Is it safe to fire .38 rounds out of a .357, or will it damage the revolver?

s4s4u said:

Well, so much for coming to the defense. Makes me also go "huh"?

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Kind of like the Guys that go to all of the trouble to get the Ball flush with the face of the cylinder with cap & ball Rugers. WHYYYYY ?????????

John in WYO said:

You need to get your terminology correct or don't handle firearms.
Or post online.
Great first post for an apparent clown.
Shaking my head…..

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"or don't handle firearms" ???


I see absolutely nothing wrong with saying "you can shoot a 38cal bullet in a 357 gun" especially for your very first post. We all know what he's talking about.

I know you or someone else will jump in saying "words matter". Yes, but not when we all know exactly what was meant. This seems like a trivial, pedantic tirade.

It would have been a completely different matter if a someone new to the site would have said something like "I have a machine gun". Such a statement would cause confusion is some of us, doubt in many more and excitement in the rest of us. As firearms enthusiast we all know it's very possible to own a fully automatic machine gun but we rarely encounter it on this forum. Questions would certainly follow and when it was found out to actually be a semi-automatic rifle we would all understandably be frustrated by the misuse of terms. One term was used that legitimately means something different than stated.

In this case the incorrect term caused no confusion. There's no need to berate the new forum member.

Dave,

We'll have to agree to disagree.

Example:
You know, the .218 Bee is the only cartridge I am aware of with the Bee designation. All others are cutesy nicknames.

.300 WBY VS .300 Bee? There are are so many cartridge variations that BEE vs WBY is a stupid shortening of a cartridge name. Three keystrokes and one has to change a NAME (Weatherby) to BEE? You will never find cartridge brass stamped .300 BEE.
Use the correct nomenclature. I don't need to guess what one is talking about, nor, likely, do you. Use the correct terminology.

Are you okay with a guy relating his loading practices and recommended loads with no discrimination between powder manufacturer and load data.
Unapologetically, I am not.
Are IMR 4530 and H4350 and Accurate 4350 the same powder ?

44 grains one of one of those powders might be acceptable pressure in a certain cartridge (NOT "bullet") while 44 grains of the other two might result in the destruction of the firearm and injury to the shooter in the same cartridge.

I stand by my adherence to safe reloading practices. The original poster needs to get his nomenclature correct. I learned. So can he if he wants to get involved in this endeavor.

Old guys taught me and now I am one. I thank them. I still have both eyes and all of my fingers.

If one goes into a retail store and is looking for .300 Magnum ammo should the clerk have to ask you if you want .300 Winchester Short Magnum, .300 Remington Short Ultra Magnum, .300 H&H Magnum, .300 Winchester Magnum, .300 Weatherby (NOT BEE) Magnum, or .300 Remington Ultra Magnum?

Or should you have your industry nomenclature straight in your mind so you get the right ammo for your rifle?

The new guy needs to learn. No mercy here. This is adult stuff and he can get into it, if he studies. He is definitely not there yet.

I was young and got scolded. It made me learn my business.

No disrespect to you.


John

i think what Hobby Gunsmith was trying to get at was that the bullet from a 38 spl cartridge has to travel farther to reach the forcing cone.
Some believe this degrades accuracy a bit. I have not found this to be generally true.

Dave,, I'd like to politely disagree with the thinking that "we all know exactly what was meant" portion of your comment.

"I know you or someone else will jump in saying "words matter". Yes, but not when we all know exactly what was meant. This seems like a trivial, pedantic tirade."

Dave,, new folks who post are not the only ones who read things here.

Other new folks may read incorrect terminology and think it's "correct." People come here to learn as well as other reasons. Yes,, experienced gun types may well know what was meant,, but other new gun owners may not.
As an instructor of various subjects most of my life,, using correct terminology to students was something I'd strive to do always. If I use incorrect terms,, and later on the student learns the correct term for something,, I just lost credibility.

I bring this us for a reason.

Miss Penny & I have been teaching a lot of ladies shooting classes for a few decades. Miss Penny understands that a lot of chauvinistic men think women are stupid, or shouldn't fool with firearms. All it takes is for a lady we taught to use an incorrect term, and those types of men immediately dismiss the woman as being stupid. While we all may like to think we are above that,, we can also look around us & see exactly that type of person.

I like to think of this Forum as an ambassador for people who want more knowledge about Rugers. And I want us here to be respected. So, while the majority of us here who are well versed in gun terminology,, and may well understand the comments or questions,, politely correcting things,, is a good thing.

Or look at it like this; Anti-gun people do or say stupid things all the time when it comes to firearms. We've all seen it AND ridiculed these politicians or media types right here for their stupidity. Do we want to look as stupid as they are? We do want to look like the polite & well educated types that prove them wrong.

In all disciplines, words matter. Whether talking about guns or engineering, chemistry, computer science, rebuilding engines, etc. We don't say give me that 'round thingy' when talking about a capacitor, or was that a resistor?.... Or saying bullet when you mean cartridge. Two different things... or clip vs magazine -- no matter what the movies call 'em. None of us are perfect, but we can all learn .

