.38spl vs 357 mag revolvers

[Alfredo912]

Recoil comparison: shooting .38 spl ammo in 2 different revolvers with identical barrel length:
A .38 spl vs a 357 mag revolvers with 4 in barrels.
Which one will have the least recoil?

 

[Blue Jays]

Thank you for posting this question.
It has never been posed in the past.
I am very curious to see responses.

 

[UncleEd]

Not sure the meaning. Seems meaningless.

But for instance:

You mean a .38 in a K-frame Model 19
vs. a .38 in an L-frame Model 586?

I mean what the hay?

 

[tightgroup tiger]

That all depends on what gun your using.
A .357 mag should have a little more steel in the cylinder due to accommodating the extra case length of the case when using the same frame size.
That would give the .357 the edge in weight over a 38 SPL. and that would help with recoil just a slight bit.
But I'll be you wouldn't be able to notice.

 

[DTL]

A lot would depend on weight of each firearm, steel or alloy frame and the grip configuration. Bullet weight would also be a factor. All things equal other than Spl./Mag load, the .357 would be more likely to have more felt recoil.

 

[Slamfire]

The difference in firing a 38 Special in this K frame S&W



and this K frame 38 Special


is negligible, I can't tell a difference because both have heavy barrels.

Now the felt recoil is more in this K frame S&W than either of the above two pistols,



and it is all due to weight. The M10 has a thinner barrel.


The difference in 38 Special recoil with this 357 Magnum is less



than this 38 Special if the same ammunition is fired in both.



And it is all due to weight. The M586 has a heavy lug barrel, which contributes more weight to the L frame pistol than any other feature. The K38 is a lighter pistol, therefore the felt recoil is less.

Surely this ought to be obvious. Given the same F=m*a, the acceleration of the heavier firearm will be less. Therefore the felt recoil will feel less.

 

[mcb]

Shooting the same 38 special ammo in both guns. Assuming everything is equal between the two revolvers, weight, barrel length, cylinder gap, throat diameter, land and groove configuration etc. And the only difference being length of chamber, 38 Special vs 357 mag. I would expect a very slight decrease in velocity and thus recoil in the 357 mag chambered revolver due to a very small amount of extra gases blowing by as the bullet jumps down the longer chamber. This would be negligible with really long heavy bullets and almost noticable with short light bullets.

In reality other factors are going to have almost as much effect and will likely add up to a greater effect than the difference between 38 in a 38 chamber and 38 in a 357 chamber

 

[Tallball]

It depends on the weight of the handguns and the shape of their grips.

If they're identical, of course they will shoot the same ammo with identical felt recoil.

IIRC, 38 special Ruger SP101's and 357 magnum SP101's are identical other than the cylinders and would feel the same shooting the same ammo.

 

[trackskippy]

Seems to me, the answer is very simple. Shoot both from the same gun, at the same time, and youll instantly know the answer.

I shoot both and have no problem telling which is which.

 

[Archie]

As trackskippy said, both from the same gun is pretty easy to detect. Shot from the same revolver, the .357 Magnum with a full load will always have more recoil than a .38 Special - with the same bullet weight - at the top level .38 Special velocity.

Now, if the fundamental factors are altered, the matter becomes murky.
A five shot revolver, two inch barreled, (J-frame Smith, for instance) made for concealed carry shooting a heavy bullet load at maximal pressures can have more recoil than a large (N -frame Smith) .357 Magnum revolver shooting extremely light bullets at moderate velocity.

Then to further cloud the waters, is the subject of 'felt recoil'. A smaller revolver with proper fitting (fitting the shooting hand, not just the revolver) will 'feel' better than a larger revolver with grips that do not suit the shooter.

May respectfully request the originating poster to clarify the question?

 

[Alfredo912]

As trackskippy said, both from the same gun is pretty easy to detect. Shot from the same revolver, the .357 Magnum with a full load will always have more recoil than a .38 Special - with the same bullet weight - at the top level .38 Special velocity.

Now, if the fundamental factors are altered, the matter becomes murky.
A five shot revolver, two inch barreled, (J-frame Smith, for instance) made for concealed carry shooting a heavy bullet load at maximal pressures can have more recoil than a large (N -frame Smith) .357 Magnum revolver shooting extremely light bullets at moderate velocity.

