Why do guys buy a 357 mag, and shoot only 38 caliber in it

[375supermag]

Hi...
I own at least a half dozen .357Mag handguns and have never fired a .38Spl case in any of them.
Most have never seen a factory load, either.
My .44Mag handguns have never been fired with a .44Spl case in them, either.
I have sufficient handguns in .38Spl and .44Spl that I see no need to shoot special length cases in my Magnum chambered handguns.

 

[Kleanbore]

Too bad Remington's .357 Max didn't catch on or we'd be talking about more revolvers that people usually only shoot .38's out of!...LOL

That one would no doubt have "caught on", had it proved feasible.

 

[entropy]

Why do guys buy a Ferrari 308 when the speed limit is 65? Because the capability is there, even if they never intend on using it. Same reason 3/4 and 1 ton trucks were all the rage for women in this area about 15 years ago. The capability to get home no matter the weather, even though they probably never used the full capabilities of the truck.

 

[USSR]

Personally, I fire .38 Special +P loads (FBI Load) exclusively in my 2.5" Model 19 for 2 reasons: 1. the ejector road is shorter than the longer barrel 19's, so ejection is much better; and 2. Much easier to control for follow up shots.

Don

 

[Zaydok Allen]

Cuz they're cheap.

 

[Deaf Smith]

I consider most of my .357 Magnums just very very well built .38 Specials that I can stick magnums in them if needed.

Deaf

 

[Panzerschwein]

How about versatility, the ability to fire a hotter cartridge when the situation dictates? .38 special is just a cheaper, more pleasurable round to shoot when magnum power levels or threat dependencies aren't called for.

 

[ChiefTJS]

I'm a .38 shooter and love it dearly but as has been said there aren't a lot of full sized guns available anymore for the .38, I have a Smith 67 and a Classic 15 and they're great but I want more guns. Besides, the best .38's available are .357's because you can do so much more with them. I'm not one that only shoots .38's through my .357's though, I truly enjoy hammering the crap out of them with hot 180gr loads pretty regularly.

I guess you're right, why buy a 357 just to shoot 38's out of it.

 

[george burns]

It all makes sense. I tried to do it on the cheap, :not my usual forte'", But the gun was horrible and I immediately sold it for almost what I paid, not important, I had owned a Taurus scandium that was made for 2 years and was a heck of a gun at 5 bills 20 years ago. But this felt awful, theh 605, not being a snob, I knew what I was going to get, and yet was still suprised at the horrendus balance, and grit of the overall weapon. Leaning more twoards the K6, but that's a heavy gun, "having carried a DS for my first, and losing it in a Robbery. Looks like a 340 0r 360PD is in my future with big dot on it.
Recoil when in a life and death situation is not significant so it's a no brainer, a 12 oz gun pocket or ankle carries better than a 23 oz k6. Throw a shockwave in the trunk, and bring anything to bare.
Next is body armor, it;s the logical conclusion to what we all are hoping wont happen .

 

[Mitlov]

This always made me say huh? I understand if someone wants the option of either round, that makes sense, but lately I see many guys spending 1000 dollars on a magnum and saying they only intend to shoot 38 or 38+p in it. Do some feel that the Magnum is just worth double the amount because it's a heavier gauge or steel instead of aluminum,heat treated, or something else.
If one is only going to shoot 38 caliber ammo then why not just buy a 38? I don't care how a man spends his money but this is more about intent than money, do some feel the 38 calber pistols are just not up to par? Hell I shot a 36 for 20 years and it functioned just fine with 38's in it. I know when I bought a 357 it was to shoot 357 's through it, maybe seldom, but seldom works for me. Having the capability is one thing, not intending to take advantage of it is another.Maybe I missed something here feel free.

My SP101 was no more expensive than an LCR, but it's a whole lot more comfortable to shoot. I didn't want a revolver that was meant to be carried often but shot only rarely; I wanted something I could spend all afternoon at the range with without it beating me up. And most modern revolvers that fit that bill are rated for .357 Magnum.

 

[ArchAngelCD]

This. Say, you want a K/L frame, all steel, 4" barrel with adjustable sights? If one looks at the current S&W revolver offerings, it will be quite difficult to find a .38 Spl. revolver other than the lightweight J-frames, or the much more expensive "Classics" line (with fixed sights...). Ruger, except for the LCR line, does not offer any of their all steel revolvers in .38 Spl... You simply have no choice but to buy a .357 Magnum. And maybe the questionable reasoning, that a .357 Magnum revolver will offer you more longevity compared to a similar .38 Spl. only revolver.

While there are more .357 Magnum revolvers available than dedicated .38 Specials in 4" and Steel S&W is not one of the companies who are totally lacking. They are still offering 3 all steel 4" .38 Special K frame revolvers. The fixed sight M10 in Blue is still available as is the stainless sister to the M10, the M64. They still offer the M67 which is a 4" stainless K frame .38 with adjustable sights.

