Posted: 3/25/2008 4:36:03 PM EDT
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.38 vs .357 Is it worth the extra money to go with the 357? Ive been told that ,with the 357, it doenst have the "max" velocity. Gun is a SW MP340 (357) and a SW640 (38+p) 3"(?) barrel I'm new to these guns 
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| hello. absolutely get the 357 magnum. you can then shoot 38s out of it if you want or 357. nowadays, they make 357 snubbies as small as 38s. i dont know what you mean by the 357 not having the max velocity? the 357 can be loaded way hotter than the 38 special. nothing wrong with the 38, but the gun will be worth alot more if you ever decide to sell it if chambered in 357. kirk |
I have been told my a few people that the bullet cannot reach its fullest velocity due to the short barrel. ie a 20" vs a 10" AR |
+1 on all the points above. Below is pictured a SW640 L model. .357 Magnum. This is the stainless, not the lightweight model. It'll shoot .38 Special, .38 +P, or .357 Magnum. The Magnum loads shoot VERY hard, i.e. the difference between .38 and .357 is quite noticable. But: As far as not getting the maximum velocity out of them, THAT is why you NEED the .357 over the .38: the .357 will develop more velocity in a short barrel than a .38. I've recently 'aquired*' one of these, and carry it when I can't carry my 9mm or my XD45 (which will be increasingly frequent during the NM summer!). I don't feel undergunned at all. .38, .38 +P, .357 Magnum, and of course, our beloved Snake Shot, can all be fired from this gun. The snake shot is the main reason I carry it in the desert.  *A California family member has me store it for her when she's not in NM. |
Steel frame = .357 mag Alloy frame = .38spl IMO, being able to practice with the ammo you will carry is the deciding factor. Shooting an alloy frame in .357mag ain't no disco.............  Simply tolerating .357 ammo isn't good enough in a carry gun, you HAVE to be able to shoot it accurately, IMO. |
I carry .45+p in my HK USP or +p+ Hi-Shok in my G26  This isnt my gun. One of my friends moms went and tried the SW MP Ultra-light (very light gun) Says she is getting a .357 I agree with you about the light 357 being hard on your wrist, now consider a 40 year old female with this 12oz gun. If your follow up shot is going to be 8' higher because you cant hold it down.....theres gonna be a problem.How much of a difference is there in 38 to 357 (fps) on a short barrel? just take 2 average loads  Model: 340 Caliber: .357MAG/.38+P Capacity: 5 Rounds Barrel Length: 1 7/8" Front Sight: Black Blade Front Rear Sight: Fixed Grip: Rubber Grips Frame: Small - Centennial Style Finish: Matte Overall Length: 6 3/8" Material: Scandium Alloy/Titanium/Stainless Steel Weight Empty: 12 oz. |
That is correct, most .357 magnum loads are designed for a 4"-6" barrel. There is also the issue of a great big fireball when you fire 357 from a short barrel. There are manufacturers making ammunition designed especially for snub nose revolvers. These rounds generate power quicker i.e. in a short barrel and they reduce the fireball effect which can help night vision. Check out the Speer web site for more information. I am not sure of all the details, and things change so it pays to shop. This is usually premium SD ammo not really for plinking. My 2 cents R/ Mike |
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I have a 360 M&P. It's a great carry gun, and slides into my front pocket easily. It is not pleasant to shoot full-house .357 loads with, but I can do so accurately enough at any realistic distance. I have reservations about the long-term durability with heavy loads, but I'll never shoot enough to know. I got the .357 for versatility: it can take two kinds of easily available ammo, instead of just the one. |
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J frames are hard enough to shoot well without stuffing a .357 mag load in them. They don't distribute recoil well. If anyone intends to shoot .357 ammo out of a small frame revolver, it needs to be an all steel version. I prefer the SP101 to a J frame any day of the week, and mine sees a lot more .357 loads than it does .38s. The .357 won't get as much velocity out of a 2" barrel as it will a 4", but it will still have more than any 38 load. |
That is as true for a 357 as it is a 38.
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This is my goal. I have a MP 340, and I am working on being able to shoot it well with the short barrel Gold Dots. Full house loads are out of the question, too much muzzle rise and blast for me. Felt recoil with the SB GD's is similar to .38 Spl +P but the muzzle rises more. Working on it tho. (Kind of expensive to train this way as well. I may just stick with .38 +p). |
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In years past I have chronographed many lots of both .38 Special +P and .357 Magnum through 2 1/2 or 3in barreled revolvers. The 125gr. Federal...our duty load for over a decade and a half...would ususlly clock around 1200-1250FPS in these short barrels while most 125gr .38+P loads were below 900FPS. The older 125gr .38+P often did not expand well in actual shootings either. We ended up issuing the old 158gr LSWHP+P for use in the .38 Special guns because they were usually as fast as the 125's and worked much better. (there were no j frame magnums back then) Today's loads are better in .38+P, mostly due to better bullet designs. The new 'uber' load is the 135gr Speer +P and by the accounts I have it works very well. There is also not a thing wrong with the old 158gr LSWHP+P either I have shot full house magnum ammo in several J frames, including my old 340, and in the lightweight guns it is brutal. For my use, the all steel J frames and the Ruger SP101 are simply too heavy for use as anything but a holster gun, and if I am going to use a waistband holster, it will carry something in a compact or full size service auto and not a J frame. Thus, my recommendation would be an airweight using either of the .38+P loads mentioned. |