Then to further cloud the waters, is the subject of 'felt recoil'. A smaller revolver with proper fitting (fitting the shooting hand, not just the revolver) will 'feel' better than a larger revolver with grips that do not suit the shooter.

May respectfully request the originating poster to clarify the question?

I am really trying to answer this question:
If I am going to shoot ONLY .38spl ammo and I want to minimize recoil, should I buy a .38spl revolver or should I buy instead a 357 mag of identical dimensions except for the cylinder size? It seems to me that the mag gun would have less recoil no? Moreover, it seems like the mag gun would be more versatile since it can also shoot 357 bullets if need be. A .38 spl revolver is limited to shooting only .38 ammo!
If someone is going to only buy 1 revolver in their lifetime, wouldn’t it be better for them to buy a 357 mag instead of a .38spl assuming money is not at issue here? Additionally looking at market availability and choices, it seems that there are much more choices in .357 mag revolvers of good quality vs the limited choice of .38 spl revolvers on the market today?

i

 

[mcb]

Again assuming you find two revolver that are identical in every way but the chamber, 38 Special vs 357 Magnum, you are going to be hard pressed to find many shooter that can feed the difference between those two gun using the same 38 Special ammo.

If you after minimal recoil do that by selecting light recoiling ammo. Most 38 Special full-wad cutter are very mild recoil, or buy modern commercial 38 Short Colt and shoot it. It is safe to fire in modern 38/357 mag and will again have exceptionally mild recoil.

Get the 357 Mag if you want the versatility but it will do little to nothing to reduce the actual measured or perceived recoil of 38 specials compared to an identical revolver chambered in 38 Special.

 

[Archie]

I am really trying to answer this question:
If I am going to shoot ONLY .38spl ammo and I want to minimize recoil, should I buy a .38spl revolver or should I buy instead a 357 mag of identical dimensions except for the cylinder size? It seems to me that the mag gun would have less recoil no? Moreover, it seems like the mag gun would be more versatile since it can also shoot 357 bullets if need be. A .38 spl revolver is limited to shooting only .38 ammo!
If someone is going to only buy 1 revolver in their lifetime, wouldn’t it be better for them to buy a 357 mag instead of a .38spl assuming money is not at issue here? Additionally looking at market availability and choices, it seems that there are much more choices in .357 mag revolvers of good quality vs the limited choice of .38 spl revolvers on the market today?

Ah! Shooting .38 Special (a constant load and type) will be essentially - perceivably - the same if fired in a K frame .38 Special or a .357 Magnum K frame.
A specific case, the model 15 ("Combat Masterpiece" before the numerical system) is a K frame, six-shot .38 Special with adjustable sights. The model 19 ("Combat Magnum as of old) is much the same - adjustable sights, six shots, available in the same barrel lengths - as the model 15. The only difference is the 19 has a shrouded ejector rod housing. According to Wiki, the m15 weighs 34 ounces; the m19 weighs 36 ounces. Strictly speaking the extra two ounces makes a difference. Realistically, a shooter would be hard pressed to detect it, especially if not seeking a difference when shooting.
Grips might make a difference, but we'll stipulate the test revolvers have the same grips.

I would get the .357 Magnum m19 as it strikes me as of greater flexibility. But not because the recoil is noticeably less.

 

[tubeshooter]

The difference in recoil for similar guns should be negligible shooting 38 Special.

Of course the Mag will be more flexible.
A dedicated Special gun MAY be cheaper.


Get what you want, and want what you get!

 

[Driftwood Johnson]

At first I thought this was a trick question. A number of years ago I bought a pair of Ruger 357 Magnum New Vaqueros for my wife to shoot in Cowboy Action.

She was going to be shooting very light 38 Special reloads. So I was down at the range sighting them in with light 38 Sp reloads. Since the recoil was very light I was not gripping them very hard.

Next, I thought I would try a cylinder full of factory 357 Magnum loads. Surprise, surprise, the thing almost jumped out of my hand and almost clobbered me in the forehead because I was not holding on that firmly.

Anyway, as has been stated, you would have to find a 38 Special revolver and a 357 Mag revolver that completely matched each other in features to try a fair test.

About the closest I can come in my collection is this K frame 357 Magnum S&W Model 13-2 with a 4" barrel,






And this K frame 38 Special Model 10-5, also with a 4" barrel.






