any point in loading .38 sp. brass when my guns will shoot .357 magnums?

[idek]

I have a revolver and a carbine that will both shoot .38 specials or .357 magnums. (I have no ".38 special only" guns)

I know a lot of people in my situation just use .357 brass all the time and load it down to .38 special power if they want that. I think reasoning I've heard is:
1) less brass to keep track of (less sorting or potential mix ups)
2) don't have to worry about carbon ring build-up from shooting .38 length ammo in revolver
3) fewer cycling problems in a carbine

I'm wondering if there are any good reasons for me to continue loading .38 special brass (other than that I have some of the brass already).

 

[marklyftogt]

Only point would be it takes less powder for 38 spl. for the same load.
If you don't have much 38 brass then go all 357.
I only shoot 357 brass through my Win 1892 Short just to keep the chamber cleaner.

 

[Misssissippi Dave]

Yes, it does take a little more powder to load special equivalent loads in magnum cases. Since powder is the cheapest component in pistol loads, it doesn't make much difference loading everything in magnum cases. Now if you have a fair amount of special brass, you could either sell them or just use them until they fail. That could be a very long time.

 

[csmsss]

The downside, as far as I'm concerned, to running .38 spl through your .357 is the soot buildup that will accumulate in the chambers that may make subsequent seating and extraction of .357 cartridges after you've been firing .38's. Not a biggie if you thoroughly clean your cylinder, but still...can be a PITA.

 

[Nick_C_S]

I personally wouldn't do it.

I've been reloading for 29 years. I know that simply putting a low power 38 Special recipe in a 357 case is not a good idea. Primer ignition may be inconsistent. At best, you'll have an inconsistent loading. At worst, you'll have a bullet stuck in the barrel. You are risking the likelihood of creating a critically low pressure situation.

Follow the recipes. If you have 357 Mag cases, use 357 Mag recipes.

I don't want to sound like someone's father here, but this is a good time to step back and use some common sense.

 

[dahermit]

I've been reloading for 29 years.

You are a newbie then. 49 years for me.

I know that simply putting a low power 38 Special recipe in a 357 case is not a good idea.

That is not what he suggested. He said:

...use .357 brass all the time and load it down to .38 special power...

He did not say, "use .38 special loads".

Primer ignition may be inconsistent. At best, you'll have an inconsistent loading. At worst, you'll have a bullet stuck in the barrel. You are risking the likelihood of creating a critically low pressure situation.

Follow the recipes. If you have 357 Mag cases, use 357 Mag recipes.

I don't want to sound like someone's father here, but this is a good time to step back and use some common sense.

What he suggested makes perfect sense, you just interpreted it incorrectly.

 

[Nick_C_S]

Fair enough. I stand corrected.

That said, I'd still shy away from "loading (357 brass) down to 38 Special power." With my 20 fewer years of reloading experience , I would be concerned about inconsistent ignitions. 357 Mag cases are spacious and many 357 recipes leave lots of airspace inside them as it is. A "38 Special power" loading would leave even more. Hence, my concern with inconsistent ignitions.

 

[FloridaGuy]

I shoot about 500 rounds a month of .38 Special from my SP101 and my GP100and have had no issue with any carbon buildup. I load every round in .38 Special brass and not .357 Magnum brass. The biggest reason is because most local ranges here do not allow the shooting of magnum loads. If they check head stamps and it says .357 Magnum then you can not shoot it even if it is a lite load.

I learned to reload from a local guy here in town that does it for a living. He always told me that you should use the correct components for the caliber you are shooting.

If you are going to load .357 Magnum brass use .357 Magnum loads.

 

[Misssissippi Dave]

A while back someone wanted to try a .357 magnum load in his revolver. He only shoots specials in it. The carbon build up was so much I couldn't put a magnum fully into the cylinder to try it. I wonder what he does when he is cleaning his guns now. Proper cleaning should have removed any carbon build up. Cleaning right after shooting tends to make things easier to do.

 

[idek]

Thanks for the replies. I have about 250 .38 special cases, and I think I'll just keep using them until they wear out (however long that takes). I make a habit of brushing out the cylinder after each shooting session, so I hope that will stave off any build up.

 

[Hammerhead]

That said, I'd still shy away from "loading (357 brass) down to 38 Special power." With my 20 fewer years of reloading experience , I would be concerned about inconsistent ignitions. 357 Mag cases are spacious and many 357 recipes leave lots of airspace inside them as it is. A "38 Special power" loading would leave even more. Hence, my concern with inconsistent ignitions.

Doesn't sound like you have ever tried it.

I load .357 brass to .38 spl levels all the time. Been doing it for about 15 years. I load more light and mid-range .357 than any other caliber.

If you want light loads use powders toward the faster end of the scale. Clays, Trail Boss, HP38/W231, Universal, Titegroup and other fast powders work very well in .357 brass. Plenty of data for light .357 loads out there.

