Everyone says that you can fire any 38 cartridge from a 357 mag gun, but not the other way around. My question is: WTF? I always thought calibers represented diameter in inches. In other words, a 38 is 0.38 inches in diameter, and a 357 is 0.357 inches in diameter. Those are close but not at all the same thing, so why does everyone say you can fire the 38 round in a 357 gun?? Seems like it would be too wide and would cause catastrophic damage to your gun and perhaps your self. What am i misunderstanding here?
Believe it or not, the 38 Special and the 357 Magnum are the same caliber, and fire a .358 diameter bullet.
Allegedly, the "38" refers to the outside diameter of the neck of the brass casing, which is 0.379 if I recall correctly.
A 38 special round is essentially a 357 Magnum round where the brass casing has been shortened a bit. As it is shorter, the 38 Special round will fit in the chamber meant for a 357 Magnum round.
Since the 357 Magnum round is longer, a 357 Magnum round will NOT fit in a chamber that was made for the 38 Special.
Your thought process is correct. The 38 Special just has a name with a unique origin. It does not refer to the bullet diameter.
EDIT: Randy C: Just an FYI, there was a semi-automatic 357 magnum pistol based on the M1911 (I’ve never seen one, just heard of them). I do not think it was popular and I don’t think it was mass produced. It was made by Coonan Arms. Here is a link showing them:
http://www.dancoonan.com/coonan_357.html
January 20th, 2010 at 3:51 pm
Yes, you are misunderstanding. In the .38 cal, that is the diameter of the lead round. In the .357 cal, the diameter is the same, but the length of the round is different. The length is longer to hold more powder and allow for the pressure to build up before discharging the lead projectile.
Yes you can fire any .38 out of any .357, but not the other way around. The .357 would be too long to fit into the .38 weapon.
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January 20th, 2010 at 4:09 pm
The 357 Magnum is a little bit longer than the 38 caliber, other than that they are the same, however you can not shoot 357 Magnums in a 38 caliber, because they are to long.* There is more powder capacity in a 357 Magnum’s shell casing also.*
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You cannot teach what you have not experienced.*
January 20th, 2010 at 4:56 pm
I’ve fired a 38 in my 357 with no problems.
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January 20th, 2010 at 5:45 pm
Believe it or not, the 38 Special and the 357 Magnum are the same caliber, and fire a .358 diameter bullet.
Allegedly, the "38" refers to the outside diameter of the neck of the brass casing, which is 0.379 if I recall correctly.
A 38 special round is essentially a 357 Magnum round where the brass casing has been shortened a bit. As it is shorter, the 38 Special round will fit in the chamber meant for a 357 Magnum round.
Since the 357 Magnum round is longer, a 357 Magnum round will NOT fit in a chamber that was made for the 38 Special.
Your thought process is correct. The 38 Special just has a name with a unique origin. It does not refer to the bullet diameter.
EDIT: Randy C: Just an FYI, there was a semi-automatic 357 magnum pistol based on the M1911 (I’ve never seen one, just heard of them). I do not think it was popular and I don’t think it was mass produced. It was made by Coonan Arms. Here is a link showing them:
http://www.dancoonan.com/coonan_357.html
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January 20th, 2010 at 6:16 pm
Like JB and DCA stated, the .38 round can definitely be shot from a .357, but NOT vice versa. Think of it like using 44 special in a 44 mag. They are both the same caliber bullet, one just has much more powder and a longer case than the other.
I usually shoot .38 wad cutters at the range out of all my .357 revolvers. It goes a little easier on the wrists and ears! I keep the big stuff for self defense.
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January 20th, 2010 at 6:50 pm
the real only difference is the size of the shell (in length) and the power inside it. a 38 will fit perfect in a 357 and shoot just fine.
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January 20th, 2010 at 7:13 pm
No a 38 Special and a .357 Magnum are exactly identical in all physical dimensions except length. The. 38 came first, and then the .357 was developed and loaded to much higher chamber pressure. The .357 case is about .10 longer, to prevent it being chambered in .38 Special guns which may be older and/or weaker. Both fire bullets which are .357 inch in diameter. A .38 does not fire .38 caliber bullets. BTW this is fairly common- a .44 Magnum is actually .429, a .460 S&W is actually .451. etc. etc.
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January 20th, 2010 at 7:27 pm
Over the years, cartridge designers were not held by rigid rules as to what to name the cartridge, so many took liberties with the name and numbers.
A .38 Special is not 0.38 caliber, it’s 0.358 , a 8mm is 7.92 mm, etc. etc. etc.
.38 Special in a .357 chamber is fine.
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January 20th, 2010 at 8:16 pm
Load it and pull the trigger.
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January 20th, 2010 at 8:49 pm
The .38 special casing is the same thing as the .357 mag casing, except the magnum casing is about 1/8" longer to keep the round from being loaded in .38 special revolvers.The shorter .38 spl. round can be loaded and safely fired in all .357 guns.
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January 20th, 2010 at 9:00 pm
first, there is no such thing as a ".357 magnum pistol. Only revolvers and some rifles.
Grab your micrometer and check it out for yourself. Both are the same diameter. The .357 is nothing more than a .38 with approx. 25% more powder (depending on which powder you use, some are 50% more) in a longer case. Therefore, a .38 with it’s lower powder load, can fire in the .357 mag revolver, but not vice versa. That’s it in it’s simplest form.
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Retired Police Officer
NRA certified police firearms instructor
Trained at GLOCK, COLT and S&W armorers schools
Ran a gun shop for many years
Fired both rifle and handgun competitions
And have been an avid hunter since age 9 with
Archery, Black Powder, Shotgun, Handgun and Modern Rifle
January 20th, 2010 at 9:35 pm
The 357 Magnum is based on the 38 Special. It was developed as a high-pressure version of that cartridge and made a bit longer so as to prevent chambering 357 cartridges in the weaker 38 Spl revolvers. It headspaces off the rim, so there’s no reason not to. Both shoot bullets of .357 to .358" despite the nomenclature.
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January 20th, 2010 at 9:53 pm
The .38 Special bullet is exactly the same diameter as a .357 mag. bullet, (0.357 inches) The only physical difference between the two is the length of the case. The .357 mag. case is just a little bit longer than the ..38 Special case. This is not surprising when you realize that the .357 mag is just a lengthened .38 Special. Since the chamber of a .357 mag. is just a lenghthened .38 Special chamber, the .38 Special can be safely fired in a .357 mag. revolver. The .357 mag. cartridge being longer than the .38 Special chamber. it won’t go into the chamber. Also when they made the .38 Special into the .357 mag., they made the cylinder stronger to withstand the greater pressures generated by the .357 mag. cartridge.
Does this make sense now?
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January 20th, 2010 at 10:00 pm
Yes, it is as clear as mud. In US calibration the actual diameter of the bullet is sometimes expressed. At other times it is the diameter of the gun’s bore that is expressed. But in the case of the .357 Magnum & .38 Special, it is the same bullet diameter: Approx. .357; so, the .38 Special merely being a shorter .357 it can be fired out of a .357 Magnum revolver. Since the .357 Magnum bullet is longer than the .38 Special it can not be fired out of the .38 Special revolver.
H
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January 20th, 2010 at 10:23 pm
Yes, you may shoot .38’s all day long in your .357 magnum revolver.
http://www.nealsoutdoors.com
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