Lesson 1: Calibur A Little Help?

Skydive

September 25, 2002 17:52

OK, I am pretty new to shooting. My wife and I have been firing my .22 rifle at the range for a year or so, but I never have really been into guns like I am now.

I just bought a S&W Model 66 .357 magnum. Now it also fires .38 specials. What exactly is caliber. My understanding was that it was the width (mm) of the shell. Why would both the .357 and .38 fit the same into the gun? How about a few lessons for a newbie?

Every so often, I like to stick my head out the window, look up, and smile for a satellite picture.

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  mark christian

  September 25, 2002 18:10

  Skydive, welcome aboard and remember that everyone stated out learning from someone else, no one was born knowing it all. The reason that your .357 will also shoot .38 specials is because they are basically the same cartridge. The .357 was developed in the mid 1930's and is more or less a .38 special case that has been stretched out about one tenth of an inch. This was done to make sure that the older and "weaker" .38 guns would not chamber the new hotter rounds. This same thing was done with the older .44 special and became the famous .44 magnum. Both the .38 special and .357 magnum use jacketed bullets which are .357" in diameter.
  
  Mark T. Christian

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  allen griggs

  September 25, 2002 18:19

  You are right, caliber is the diameter of the bullet, either in thousandths of an inch [.357] or in mm [9]. The .38 and the .357 are actually the same diameter bullet.

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  punchie

  September 26, 2002 00:25

  Skydive
  Welcome to the board. mc gave you the straight poop. One point though, she probably enjoys shooting the 38s more than the 357 so remember to thoroughly clean the chamber of the cylinder. If you don't the carbon build-up from the shorter length 38 will cause severe loading and extraction problems.
  
  Oh by the way, a K frame S&W was the perfect choice.
  
  AN ARMED SOCIETY IS A POLITE SOCIETY

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