I am not going to go into the safe right now and weight them, but as you can see the 357 Mag has a bull barrel, while the Model 10 has a tapered barrel. So even without measuring the cylinders, we can assume the 357 Mag weighs a little bit more.

Having said that, I'm pretty sure I would not be able to tell the difference in recoil between them when fired with the exact same 38 Special load.

But I can guarantee you that when shooting 38 Specials through a heavy N frame 357 Magnum revolver like this Model 27 there is hardly any recoil at all.

 

[Slamfire]

I shot a case of +P Zero 38 Special loads with a 158 LSWC Hollow point bullet through my 357 M66. All those soft lead bullets left lead rings in the chambers that were very hard to remove. I had to remove them though, because a 357 magnum case would form around the lead ring, and be locked in,making extraction very difficult.

I decided to develop 38 Special equivalent velocities using 357 cases with a 158. My standard 158 38 Special load is 3.5 grains Bullseye and that chronographs just at 760 fps in a four inch barrel.

At least with Bullseye pistol powder, about a half grain more powder gave me the 38 Special velocities I was looking for. I was surprised to see AA#5 shot very well, too bad I am using up the one keg I have, and don't have any plans to buy more.

Colt Trooper MKIII 6" Barrel




158 LSWC Factory Zero 38 Special ammunition
13-Sep-18 T = 72 ° F

Ave Vel = 739
Std Dev = 38
ES = 152.4
High = 804.1
Low = 651.6
Number rounds = 18

158 LSWC Factory Hornady 38 Special ammunition, box dated 12-1982
13-Sep-18 T = 90 ° F

Ave Vel = 734
Std Dev = 16
ES = 50.56
High = 755.8
Low = 705.3
N = 16

158 gr LRN 3.5 grs Bullseye 38 SPL cases WSP
13-Sep-18 T = 72 ° F

Ave Vel =764
Std Dev =24
ES = 87.45
High = 804.1
Low = 716.6
N = 21

158 gr Valiant LRN 3.8 grs Bullseye lot 907 6/20/05
once fired mixed 357 cases, WSP
19-Sep-18 T = 80 ° F

Ave Vel = 788
Std Dev = 38
ES = 147.4
High = 830.3
Low = 682.8
N = 25
accurate no leading






158 gr Valiant LRN 4.0 grs Bullseye lot 907 6/20/05 once fired mixed 357 cases, WSP
19-Sep-18 T = 80 ° F

Ave Vel = 800
Std Dev = 26
ES = 102
High = 846.2
Low = 744.2
N = 24

very accurate, no leading



158 gr Valiant LRN 4.0 grs Bullseye lot 907 6/20/05
357 Midway cases, WSP

11-Oct-18 T = 71 ° F

Ave Vel =817
Std Dev =23
ES = 72.55
High = 853.6
Low = 781.1
N = 12


158 gr Valiant LRN 4.5 grs Unique lot 364 3/9/1992 Midway 357 cases WSP

13-Sep-18 T = 72 ° F

Ave Vel = 815
Std Dev = 26
ES = 106.7
High = 853.5
Low = 746.8
N = 18

Low recoil, about 2" above point aim, accurate, low noise





158 gr Valiant LRN 5.0 grs Unique lot 364 3/9/1992 R-P 357 cases WSP
13-Sep-18 T = 72 ° F


Ave Vel = 852
Std Dev = 22
ES = 85.04
High = 891.4
Low = 806.4
N = 24



increased recoil, about 2" above point aim, accurate, louder





158 gr Valiant LRN 5.5grs Unique lot 364 3/9/1992 R-P 357 cases WSP
13-Sep-18 T = 72 ° F


Ave Vel = 919
Std Dev = 32
ES = 117.2
High = 972.1
Low = 854.9
N = 24

shot close to point of aim, much louder, more recoil, some leading









158 gr Valiant LRN 12.0 grs AA#9 R-P 357 cases CCI500
13-Sep-18 T = 90 ° F

Ave Vel = 1129
Std Dev = 42
ES = 156.2
High = 1230
Low = 1074
N = 22
loud and accurate

158 gr JHP (W/W) 13.5 grs AA#9 R-P nickled 357 cases WSP
13-Sep-18 T = 90 ° F

Ave Vel = 1127
Std Dev = 61
ES = 187.2
High = 1225
Low = 1037
N = 11

 

[jstert]

my own impression, when comparing 357mag versus 38sp shot out of the same 4.7/8” ruger blackhawk single action revolver, the former is stouter.

