38 special in a 357

[Bull Elk]

Time to get a new friend....

[FalconLair]

I always thought I had the option of shooting the 38 special in my 357 but a friend told me that it damages the gun. Is this true?

Not entirely untrue...

A .38spcl cartridge is shorter than the .357 If you run a lot of .38 in a .357 without cleaning, you can build up carbon at the end of the .38 case to the point where it is difficult or impossible to load or extract .357 to restore .357 functionality.

sooo, it's NOT true?

you said it yourself

[MARKFP]

Have shot thousands of my bullseye loads in my revolvers which are reloads for my mid range pistols and no issues so far although I do my chores cleaning.

[five.five-six]

sooo, it's NOT true?

you said it yourself

“Not entirely untrue” means “mostly false with a caveat”.


Not sure what you are getting at but I do apologize if I used big words that you couldn’t understand.

[ysr_racer]

To clean my .38/.357 cylinder I just chuck a cleaning rod with a .40 cal brush in my cordless drill, and give it a few swipes.

[TKM]

We all have stupid friends.

Just make a note to your self, don't trust him with anything more dangerous than a burned out match and you will be fine.

[wurger]

I don't shoot 38 spc out of my 357 anymore. 38 is dirty, and lacks that 357 mag "zing" when shooting.

[pacrat]

my understanding of the problem with detonation is it happens in semi's after the bolt is out of battery and that's where the problem is.

An "out of battery" ignition. Is caused by a mechanical defect of the firearm. Leaving the cartridge case "unsupported" during ignition.

Not a "flashover detonation".

Different Kabooms with different causes.

[MountainLion]

Look up Bob Baker's advice for shooting 45LC out of a 454Casull cylinder. His answer is: Yes, you can do it, but you really don't want to. You will wear your cylinder faster. If you don't clean well after shooting shorter rounds, in particular in humid climates, it will wear and corrode significantly faster. If you switch back from the shorter rounds to full-size and full-power loads, without cleaning first, you can damage the cylinder or bulge out the barrel.

Now, 454Casull is a different animal from 357mag. And a Freedom Arms revolver is different from the common Smith or Ruger revolver. Matter-of-fact, an extra cylinder in a different caliber for an FA83 probably costs more than most 357mag revolvers, so preventing wear is probably a lot more important there.

[SonofWWIIDI]

Avoid the ring of crud.

Clean cylinder after each range session of .38.

But honestly, you’ve got a .357. Just shoot .357.

If you want to shoot .38, buy a .38.


JMHO

[bergmen]

Look up Bob Baker's advice for shooting 45LC out of a 454Casull cylinder. His answer is: Yes, you can do it, but you really don't want to. You will wear your cylinder faster. If you don't clean well after shooting shorter rounds, in particular in humid climates, it will wear and corrode significantly faster. If you switch back from the shorter rounds to full-size and full-power loads, without cleaning first, you can damage the cylinder or bulge out the barrel.

Now, 454Casull is a different animal from 357mag. And a Freedom Arms revolver is different from the common Smith or Ruger revolver. Matter-of-fact, an extra cylinder in a different caliber for an FA83 probably costs more than most 357mag revolvers, so preventing wear is probably a lot more important there.

I think it was about $395.00 or so to get a .45 Colt cylinder made for my 83 in .454 Casull when I ordered my Premier.

Dan

[SnWnMe]

I always thought I had the option of shooting the 38 special in my 357 but a friend told me that it damages the gun. Is this true?

FUD. Fouling from the shorter 38s are easily dealt with by cleaning the chambers after a range session. Something a responsible gun owner should be doing anyway (it was clean when you took it to the range, it should be clean before you store it again).

And most 357s are tested as such but loaded with hot 38s in actual HD standby or CCW use.

[FalconLair]

“Not entirely untrue” means “mostly false with a caveat”.


Not sure what you are getting at but I do apologize if I used big words that you couldn’t understand.

ahh, gotta go there i see

your own words sunk your post, not me - it looked more like you didn't comprehend yourself

your post was ENTIRELY false - having to clean a gun doesn't equal damage in any shape, form or fashion, therefore NO caveat

[cannon]

Suggest to your friend that he clean his guns.

[nedro]

I say BS on all of it.
I bought a used S&W 357 that the previous owner never used 357 in.
Only 38 special.
I took it straight to the range with both 357 and 38 special.
Zero issues. No tightness anywhere with the 357s.