357 max
I have a single shot that was reamed out for the 357 max. It is still ok to shoot 357 and 38 still right? Seems like the 38 will have to “jump” to reach rifling
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Here is an image of the .357 Remington Maximum vs .357 Magnum
Any questions will depend upon which reamer was chosen to cut the chamber.
Technically, the Maximum is supposed to manage both the Magnum and the Special but without the information about the reamer, nothing can be resolved.
Answer: call your gunsmith to get this determination.
Best.0 -
a smart thing to do if you shoot the shorter shells is to carry a chamber brush with you and make sure you clean out the powder residue after your done shooting so it doesn't effect loading the longer shells, my experience is you might see a slight bit loss of accuracy with the shorter shells but it shouldn't effect the kill zone. 0 -
I have used both 38 special and mag in my 357 max Contender. Both shot O.K. The 38s shot quite a bit lower but group size was surprisingly good. They do tend to dirty up the chamber so pip5255s recommendation to clean it well after using the shorter rounds is spot on. The longer cases tend to stick and make removal difficult if the chamber is dirty. Bob 0 -
nononsense has given good advise but if the chamber has standard dimensions you can shoot ,38 short colt, .38 long colt, .38 special, .357 mag. and .357 Max ammo 0 -
Won’t there also be some flame cutting?
Have a cheap 22 s, l & lr that will only extract shorts now. Gunsmith advised it was likely from shooting many shorts and the lr cases expand into the larger chamber and the extractors can’t pull the case out.
Jim
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Clean it real good, scrub the chamber, you have '"short shot it" 0 -
victorj19 said: Won’t there also be some flame cutting?
Have a cheap 22 s, l & lr that will only extract shorts now. Gunsmith advised it was likely from shooting many shorts and the lr cases expand into the larger chamber and the extractors can’t pull the case out.
Jim
Did the "gunsmith" explain you only need to really scrub the chamber with the proper cleaning fluids and a good brass cleaning brush until you can see it shine and it easily chambers and extracts all proper ammo? It might take quite a few times cleaning/scrubbing before you get rid of the build up of crud, but you will get it back to a proper chamber with time and elbow grease.0 -
General observation with the 357 Max is the heavier the bullet, the tighter the groups. 180s grouped best for me.
158s in 357 mag averaged about .50 larger. Ruger SRM and TC 10"
Added note subject Flame-cutting top strap: Owned a Ruger SRM 10". IMHO, the flame cutting was caused by people wanting to create some super hot loads with 125gr and other light bullets.
Sticking with 180 grain or above bullets, at loading manual published FPS, I NEVER observed any flame cutting.
TC and singleshots have closed chambers thus nor flame cuttings. Heavy cast bullets of over 200 gr were outstanding.0 -
One other thing to consider is the powder you choose to reload this cartridge and any cartridge really used in the MAX chamber. Far too many choose just any powder when you can control the fouling produced by the shorter cartridges when matched to the bullet weight and barrel length.
As above, heavier bullets often perform better but also aid in burning powder more efficiently. Manufacturers choose powder by cost and availability not by performance and efficiency. Do some searching and read about the best powders for short barrels, cartridges and heavy bullets. You will see an improvement in the diminished amount of fouling when you clean.Best.
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