 

[warnerwh]

Being as you are shooting the exact same load (.38 Special) in both a gun chambered in .38 and another gun in .357 there's no need to over analyze this. A heavier gun will absorb more of the recoil. I'd not worry about anything else other than the weight of the gun. Being as you're comparing identical revolvers the weight difference is very little and the felt recoil difference will be very difficult to detect.

 

[fxvr5]

That all depends on what gun your using.
A .357 mag should have a little more steel in the cylinder due to accommodating the extra case length of the case when using the same frame size.
That would give the .357 the edge in weight over a 38 SPL. and that would help with recoil just a slight bit.

Nope. Wrong. Case length is irrelevant. Overall length is what matters. Specs:
38 Special max OAL = 1.550"
357 Magnum max OAL = 1.590"

That's a difference of 0.040".

Current S&W J-frame cylinders for .38 Spl and 357 Mag (of which I have some to measure) are the same length; 1.595"

Since the cylinders are the same length, the 357 gun will weigh less, because it has a deeper chamber to accept the longer .357 case, which means more metal was removed from the 357 cylinder. (all else being equal)

 

[Sistema1927]

Too many variables to factor in.

Overall weight
Distribution of weight (muzzle heavy, butt heavy, etc.)
Shape of grip frame
Width of stocks (grips)

All of these may change felt recoil. The only way to address this is to try several configurations and see which works best for you.

 

[mcb]

The ultimate test for this that would be mildly easy to assemble.

A S&W Model 10 4-inch heavy barrel and a S&W Model 13 4-inch Heavy barrel. These two revolvers are identical in every way except the chambers. The Model 13 is marginally rare but findable.

I believe you could do similar with a Ruger GP 100 4-inch that was offered in both cartridges though the 38 Special only version are fairly rare. Similar for the Security/Service/Speed Six. I believe again with the 38 Special only version being somewhat rarer but still findable.

I still assert that if you can get revolvers this similar most if not all shooter will not be able to tell the difference cause by the difference in chamber length.

 

[Slamfire]

Having shot my both my M586 and K38 in CMP revolver competition, the heavier gun recoils less with the same ammunition. It is all about the weight.

 

[sgt127]

I have a 4” heavy Barrel Model 65.
I have a 4” heavy barrel model 10.

I will state, without even trying it, with .38 Specials, the felt recoil will be the same in both guns. To believe otherwise, we would have to suspend the laws of physics.

Same for a Security Six. Same for an SP-101.

Except my early SP-101 (actually an SPNY) that is made on the original short frame. The cylinder is shorter and, the frame is shorter. weighs a tiny bit less. But I, even with my highly calibrated, recoil sensitive, dainty little girl hands, I would not be able to tell the difference.

 

[film495]

If you're going to shoot mostly .38 Special, I'd just get one that is designed to shoot +P .38 Special rounds. usually from what I've seen and heard, .357 in a comparable firearm costs a good bit more. so, if you're not going to shoot .357 throught it, you can just shoot +P .38 Special if you want. the weight of the barrel and firearm is from my understanding what affects recoil the most. good grips on it and a good grip, your form, affects felt recoil as much if not more. just go hold a bunch at a store, and maybe then go rent one at a local range. don't worry too much about .357 vs. .38 Special in my view, just check out a bunch and find one that feels right to you.

 

[Riomouse911]

Lots of good advice here.

Figure out what the gun will be primarily used for; home defense, concealed carry, hunting, etc. (Any gun can be for target shooting.) Good jacketed hollow point or lead semi-wadcutter hollow point bullet loads are where to go for defensive ammo.

If mostly home defense, a 4” .6-shot .38 Spl or .357 Mag will do you well.

If mostly carry, a 2” to 4” 5 or 6 shot .38 would be my first pick, as .357 loads from little guns are no fun at all to shoot.

Try to rent or shoot a friends gun if you can first. Especially if it is a brand/model you are looking at buying.

Good luck with your search.

Stay safe.