Most buyer would rather have the option to firing .357 Magnum ammo if they want to and just agree. It is nice to have a K frame .38 Special or three since they are different than the L frame revolvers.

Just do shoot both 38/357 from my L frames depending on what I feel like shooting that day.

 

[buck460XVR]

I've owned a SxS 12 ga. grouse gun for 40 years that is chambered in 3" mag that has never seen a 3" shell. I have a 3 1/2" 12 ga. Turkey gun that has never seen a 3 1/2" shell. I also have a .460 Mag revolver that can shoot .45 Colt that has never seen anything but legitimate .460 rounds. What does any of it matter? My guns, my way of shooting and thinking. Folks only need to justify their firearms to themselves, not to folks on internet forums with too much time on their hands.

 

[CajunBass]

I don't know how many 357 revolvers I've owned over the years, but it's a bunch. Smith & Wesson (27, 28, 19, 66, 13, 65 ...in multiples for each), Ruger (Speed & Security Six's, plus Blackhawks), Colts (Trooper and Python), Taurus (65 and 66), and probably some more I don't remember.

I almost never shoot 357 ammo in them. Why? Because I don't want to. I don't see much sense in using harder kicking, louder, more expensive ammo (even when I reload it, it does cost a little more) to punch a hole in a piece of paper. Paper doesn't take a lot of killing. I'm not a cop. I don't count on a 357 for self defense, and I don't hunt anything with a handgun.

So why not just buy a 38? Well, I do, but they didn't make Model 27's, 28's, and 19's and such in 38 Special, or if they did they're a lot harder to find. And a Model 15 is NOT the same as a Model 19. I know, I've got both.

Another factor. I reload almost all of my ammo. 38 brass is a lot less expensive, and a lot more common to find than 357. I helped a friend run his security guard training class many years ago and I picked up a paper grocery bag almost full of 38 brass. So I've got thousands of rounds of 38 brass. Not so much 357. People don't leave that at the range very often. I suppose people who shoot 357's either reload or know someone who does. Or like me, shoot 38's.

So, if I ever wanted to, I could shoot 357's. I just don't want to.

BTW. Same thing applies to 44 Magnum/44 Special also.

 

[Grunt]

A buddy of mine recently moved back home here and a few weeks ago came out to do some shooting with me. He has a S&W Model 60 in .357 Magnum. Using .38 Special, it's not too bad to shoot but .357 Magnum out of that little thing actually hurts to shoot. I've never been really recoil sensitive but that one is not one I would shoot .357s out of. .38 +P loads, sure and it could handle a steady diet of those. However, the recoil in that handgun using full power magnums is too harsh IMHO. Muzzle flash, blast and nasty recoil that doesn't allow for fast follow up shots is just a bad deal in my book especially when looking at a defensive firearm. But that's why it's his gun and not mine. I'll stick with my 9mm and .45 ACP autos for serious defense work.

 

[Walkalong]

People buy most guns to play at the range. For many people, 100 low recoil rounds are more fun than 100 high recoil rounds. I shoot a lot more low power loads in .357 cases in .357 revolvers than I do full load .357s.

If I carried a .357, I wouldn't feel the need for the stoutest .357 load out there, and I dang sure wouldn't want to fire a mega power 125 Gr .357 load indoors, life on the line or not.

Personally, I fire .38 Special +P loads (FBI Load) exclusively in my 2.5" Model 19 for 2 reasons: 1. the ejector road is shorter than the longer barrel 19's, so ejection is much better; and 2. Much easier to control for follow up shots.

Don

This makes a great deal of sense.

 

[Varminterror]

My F-150 shuts down at 100mph, my Triumph Daytona tops out around 160mph. 99% of the time, I don't drive either of these faster than 83mph. Sometimes Usain Bolt jogs casually across the road For punching paper, I don't really need 1250fps most of the time either.

Personally, chamber rings make my brain itch, so I reload 357mag cases to 38spcl levels for my plinking ammo, usually even loaded to LOW 38spcl levels. Most of my 357mags have never touched a 38spcl case.

In parallel, I'll also comment I don't find the 357mag to be a terribly useful cartridge. For defensive application, it's not proven any more effective than 38spcl or 38spcl+P, and for hunting applications, it's over powered for small game and under powered for big game at reasonable ranges. A rifle length barrel helps on the big game, but it remains to be a step behind the other cartridges in its class - the fact the 44mag has more punch at 100yrds than a 357mag at the muzzle has stuck with me for over 25yrs...

