Is it safe to make .357 loads in a .38 spl case and then fire them in a .357 revolver? My nitial thinking is yes, because this is basically how Keith invrnted the round, and well, brother just bouht a big bag of .38 spl brass at the show.

Maybe keep to the start loads and it's most likely fne in a Ruger Security 6?

If you have to ask you should not assume it is ok.
The answer is no. The case serves as a combustion chamber. If you seat the bullets to 38 Special length you are putting the heavier .357 loads in a smaller combustion chamber and they will give higher pressures.

The number of 357 revolvers that needed work because they were fired with 38 Special cases abound. Because the case is so much shorter, it exposes the surfaces of the chamber to flame and carbon deposits. Often it will cause 357 cases to start extracting with difficulty. It is not to be done.

No

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Originally posted by Cowboy_Dan:
Is it safe to make .357 loads in a .38 spl case and then fire them in a .357 revolver? My nitial thinking is yes, because this is basically how Keith invrnted the round, and well, brother just bouht a big bag of .38 spl brass at the show.

Maybe keep to the start loads and it's most likely fne in a Ruger Security 6?

I would condiser it safe as long as the COAL is the same. Keeping the same COAL would be problematic though if you intend to crimp in the cannelure as you probably should.

Firing a 38 Special case in a 357 Magnum chamber is no different than shooting a 22 Short in a 22 LR chamber, a 44 Special in a 44 Magnum, etc. If you shoot cartridges in a chamber meant for longer cartridges, you will get fouling on part of the chamber. Then when you try to shoot longer cartridges in it again, since the distal part of the chamber is fouled, you may have difficulty ejecting cases. Generally a very good cleaning of the chamber will have things working well again.

An exception would be a high pressure round like the 460 S&W Magnum or 454 Casull that someone has fired 45 Colt cartridges in. With such high pressure cardridges, even a little fouling or roughness of the chamber will cause ejection difficulties that I don't think will always be remedied by a good cleaning so I don't shoot short cartridges in those.

There is quite a bit of information concerning loading 38 special cases to OAL "long" and then to +P+ levels of performance. I think Brian Pierce did some work for Handloader magazine on this topic.

Safe? Yes if the OAL is the same, but don't do it too much for the reasons described above. It is the same as shooting 22 shorts in a LR chamber and 44 Russians or Specials in a Mag chamber. Could pit the chamber but usually doesn't unless you fire thousands of rounds.

No, it's not. you could make +P loads, but not the Magnum. The problem is the brass case. The base walls of the case are not the same thickness.
Today's brass makers may build much stronger cases,but I would not do it.
The other "thing" would be the shorter case will cause possible gas cutting of the cylinder walls. This could cause the hard extraction of .357 Mag brass being fired later on.

It is safe to load a 38 case to 357 pressures if you fire it in a 357 chamber but a 357 load in a 38 spl case will generate much more pressure because there is far less airspace in the loaded 38 spl case than would be present in the 357 case.

I did load a 357 pressure equivalent load in 38 cases once but the powder charge had to be reduced to 68% of the 357 data using a 115 grain bullet.
There are two potential problems when doing this:
1. It would very likely destroy any 38 it might be fired in.
2. It can, if the pressures are high enough, leave a ring at the case length of the 38 case.

They are not accurate - the bullet jumps nearly twice the distance to the barrel - and you can get better velocity and accuracy using the normal 357 load in a 357 case.

Just a thought - it may be OK to do, but is it a responsible thing to do? Those cartridges will still chamber in a 38 Spl. What could happen if a shooting buddy inadvertently dips into your box and fires that cartridge is his (relatively) flimsy .38 Spl snubby? I wouldn't touch the idea with a bargepole, but that's just me.....

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The case serves as a combustion chamber. If you seat the bullets to 38 Special length you are putting the heavier .357 loads in a smaller combustion chamber and they will give higher pressures.

What he says. Yes you can make "heavy" .38-44 loadings as in the old S @ W Outdoorsman 38-44 or what today would be called .38 +P and there are good reasons for doing so too.

I always found that 38 Special length rounds were quicker into the cylinder from a speedloader and also quicker to clear from the gun that loads in 357 Magnum length cases.

So I can see why you would want to do it. Shot hundreds in my old S & W 357 Magnum (a pre-Model 27) and NEVER gas cutting of the cylinder. In fact I don't think that such a phenomenon exists.

Not accurate? Again I never had any issues and nor did those who shot the British equivalent of the USA 1500 Match using 38 Special loads in S & W Model 586 L Frame revolvers.

http://www.fototime.com/096F70209630B7E/orig.jpg

Brian Pearce 38-44 loads for the 38 special case.

Better yet, get your self a copy of the Speer #8 Manual, there is a load there for a 158 Grain Lead Bullet, with 2400 Powder I believe @ 1300 fps, ought to do the job for you.

Jerry

Sorry Enfield but you are confused.
The gas cutting occurs to the frame top strap at the front edge of the cylinder. I have gas cut 2 .357s. One was an old model Blackhawk. the other was a Model 27 Smith. I shot relatively few .357 loads. I shot mostly .38 Special loads using Unique in .357 brass.

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So I can see why you would want to do it. Shot hundreds in my old S & W 357 Magnum (a pre-Model 27) and NEVER gas cutting of the cylinder. In fact I don't think that such a phenomenon exists.

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The gas cutting occurs to the frame top strap at the front edge of the cylinder.

'Twas not me that was confused...but gas cutting of the cylinder is what the man said...

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The other "thing" would be the shorter case will cause possible gas cutting of the cylinder walls. This could cause the hard extraction of .357 Mag brass being fired later on.

Gas cutting of the top strap, (and I would believe that it would be the same with either 38 Special length or 357 Magnum length cartridges) as SR4759 says was something that I also experienced in my pre-Model 27 S & W but, back to the OP, I don't think that gas cutting of the cylinder walls exists as a phenomenon.