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.38 +p in .357 magnum?

14K views 20 replies 19 participants last post by  Old School Wheelgunner  
#1 ·
Hey

The subject says it all, I can't find any 38 special locally, but I have found an abundance of 38 + p. Can my Ruger 357 Magnum fire these as safely as it does the 38 specials?
 
#10 ·
I highly recommend your read the owners manual cover to cover then repeat.

Something tells me you have never had any safety training. I highly recommend you take a reputable safety course also.
 
#11 ·
I have been shooting all types of .38spl ammo out of my .357 revolvers since 1978. I have never had a crud ring problem. I clean my guns after shooting. My Police Officer uncle would give me the old, cruddy, .38spl+p from his duty belt when he rotated in fresh carry ammo. The leather loops and dump pouches would have the cases covered in verdigris. I wiped them off and loved shooting those hollow point loads. They were hot stuff compared to the wadcutter reloads I could afford as a new shooter.
 
#12 ·
Your 357 will shoot the 38 Special +P's every day of the week and twice on Sunday .
I regularly , since 1972 , have shot 38 spcl. +P handloads in my Ruger Blackhawk , loaded with cast SWC bullets ... clean and brush the cylinder chambers after every shooting session and they are clean as a whistle .
I have done this because 38 spcl. brass was free to be picked up at the range but little 357 Magnum brass was left lying around... I have a 5 gallon bucket full of 38 brass so I use it and with a little cleaning it is no problem at all !
Gary
 
#13 ·
.357 magnum is the high end of .38 Special ammo pressure wise. It progresses in this fashion...38 Spcl, .38 Spcl +P, .38 Spcl +P+, .357 Magnum. In other words...your .357 is designed to shoot higher pressure loads.
 
#14 ·
The 38 Spl +P max pressure is 18,500 PSI while the 357 Mag is 35,000 PSI so your revolver is designed to handle almost twice the pressure as the 38 +P (1.89x to be exact).
 
#15 ·
As others have said the only real problem is the carbon ring build up in the cylinder holes. You will need to clean it out before you resume shooting .357 ammo again. It is a pain but these are painful times.

If you are going to shoot somebody's reloads check the brass from time to time for signs of over pressure. 38 sp brass cannot be loaded to 357 pressures.
 
#16 ·
UniqueTek, Inc. sells a cleaning tool to clean the cylinders if you fire a lot of .38 special in a .357. Now, had the poster asked if it was safe to fire .38 special +P in any .38 that would have been reasonable and the answer is read the manual to find out. It may not be safe. It is not a smart question to ask if it is okay to fire .38 special +P in a .357 magnum. But I guess everyone has to learn somewhere.
 
#17 ·
I'm another that's been shooting .38's (a LOT) in .357's since the Nixon years. I have never had an issue with chambering and firing .357's afterwards or any carbon deposits interfering.
Of course, I clean after every session, so maybe that's it.

Here's a wish for you to shoot .38's in your Ruger BH .357 until it literally falls apart. You should be about 127 by then. :)
 
#18 ·
SAAMI (Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturing Institute) has a list of maximum recommended chamber pressures by caliber. Max chamber pressure for 38 special is 17,000 psi. 38 Special +P is 18,500 psi. .357 Magnum is 35,000 psi. So your +Ps are well within tolerance.
 
#20 ·
I shoot a LOT of 44 spec in my Redhawk 44 mag. Same rings occur. FortuneCookie45LC had a nifty tip to get rid of it. Use a cut off cleaning rod with a brass brush chucked in to an electric drill. I've only done it once with Hoppes #9 after 100's of rounds, but it took seconds per chamber.
 
#21 ·
Can my Ruger 357 Magnum fire these as safely as it does the 38 specials?
Absolutely. That is the round we used for home defense, either Hornady critical defense or reloads with Hornady XTP hp bullets. Penetration and velocity are good, as shown in the Lucky Gunner ballistics testing.

I keep them in my GP 100 as well as in my pocket gun, a Kimber K6S. Recoil in the Ruger is almost nonexistent. In the Kimber it is very manageable, unlike a .357 magnum, which packs quite a kick in that small gun. I have shot a few from my Blackhawks as well. Recoil? Did it even fire? I consider the .38 +p my Goldiocks round: just right.

I have shot hundreds and hundreds of rounds with no damage to the gun and no other ill effects. A little Hoppes #9 solvent and a few passes with a brass brush take care of any rings inside the cylinders.