If there were a niche where 1200-1500fps were really worth considerably more than 800-1000fps with 125-158grn bullets, you'd probably see a lot less use of 38spcl ammo in 357mag revolvers. But frankly, you couldn't sell me a truck which ONLY tops 85mph, even though it'd be as fast as I'd ever need it to be. You can't sell me a 38spcl only revolver any easier.

 

[Madcap_Magician]

Sometimes I think this is a deliberate choice. Some revolvers that are available in both calibers use a substantially heavier frame for the .357 Magnum version, and so some people who intend to shoot .38 Special will buy the magnum version for the increased weight (and therefore increased controllability and decreased recoil).

 

[.308 Norma]

the fact the 44mag has more punch at 100yrds than a 357mag at the muzzle has stuck with me for over 25yrs...

Seeing 3 out of 10, steel, 200 meter rams remain standing after solid, center hits with full-house 357 loads in IHMSA competition, and never, ever loosing a 200 meter ram with a hit from a 44 magnum in IHMSA competition, drove that point home to both my wife and me almost 40 years ago.

Personally, chamber rings make my brain itch, so I reload 357mag cases to 38spcl levels for my plinking ammo, usually even loaded to LOW 38spcl levels. Most of my 357mags have never touched a 38spcl case.

I'm the same way. I even started to build a chamber ring cleaner-outer one time by soldering a 357 magnum case onto the end of a short brass rod. Then I thought, "This is stupid! Why bother? I've got plenty of 357 cases. I'll use the 38 Special cases in my 38 Specials."

 

[Vernon1]

This always made me say huh? I understand if someone wants the option of either round, that makes sense, but lately I see many guys spending 1000 dollars on a magnum and saying they only intend to shoot 38 or 38+p in it. Do some feel that the Magnum is just worth double the amount because it's a heavier gauge or steel instead of aluminum,heat treated, or something else.
If one is only going to shoot 38 caliber ammo then why not just buy a 38? I don't care how a man spends his money but this is more about intent than money, do some feel the 38 calber pistols are just not up to par? Hell I shot a 36 for 20 years and it functioned just fine with 38's in it. I know when I bought a 357 it was to shoot 357 's through it, maybe seldom, but seldom works for me. Having the capability is one thing, not intending to take advantage of it is another.Maybe I missed something here feel free.

I see old men sporting cheap toupees with twenty-five year old "trophy wives."
I see older men driving red BMW's.
I see .357 guns only shooting .38's.
I see many firearms in my work at estate sales that have never been fired.
I have two friends who own a $95,000.00 Tesla automobile that they only drive to the public transit stations.
It is none of my business to second guess their individual intents for buying these and other items.
"The difference between men and boys are the price of their toys."

 

[Jim NE]

I own four or five .357 magnums, but I own a lot more .38 Specials. I like to collect older revolvers, and I find that .38 Specials are a lot less expensive as used vintage guns - half or 2/3's the cost of a 357 very often. Yet the .38's are made with the same level of craftsmanship and quality of materials. And the .38 Sp. is still practical as a defensive weapon.

If a person can only have one or two revolvers, the .357 makes sense, but if you collect revolvers, the .38 Special makes more sense in some ways. To each their own.

 

[Catpop]

Why do guys buy a Ferrari 308 when the speed limit is 65? Because the capability is there, even if they never intend on using it. Same reason 3/4 and 1 ton trucks were all the rage for women in this area about 15 years ago. The capability to get home no matter the weather, even though they probably never used the full capabilities of the truck.

As far as pickups are concerned, it's not just the women, men also who have absolutely positively no need for a 3/4 and 1 ton jacked up 4x4 diesel pickup that will never leave the asphalt! Aside from the power in your pants and image between your ears thing, I think the other reason is to keep the price inflated high so I can't buy a new one for work. My everyday work truck (1997 F250 7.3) has 500,000 on it!
Go figure!

 

[gotboostvr]

As far as pickups are concerned, it's not just the women, men also who have absolutely positively no need for a 3/4 and 1 ton jacked up 4x4 diesel pickup that will never leave the asphalt!

I use to (and god willing shall again) own a Jeep Wrangler, and as a point always had it partially covered in fresh mud. I've always thought there was something inherently off with a 10yr old "fresh and clean" Jeep.

 

[stchman]

I've often wondered the same thing. While .38SPL ammo costs less than .357 Magnum, .357 Magnum is more satisfying to shoot. .38SPL feels too wimpy out of my 6" GP100 and 6" Taurus Model 66. With this being said, I will buy .38SPL if I can get it real cheap.

 

[Hoppes Love Potion]

Mine are all dedicated .38 Specials. Model 60, 14, 15, 67.
I'd like a .357 in theory, but it would be too heavy to carry and too loud to use for home defense.

 

[.308 Norma]

While .38SPL ammo costs less than .357 Magnum

If you load your own, there's not a "nickel's worth" of difference.