I've never had any ignition issues. After all the .357 case is only about 1/8" longer than the .38 spl. Not a huge difference.

 

[jersurf101]

My good reason for loading and firing .38 special in a .357 magnum is that I have about four times as many .38 special brass as .357 magnum brass.

I have noticed the dreaded .38 special ring in the chambers if my Taurus 669. .357 magnums have always slid in with ease but I do clean my guns well.

I was shooting a lot of .38 special through my inferior? 669 before I knew it wasn't OK to do so. They are damned accurate. YMMV

 

[Misssissippi Dave]

An easy way to help loosen carbon build up in revolver cylinders is to insert a magnum case fired from that gun. Do not re-size the case so it will be expanded enough to work better. After do your normal cleaning with a brush etc. This seems to make removing any carbon build up from shooting specials much easier to remove from the cylinders. The forcing cone is still going to need the brush etc.

 

[Nick_C_S]

Good to know Hammerhead. Learn something every day.

 

[Bake]

I would treat the 38 spe. and the 357 as two completely different rounds. Load the 38 for the handgun, and load the 357 for the carbine.

Don't load the 357 so hot to be too hot for the handgun, but take full advantage the carbine's longer barrel.

 

[Dondor]

One easy way to get carbon fouling, heavy fouling, out before you brush is to flare a 357 case to your chamber diameter.

Use it as a scraper. Pushes right past the 38sp carbon line.

 

[dahermit]

I would be concerned about inconsistent ignitions. 357 Mag cases are spacious and many 357 recipes leave lots of airspace inside them as it is. A "38 Special power" loading would leave even more. Hence, my concern with inconsistent ignitions.

That sounds plausible. However, consider that the Lyman 48th shows a .38 Spl. load of 3.1 grains of Bullseye under a 150 grain wadcutter for 837 fps. It also shows .357 load of 4.6 grains of Bullseye under a 150 grain lead semi-wadcutter producing 772 fps. That is an example of using .357 cases to achieve .38 Spl. level of performance. If one were worried about or experienced inconsistent ignition with the .357 load, they could just switch to a wadcutter (like the .38 load), and seat it flush to take up more of the airspace. It is notable that not only does the .357 in such loads have a lot of air space, but target loads in the .38 did also. Remember the .38 Spl. target load of 2.7 Bullseye under a 148 grain wadcutter that dominated the off-hand target shooting years ago? Despite the wadcutter being seated flush, that load had a whole lot of air space and there were no problems with inconsistent ignition.

 

[Sure Shot Mc Gee]

No. Why bother. 38 Special brass you already have. Keep them for sentimental reasons or for primer popping plastic or wax wads. Great fun for basement pistol practice. I use a hung bed sheet for (wax wad cutters) Get's you use to your pistols trigger pull. (Right up to the very edge of its break point pratice.) Use of 357 brass for the same purpose (basement target practice) doesn't work as well as 38 Special brass does.

S/S

 

[oldpapps]

One word, 'Utilization'.

I'm a known tight wad, pack rat and very cheap. I will use (maybe) everything in time.

If your got 'it', use 'it'. Using 'it' for trade material is good.

As I got rid of all of those 'little' guns back in the early 80's, I don't have your problem. However, from time to time I do come up with some .44 Special brass, and this poses the same problem. No, I don't load any short 44s. That brass will get swapped off for something I need or want, sometime.

As a response to the 'big void' in the case worries. There are two potential problems with having massive nothingness in a case. Inconsistent ignition is one. I have never encountered this. My 'wimp' light loads are with 231/HP-38 and have been ever scene they dropped 230 and brought out 231. If you are concerned, try some 'Trailboss' or one of the other puffy bulky powders. The second potential would be 'detonation'. As this is a rare occurrence in very large rifle cases and slow burn rate rifles powders, and faster pistol powders and pistol case sizes don't provide whatever is required, I have no worry.

As I only use magnum length brass, I do have two standard loadings. One is JHP and is just a tad on the warm side. So, load one of my jacketed rounds and expect it to light your fire. My second 'standard' is a 240 grain LSWC loaded with 5.6 grains of 231/HP-38. I've been loading this beginning with the change over from 230 to 231 in the 70's. Don't laugh to hard, it kicks all but your hottest .357s to the side, yet my granddaughters love to shoot it.
I am forever loading experimental rounds. These are not 'standardized' loadings and are seldom loaded in quantity.

The point to this is I only utilize mag length brass for all magnum and non-magnum loadings. Mine are .44s, you can do the same with your 38s.

Disclaimer - my 'wimp' loading for 44 mags is soo light, I would feel safe firing it in an old Charter Arms Bulldog 44. But, never take one source as absolute, check and compare and use good judgement.

Load with care and enjoy,

OSOK

 

[boondocker385]

Never noticed a build up, but I was taught to thoroughly clean my weapons....