The UK's Finest Independent Forum for Shooters and Gun Owners. Est 2010.

dromia wrote:

In future use 357 cases even with 38 special loads.

I've never understood why people shoot .38 special in a .357 chamber - the fact that you can doesn't mean that you should. Anyone who reloads can easily make a suitable load using .357 cases, at the same cost as a .38 special. .357 cases are readily available and they should be potentially more accurate.

Anyone who has tried to remove a carbon ring from a .357 revolver cylinder after a prolonged period of .38 loads will know that the carbon sets like iron.

I would be happy to use a chamber reamer in a rifle where the barrel could easily be removed and the reamer turned by hand - You wouldn't chomp off a few thou of metal by accident.

1066 wrote:

dromia wrote:

In future use 357 cases even with 38 special loads.

I've never understood why people shoot .38 special in a .357 chamber - the fact that you can doesn't mean that you should. Anyone who reloads can easily make a suitable load using .357 cases, at the same cost as a .38 special. .357 cases are readily available and they should be potentially more accurate.

Anyone who has tried to remove a carbon ring from a .357 revolver cylinder after a prolonged period of .38 loads will know that the carbon sets like iron.

I would be happy to use a chamber reamer in a rifle where the barrel could easily be removed and the reamer turned by hand - You wouldn't chomp off a few thou of metal by accident.

I've shot well over 50,000 38 Spl rounds from my Marlin and 357 cases still chamber with no problem.
I use a softer boolit than GM and and soft, but very effective lube.
I see no point in buying 357 brass when I can get no end of 38 brass for nowt.

I have nearly all ways used 38 special cases in my Winchester. I have all ways used cast boolits I don't use jacketed bullets. I tried it and it will chamber a 357 case with out any problems if need be.

1066 wrote:

dromia wrote:

In future use 357 cases even with 38 special loads.

I've never understood why people shoot .38 special in a .357 chamber - the fact that you can doesn't mean that you should. Anyone who reloads can easily make a suitable load using .357 cases, at the same cost as a .38 special. .357 cases are readily available and they should be potentially more accurate.

Anyone who has tried to remove a carbon ring from a .357 revolver cylinder after a prolonged period of .38 loads will know that the carbon sets like iron.

I would be happy to use a chamber reamer in a rifle where the barrel could easily be removed and the reamer turned by hand - You wouldn't chomp off a few thou of metal by accident.

Not everyone reloads! Simples!

They must be made of money then!

Or they don't shoot much.

dodgyrog wrote:
I've shot well over 50,000 38 Spl rounds from my Marlin and 357 cases still chamber with no problem.
I use a softer boolit than GM and and soft, but very effective lube.
I see no point in buying 357 brass when I can get no end of 38 brass for nowt.

Can you explain what might have caused the problem with the three rifles in the first post? We're not talking about 3% here, maybe three out of a dozen.

Commercial hard cast bullets that are usually undersize with the worse than useless hard wax lubes a lot of them carry will form a hard fouling and lead chamber ring.

Proper fitting soft alloy, preferably antimony free, bullets with a decent lube will foul far less and the fouling that is there will be softer and easier to remove with ordinary cleaning.