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.38 vs .357 barrels

Char
Are there any difference in revolver barrels marked .38 special vs marked .357?
For example: could a .38 special marked barrel be used on a .357 magnum frame if all else is equal (threads, etc)
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4 comments

Date Votes
  • l-girl
    I once bought an 8 inch barrel for my Colt Python that was marked "38 Special Target." I called Colt about it to find out if there were any issues firing .357 through it and they said no, their 38 and 357 barrels were the same, just rollmarked differently.

    I would call the manufacturer to be sure. I would definitely not put a 2" Colt detective barrel on a Python frame (assuming it were possible) and fire .357 out of it.

    I'm not a gunsmith, but it seems to me that most of the pressure issues related to 357 occur in the cylinder and the backstrap.

    Best regards,Rich
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  • Der Gebirgsjager
    All things being equal, they will interchange. The bore diameter is the same. Sometimes the forcing cone of the barrel intended for use on the .357 is thicker. In the '60s I knew a group that found it fashonable to convert .38s to .357s by boring out the cylinder chambers so as to remove the step that limited the depth to which the .38 cartridge would seat. Many of these conversions devoloped split forcing cones. Some revolvers are/were constructed with a large frame and were intended originally for .357, with some being chambered for .38 as sort of an afterthought. Certainly you would find no problem with these in using a .38 barrel on a frame originally chambered or intended for .357. I think you'd have to be selective about which models of the different manufacturers you did this with, and make sure that the dimensions were the same, especially in the area of the forcing cone.
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  • nmyers
    I believe that the Colt Python .38 spec barrels have a slower twist rate than the .357 mag barrels. This could lead to a slight decrease in accuracy, depending upon the load used.

    Neal
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  • l-girl
    Just to clarify 1) Colt (not S&W) told me the barrels were the same, no difference in twist rates (I remember asking them) and 2) I'm not a "she" (sorry to disappoint everybody), "l-girl" is my old labrador's nickname (El Girl).

    Best regards,Rich
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