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reloading 38 special in .357mag cases?
- Thread starter matt
- Start date
You might experience some pressure problems if you are not loading the long case with enough powder. You should really stick with 38 Spec cases if loading 38 Spec poweder charges. IMO
I am sure others will have input for you.
I am sure others will have input for you.
.357 was the first cartridge I started reloading, some 35 years ago. Of the many thousands I've loaded since that time, I would guess that less than 10% were "really" .357, the remainder being the equivalent of .38 Special target loads. I load them all in .357 cases to avoid building up a ring in the chambers at what would be the mouth of the shorter cases. Never had the slightest hint of a problem doing this - nor have I ever heard of anyone having a problem.
On the other hand, I have friends who shoot .38 Special cases in their .357s and eventually end up having trouble (which can be remedied with a bit of time and effort) chambering the longer cases.
A nice, easy shooting load that I like is a 148 gr. HBWC over 3.8 gr of Unique. It's very accurate for me in each of about a half-dozen different revolvers.
On the other hand, I have friends who shoot .38 Special cases in their .357s and eventually end up having trouble (which can be remedied with a bit of time and effort) chambering the longer cases.
A nice, easy shooting load that I like is a 148 gr. HBWC over 3.8 gr of Unique. It's very accurate for me in each of about a half-dozen different revolvers.
It should work just fine. You will get slightly lower velocities, due to the larger case.
OTOH, having a shorter distance to the cylinder throat will probably give better accuracy.
There is a lot of loading data, also, for light loads in the .357 Mag. You might want to look in the Lyman manual.
Jack
I'm shooting 158grain Berry's plated bullets in 357 cases using 7.0 grains of Accurate #5. Good accuracy and getting 900 fps on the Chrono. More beefy than 38's but not quite 357 loads. I don't want the hassle of loading both 38 and 357 cases. Too easy to mix them up.
