.357 & .38

TAURUS-357

January 16, 2003 14:06

Can .38 bullets work SAFELY in ANY .357? I own a Taurus .357 Tracker and can't find anything saying it will do so safely. I know that a S&W 686 can fire .38's and they are virtually the same gun.

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  kingjoey

  January 16, 2003 14:22

  Yes. The 38 and 357 use the same bullet, but the 38 case is apx .125" shorter. The 38 is used in the 357 as a plinking load usually. The 357 case was made .125" longer to prevent it from being chambered in a 38 pistol which would not be able to handle the pressure generated by the 357 load. [:D]

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  matwor

  January 16, 2003 18:24

  Be careful firing too many .38 spl rounds thru the gun without cleaning the cylinder bores (not sure the right term) before firing .357 rounds, build-up can prevent the .357 rounds from completely entering the cylinder.

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  kingjoey

  January 17, 2003 05:56

  I can also erode the seating edge in the cylinder too, but it takes alot of shooting to have that problem. You might look for some 357 "police" loads. Good accuracy, lower recoil.

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  Blokey

  January 17, 2003 06:23

  Also check the various cowboy loads too; regular .357 Magnum cartridges loaded to lower velocities to shoot lead with softer recoil.

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