.38 spec. / .357 question

[Rod Snell]

There are 3 hazards for loading .357 loads into .38 Special brass:
1. The smaller case changes the expansion ratio and raises the pressure an unknown amount, depending on bullet and powder. You can wind up shooting .357 proof loads or more.
2. Depending on who/when made and what type, .38 Special Cases may not be up to .357 thickness/head strength.
3. When, someday, somehow, that .357+ load in a .38 Special case winds up in a .38 Special gun, guess what? That's WHEN, not IF!

And ole Elmer blew up more than one gun........

 

[swampratt]

I do not own a 38..not legal to hunt deer with so it is a useless gun to me.
Most all of my 38 brass has the primer holes drilled a tad larger and i use it for shooting crayons.

Prime a case insert a crayon and break it off flush and insert into revolver 1 at a time. Then shoot at a box with a rag draped over the opening...Fun FUN..Kids love to learn gun safety and this is a good teaching tool that is cheap .
All those broken or short crayons have a new life. Adults like the round also.
I have melted down the crayons and stuck the primed shell into it...But crayons are brittle and will shrink.
An old candle is also a good choice for filling the primed case.

The reason for drilling the primer hole ,,is that the primer will back out of the brass and make the cylinder hard to open.
Drilling the hole larger keeps the primer from backing out so far...Keep the modded brass separated.
And backing out primers is the reason for single loading...
This round will dent a new car...
Use common sense and caution.
That crayon load works well for rogue squirrels also.

I cronied the crayon and got 275 FPS it is no slouch.

 

[Dukester]

I do not own a 38..not legal to hunt deer with so it is a useless gun to me.
Most all of my 38 brass has the primer holes drilled a tad larger and i use it for shooting crayons.

Prime a case insert a crayon and break it off flush and insert into revolver 1 at a time. Then shoot at a box with a rag draped over the opening...Fun FUN..Kids love to learn gun safety and this is a good teaching tool that is cheap .
All those broken or short crayons have a new life. Adults like the round also.
I have melted down the crayons and stuck the primed shell into it...But crayons are brittle and will shrink.
An old candle is also a good choice for filling the primed case.

The reason for drilling the primer hole ,,is that the primer will back out of the brass and make the cylinder hard to open.
Drilling the hole larger keeps the primer from backing out so far...Keep the modded brass separated.
And backing out primers is the reason for single loading...
This round will dent a new car...
Use common sense and caution.
That crayon load works well for rogue squirrels also.

I cronied the crayon and got 275 FPS it is no slouch.

That's awesome. I gotta try it

 

[swampratt]

Don't shoot your eye out
I use .450" diameter glue sticks in my 45acp..Of course it does not cycle..but still fun.

 

[Alvindadio]

"If not, I will just reload my .357 brass that I was saving for personal defense rounds once I shoot it up."
I've heard from more than one source that reloading your own personal defense ammo isn't a good idea because it could leave you wide open for a civil suit from using ammo that was intentionally made to inflict more pain and suffering than commercial self defense ammo.

 

[Repubiman]

Whoa Nellie... I never said I was going to reload something that was intentionally made to cause more damage/pain that commercial ammo!
My gun shoots both .38 spec and/or .357 ammo. That would be like implying that I carry a 9mm gun and you carry a .45 so you intend to cause
more pain and suffering from your round because it's more powerful and thereby you would be guilty of intent.

First intent has to be proven and since we all choose different guns and different ammo for either target or carry rounds we could all be
found guilty of intent if we didn't just carry with plinking rounds. It would also mean that the law enforcement ammo is used with intent
since it's not of a lessor load than practice ammo or range ammo. As long as I reload according to what would be normal and expected
to be a reasonable round, there is no intent there.

Now I do get where you are coming from and I've heard the stories too. Maybe if in a rage against my girl friend messing around, I decided
to go get revenge on her lover and unloaded my gun that had .38 special in it and loaded it with .357, then yes, they could possible prove
intent.

All I'm talking about is reloading my .357 rounds with .357 load data once I shoot them. And no, I don't plan on choosing a .38 Special
round over a .357 round for defensive purposes. It's all cool.

 

[Yourshoesareuntied]

I don't think he was saying you are loading extra painful bullets. I think it was meant to protect you from some courtroom silliness, I have heard this as well, if your a re-loader keep your reloads for range fun and shtf. The idea is a prosecution team could say you sat in your garage loading bullets just so you could go out and kill someone with them. It would be a character assassination to show the jury that your a gun obsessed nut job..I don't know if this is a real tactic that would be used but I keep otc bullets in my defense weapons just in case.

 

[Old Fart]

By nature all ammo is deadly. The courtroom rumor is just that.

 

[swampratt]

I think the human body reaches a pain threshold . once it hurts really bad it can't hurt any more.

I have cut or mashed my hands many times or fingers lot's of pain..But then you have at the same time a chunk of skin hanging from the incident..You know it will not re attach so the best thing to do is rip it off right then and there.

It does not hurt any more..you already reached max pain threshold for that body part.
Installing stockade fence...buddy smashed my finger..fingernail was hanging and bleeding..about 1/4 of it attached.

Yes that is a bunch but i knew it was a goner...I asked him for his pliers..PLINK!!! did not hurt anymore than the initial smash...Freaked my buddy out...

Fun with pain!!!

I bet if i was shot with a 9mm i would not be able to tell if you stuck me with a 9 or a 45.. i would just know i was stuck.

 

[dennishoddy]

I use the blocks of canning wax for play rounds in the .38, .44, & .45LC.
Get the wax warm and soft, and push the bullets in.
I also drill/ream out the primer hole and use shotgun primers. Way faster than spp.