.38spec in .357mag safety issue.

[C.R.Sam]

Time and again I read about, hear about or see where a shooter has been practicing with .38 special in their .357 mag......and not complained about the build up in the chambers untill they can't get their carry ammo into the chambers when they are done with the practice. Then they mumble, grumble and clean the crud out.

I think they should have cleaned the crud out earlier.

What if the carry .357 rounds will go in but are a tad snug. The crud is tight against the case at the crimp area.

Nice hot load with restricted chamber could raise pressure required to release the bullet to a dangerous level.

When I am using a multi cartridge gun and have fired short cartridges, I run empty long cartridges into the chambers to cut the junk out before loading live long cartridges.

With me tis .32 S&W Long, .357mag and .44mag. Lots of others that would fit this scenario.

Input ?

Sam

 

[Eric Larsen]

Sam,
I shoot ALOT of 38 at the range. I feel I am much better off doing this, as I shoot a snubbie and need to be "good" with the gun as it is one of the harder wheels to shoot accurately. I clean my gun
everytime I shoot. I have no problem with my 357 carry ammo. If someone is letting their cyl. get that dirty.....NOT GOOD! Just my .02 cents......

Shoot well

 

[Scarborough]

Well I for one just won't shoot specials out of a magnum. Call me lazy if you will but that is my practice. My firearms must go bang every time I pull the trigger. If on the operator end of things I can do anything to facilitate proper function I will. Cylinder crud can be cleaned but I may need that gun before Mr. Hoppe and I can get together with it. Guess I'm just paranoid but ''they'' really are out to get me.

 

[NeverAgain26]

Good Info C.R.

I just bought a S & W 686 and I am primarily planning to shoot 38 specials out of it as my range doesn't allow magnum loads due to their backstop.

Now I know of a potential problem in advance and how to avoid it. I was under the impression (still am) that a revolver didn't need as much cleaning as a semi-auto. Am I wrong? Some guys at the range say they only clean their revolvers if it looks like crud is building up, and then mostly the cylinder and almost never the barrel. Is this SOP or not advised?

 

[tonyz]

In my 38/357's I don't have any problems when putting in 357's, as I keep the cylinders chambers clean. After every 200-400 rounds I start out also taking an empty 357 case to begin with then run a lewis river lead cleaner through the cylinder chambers , the last thing I do is put a cotton bore swab In my drill and spin some hoppes #9 in the cylinders. You end up with very clean chambers. Ishoot plated bullets only and find this also slows down the buildup over cast bullets.

Tony

 

[mec]

cleaning revolvers

revolvers if it looks like crud is building up, and then mostly the cylinder and almost never the barrel. Is this SOP or not advised?""


I clean mine after every range session- even the stainless ones. For one thing, I use a lot of cast and lubed bullets and nasty build up fast. Some loads leave lead in the barrel and I like to brush that out.
Regardless of whether Im using magnum or speicial cases, I clean the cylinder until I can drop a carry round in all of the chambers andit will fall in so easily as to bounce. This assures that I won't have to hand seat the loads dropped from a speed loader.
Cleaning them up only takes a few minutes. The internal lockwork needs cleaning much less frequently and can usually be down by flushing out the insides without disassembly.

 

[johnbt]

I definitely agree Sam.

Another problem could arise in a revolver used for carry. You might be able to jam the longer rounds in past the crud, but have trouble getting the empties out to do a reload.

John

 

[doctorj]

Clean Every Time

I don't clean my guns unless I shoot them, but if I shoot them I clean them the same day. If I don't anticipate having time to clean, I don't go to the range. Sometimes it's tough to get the chambers clean with bore brush. What works well is a little bit of stainless steel pot scrubber (you can get this at any supermarket and one package wll last practically forever) wrapped around a "plug" tip on a cleaning rod. I want my guns to go "bang" every time too and I shoot lots of .38 ammo through my .357. One thing I'm in control of is proper maintenance. If a gun ever fails me I don't want it to be my fault.

 

[Prodigalshooter]

Absolutely clean your weapon EVERY time you finish shooting. This is an exspensive piece of machinery you have there AND a potentially dangerous one. Treat it with respect.

 

[RWK]

Sam . . .

1) Brushes
2) #9
3) Elbow grease

Works like a charm for me.

 

[BigG]

I agree with Scarborough, shoot magnums in magnums. What in the world would somebody fire a 44 Special for in a 44 Magnum? I fail to see the utility. A gun that size needs to have a full bore cartridge or you might as well be firing 22 LR.

The 357 I can see somewhat because they make humungous wheelguns (I would personally get the 44) to fire the miniscule cartridge, so lots of folks shoot 38s out of 6 inch behemoths. That said, the only 357 I have is a snub which is fired using the full monty.

I believe in cleaning guns, too, but that's really beside the point of shooting the cartridge the gun is chambered for.

