of an accurate guess. So just keep an eye on things, and be prepared to clean if you start having trouble.
 
Thanks everyone! Sounds like good advice with plenty to think about. Hopefully I will get out this weekend and shoot off a few dozen rounds.
 
I have the 16" Trapper. If I cycle the action slowly, the rnds seem to by-pass the action and get jammed underneath. You have to pull them out from under the lever. Firm, smooth action is needed.
kid
 
Hey Kid,
Mine is also a Trapper model, I might have the same problem. Do you shoot 38spl a lot through this rifle? Couldn't go shooting this weekend, had to work. Hopefully it won't much of a problem when I get out there.
 
I know this is an old thread...

It should be safe to feed .38 spl +P ammo, shouldn't it? I make this assumption based upon it's being chambered for the heavier .357 mag load.
 
It shouldn't pose a danger to the shooter or the gun, but the shorter cartridges don't cycles well in all lever actions. Nothing to lose by trying it though.
 
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