However, you can correct/teach/mentor someone without being a douchebag about it. It takes very little effort, and the end result is that both parties walk away with a positive experience & the entire 2A community benefits.

Looking at that exchange, it just looks like a typical keyboard commando trying to make himself look better than everyone else with his "vast knowledge" of firearms. "Holier than thou" types are blowhards.

Respectfully ...

John in WYO said:

Are you okay with a guy relating his loading practices and recommended loads with no discrimination between powder manufacturer and load data.

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No no no, that's not at all what was said.

This is what was said. This is a whole other issue, using the word bullet when he meant cartridge.

ammo hound said:

Yes you can shoot a 38cal bullet in a 357 gun but you can not shoot a 357 bullet in a 38gun

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Yes people should know the difference between a bullet and a cartridge but this is not nearly as bad as being vague about what powder to use.
My main point is that many times the correct word is crucial but not in this case. In this case using the word bullet instead of cartridge is wrong but it doesn't really matter.

As you said, we'll have to agree to disagree.

I had just poured a couple fingers of bourbon and sat down to read this thread......I wasn't half way through and got up to add another finger as it was becoming quite the show.....then bam post #52 was the end.....like a very entertaining show that ends without an ending. LOL

Well I doubt we will get a good ending as I also doubt that "ammo hound" will be back after being "politely " insulted.

I have a Ruger Blackhawk .357 convertible, with the interchangeable cylinder I can shoot 9mm so three rounds out of the same barrel, you can look up the bullet sizes. I have never used the 9mm cylinder yet, but nice to have it.

Slang: It's ok for fun topic's but confusing or dangerous when someone needs solid information to be safe or right.

Dave P. said:

Huh?

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What fool wrote that?

The majority of the shells out of my 357 revolvers are 38 specials. I save the 357s for real work, like that happens very often, and save the money to buy more ammo... I do clean the cylinders a little extra when I do clean my revolvers.

Durango Dave said:

There's no problem shooting both out of the same gun. You can even load and shoot 3 of each if you really want.
You will end up with a crud ring in front of the 38 special brass, up to the point where the 357 brass ends. Just make sure to clean the cylinder. If you don't do a good job of cleaning the cylinder you may have the 357 brass hard to eject. Some people don't like shooting a mix of 357 and 38 special because of this crud ring but it's no big deal to clean.

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It's a good idea to keep all your guns cleaned but a revolver even more so (IMO) when shooting a 38 in a dual 357 mag/38 sp barrel.
Your going to get burnt powder on your cylinder and around your barrel regardless, plus a revolver is the easiest to clean, just do it.
It's not like you have to clean it every time you shoot, but if your anything like me, I love my guns to be cleaned and oiled when I put them back in the safe.

arfmel said:

"Thinking The Hobby Gunsmith missed the "revolver" detail. Everything has a jump to the rifling in a revolver."

"As posted above, he may have been thinking rifle rather than revolver."

I don't think so. If you read what he wrote, it includes the word "revolver" three times.

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That, my friends, is why he is a hobby gunsmith. Cannot get, keep, or qualify for, a job as an actual gunsmith.

Rclark said:

In all disciplines, words matter. Whether talking about guns or engineering, chemistry, computer science, rebuilding engines, etc. We don't say give me that 'round thingy' when talking about a capacitor, or was that a resistor?.... Or saying bullet when you mean cartridge. Two different things... or clip vs magazine -- no matter what the movies call 'em. None of us are perfect, but we can all learn .

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Hand me that thing that goes on top, a sprinkle of that stuff you put in firecrackers, a cap and 3 more fingers of vodka. Ha.
Gonna love this forum. Remember most of my stuff is just friendly kidding but if I cross the line, let me know....but first....how about those 3 fingers of vodka?

I shoot 38s in my 357s all the time, it wont hurt the gun at all. I actually shoot more 38s than I do 357 but still shoot a good amount of 357. In fact, other than the airweight j frames and the LCR I really don't see a point in 38 only revolvers. I had a Rock Island 206 and immediately wished I had gotten a 357, in that size and weight there's no reason not to. Even if you only shoot 38s it just makes sense to get a 357 for the versatility, it really opens up your ammo options.
As others have said just make sure you keep up on cleaning. I've never had an issue with the crud ring and my revolvers chamber 357s just fine. I clean my guns after every range trip though.
I am getting a S&W 642 but again it's small and lightweight. I'm hoping to pocket carry it but at the very least it will work in lighter clothes when I might not be able to carry one of my 357s. It's a plus that it can share ammo with my other revolvers but honestly if I could only have one gun period it would be a 357 magnum.
Also, shooting 38 target loads in the bigger heavier 357s is a blast. I have loads that are like shooting a 22. It would still be fun in something like your LCR but it's really a hoot in the big heavy guns.

magnum0710 said:

... In fact, other than the airweight j frames and the LCR I really don't see a point in 38 only revolvers. ...

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Elegance.



(no, the frame is not scratched)

My 1950 Smith & Wesson Military & Police .38 Special ("pre model 10")

I have shot 38's through 357's as long as I can remember.
I have never had a problem.
I am one of those that actually cleans their guns after shooting though.