If I want a 38, I buy a 38.

 

[jmlv]

Well I suspose I live in a different world than you folks

I shoot specials all the time in magnum guns. Who needs full bore 44's for paper punching? I like shooting big bore handguns and at times I do shoot full magnum loads at others not. Most of my CAS guns are 357 magnums, They don't make Vaqueros in 38 special. They rarely see a magnum load or even a +P 38 for that martter. I handload that allows me to make loads in any caliber at any power level I wish still who can argue with the extreme amount of 38 brass vs 357 brass avaiable out there. I use the 38 for most loads, saving my magnum brass for heavy magnum loads. I own guns in both 38 and 357 but only 44 I have are magnums both single action and double. All shoot special loads well. I also shoot a lot of 32 S&W and 32 S&W Long in my 32 magnums who cares. I shoot mostly for fun and competition so I shoot whats comfortable for my use as long as the round safely chambers in my guns I shoot it.
As for cleaning only my self defence guns get cleaned same day. Most everything else gets cleaned at 1000 rounds or befour a major match. I have never had a gun fale becouse of this with the exception of a 1911 that one get the 500 round cleaning.
I do always wipe all my guns of finger prints and such befour i store them in their silcone socks. this is how I do it.

 

[Scarborough]

JMLV, can't argue with your comments as to the utility of all that .38 brass. Some of us though do the majority of our shooting with higher end loads and some like me split the difference. My .44 magnums are just that. My .357 revolvers are only for IDPA and self defense. In competition .357 brass loaded to +P .38 special level. For protection 158gr. Hydra-shoks. As far as CAS I envy you your opportunity to participate. No time on my schedual for that but I'd sure like to.

 

[Ala Dan]

Thanks for the info Sam; sounds like a darn good
idea. Too many time's, I've seen where shooter's
just run a few rounds of the longer, magnum
cartridge's through their prized piece's to "blow
out the crud". I also believe this is a dangerous
practice, and should be avoided at all cost.

Best Wishes,
Ala Dan, Life Member N.R.A.

 

[Ben Shepherd]

I'm with the shoot magum only in magnum chamber crowd.

Sometimes reduced loads, but always the longer brass.

Good warning, though. I'll bet some people are really thinkin' now.

 

[coati]

Clean early and often. I keep my 38/357 chambers and bore sharp and every now and then shoot the hot stuff. No problem with the ammo but I wasn't expecting loosening screws (thanks for the response on "The Smithy," Sam.

Wouldn't a chamber dirty enough to cause high pressure on a 357 cartridge also be dangerous on a 38, in the same gun? I know the crimp's moved forward a bit but we're talking about some serious crud here, probably distributed to a degree all over the chamber.

 

[C.R.Sam]

Coatj......

Most of the crud build up from using shorter cases is in the tenth of an inch of chamber just ahead of the case mouth. This is also the area of crimp when using the longer cases. So a buildup (ring) of crud that is quite safe with specials MAY restrict the bullet release when using longer cases.

That is why, even tho it doesn't make it clean, pushing a fired longer case into the chamber will probably insure safe firing of the carry ammo. Cuts that tenth of an inch of crud out.

Sam

 

[bountyh]

Gentlemen: about 20k rounds of .38 fired through my 686 and 66 (and an obsession with cleaning) has led me to the best/fastest way to get that black "glaze" ring out of the cylinder at the end of the brass:

Get a .38 or .40 caliber NYLON bore brush and a 3" cleaning rod. Use a Q-tip to put some automotive chrome polish inside the cylinder tube and rub it on the glaze ring. Put the nylon brush/3" rod into the chuck of a low speed drill (hand drill) and use it to spin the brush on the ring area. I can usually get the ring off in about 30 seconds with this method. Brass bore brushes disintegrate quickly and usually don't get it all out. I swear it works.

 

[S.F.S]

Bountyh,
I know for a fact it works because I took your advice in a earlier post about the drill, since I had a heavy lead build up and burn rings from shooting .38's out of my .357. Except I used an oversized brass brush and Hoppe's, (it took awhile at slow and medium speeds but it cleaned up nice.) I have to pick up some nylon brushes this weekend.
My question is, by using a drill all the time for cleaning will that end up thinning out the cylinder walls?

 

[AR-10]

I shoot .38 Special in my .357 Mags. all the time. It's cheaper, and easier on the bones. It's fun to shoot .38s when I'm plinking or practicing trigger control.

Can't say the same about .44 Special. The magnums are cheaper.

I do apreciate the point that Sam is making. Something to think about.

I clean my guns often enough that build up is not significant. The chambers always get scrubbed till there is no ring of crud.

I do wonder about the advice regarding stainless steel pot scrubber fuzz. Wouldn't that tend to leave steel shavings imbedded that could turn to rust, and start colonizing?