User Panel
Posted: 10/25/2004 3:52:36 PM EDT
Mathematically .38 is LARGER than a .357 right?.... RIGHT.
So WHY does a 38 fit in a .357 yet the reverse does not hold true? Also, if BOTH the .38 and .357 measure at .357, Where did the .38 come from? Last but not least, Why was the .38 designated as 'special?" Come on guys... .who here has the answer? Oh and Jim Scoutten, If you are reading this... DO NOT ANSWER... I got this off YOUR show! (Except for the "special" question... that one I really want to know) |
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Gun question....get the fuck out of here with this off topic crap.
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Bitch. |
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doubtful. |
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They both use the same size bullets.
.223 Winchester/ 5.56x45 NATO has an actual bullet diameter of .224... 7.62x51 NATO has the same bullet diameter as 7.5x55 Swiss. Both .30 cal. Reloaders use .308/7.62 bullets to reload the cases. Not all numbers in the bullet world are absolute. |
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Wishful Hoping? Danny |
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It's a marketing thing. This way you buy both. The folks that make them get your money from buying both.
So get both. |
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I've got a great ides. wHY DONT i TAKE A 357SIG blow out the neck & call it a 40sig?
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.357MAGs will fit into a .38 revolver, providing you have a big enough hammer.
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The "38" measurement comes from back in the days where round lead balls were used in revolvers. The .38" ball would be crushed slightly by the bore (to ensure a good seal), so the bore was slightly smaller. When the transition was made to metallic cartridges and cylindrical bullets, the bullet size actually had to be reduced to fit these bores (remember that many cap & ball revolvers were later converted to metallic cartridge guns). Thus, the "38" cartridge guns really shot a lead bullet of .357-358" diameter, not .380".
The .38 developed over time into the .38 Special, which was the case you're familiar with today, with a .358" lead bullet, and later, a .357" jacketed bullet. When folks like Elmer Keith were hot-rodding the .38 Spl round, S&W built some ".38HV" (High Velocity) guns on the .44Spl "N-Frame" (these were also called .38/44s). These overbuilt guns could take far higher pressures, but there was the danger of these high-pressure rounds being accidentally loaded into standard .38 Spl guns and blowing them up. So, S&W had the .38 Spl case extended, so it wouldn't fit in standard .38s, and changed the name of the load to ".357 Magnum", using for the first time the actual correct size of the modern bullets in the cartridge's name. The very first .357 Magnum was given to J. Edgar Hoover in the 30's. In case all this isn't clear, the .357 Mag and the .38 Spl use identically-sized bullets and bores (.358" bullets for plain lead, .357" for jacketed bullets). The only differences between the cartridges are the longer length and higher pressures of the .357 Mag. That's why you can use .38s in a .357 Mag. Remember that rimmed cartridges headspace on the rim, not on the case mouth, like most auto calibers. -Troy |
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How about way out and make a .45sig ? |
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Even less complicated. The standard formula of lengthening the higher-pressure round, to prevent it from being chambered in guns made for the lower-pressure round, was used both for the .41 and .44 Magnum cartridge "upgrades". -Troy |
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Just on the off chance that this is a serious question, the answer is:
.38, .38 special and .357 magnum all use the same diameter bullet. The .357 magnum is a much more powerful round. To prevent people accidentally using these in guns designed for .38 or .38 special the case of the .357 magnum is slightly longer, so it won't physically fit into a gun designed for .38. However, the .38 will hapilly fit into a gun designed for .357 magnum. The slightly shorter case means that you get a build up of pwder residue in the chambers of the gun, which can prevent .357 magnum rounds from fitting correctly if you don't clean it carefully. Apart from that small problem, shooting the much lighter load of a .38 is a welcome relief for plinking. |
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On your toes tonight, huh Troy. Hard to joke round here lately. Danny |
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9mm, if you mean 9mm luger, is .355 inch. 9mm Makarov is .364 I think. While both 38 Special and 357 rem mag, both use a bore of .357 aprox. Like it has already been said, the name on the round doesn't always mean it is the actual size. A 44 mag uses a bullet .429-.430 in diamiter. |
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.357 is the measurement taken from the top of rifle lands, .380 is the measurement taken at the bottom of the grooves.
9 MM does not use the same size bullets, they are .355. |
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I guess Dick Casull could have named the 454 Casull "45 Magnum."
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Just like how the .308 bullet(the 7.65) is the same bullet used in the 7.62 nato, the .308, the 30-06, 30-30 and many other 30 cal rounds. Even though they are not interchangable. |
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+1 And stuff it in her pooper and post pics. |
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.38 S&W uses a larger diameter bullet and is not compatible with the .38spl / .357 mag but the .38 Colt is. |
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The same thing applies to 454 and 45 Colt, the 454 has a longer case so it cannot be cambered in a 45 Colt. 45 Colt can be used in a 454. |
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This is a bit off-topic, the bullets maybe the same OD, and the case for the 357 is a tad longer, BUT the case for the 357Rem Mag is also heat treated to be stronger to take the higer pressures, whereas the 38Spl case is not. I took a short tour of the Starline Brass Company when they were Santa Fe Springs, Calif(20 miles south of L.A.) before they moved to Sedalia MO. |
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If you have an old Colt(colt Army 1894) it is in Colt 38 long colt! While it is made to shoot a 38 long colt it i'll also chamber a .38 special,and even a .357 mag!!
But you wouldn't want to shoot either one in it! The same goes for the .38 special! So gun makers decided to make the .357 mag case a little longer so that that mistake can not happen! .357 is the bullet diameter(not .38) shooting a .38 special out of a Colt Trooper four inch barell at 100 yards you wait for the bullet to hit! With the .357 mag bullet it hits as you fire it! The real difference is just the same as a 40 S&W against a hot 10 mil!~ So if you are not fireing at 100 yards a .38 special+p is maybe bad medicine! But if you have a .357 Mag then it is all bads medicene! So bottom line if you have a .357 Mag you have all it needs to be bad medicine! Not that .38 special won't make you sick,just that .357 is bad medicine!! A 10 mil is just a mix of .45 acp and .357 bad medicine~! Bob |
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Here's a 357 Mag load that will get your attention.
357 MAGNUM CASE: WINCHESTER BBL: 10" PR: WINCHESTER SPM 125 GR. HDY XTP COL: 1.590" H110 22.0 1966 FPS 41,400 CUP From here, Hodgdon 357 Mag reloading data |
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I know I said the word bad medicine too many times ,but indeed is that not what it is?
Very often a shell to bullet size is just perfect the 45/70.the 22 long riffle,and the .357 mag come to mind!~ And I'll bet all of those three have killed more game(not people) than most other rounds here in the Americas(with exception of the 30/30) which is the Essqisite deer round of past years! Acadimy Sporting goods had them on sale(150 grn and 180 grn) nine dollars a box! I bought ten!!! Bob |
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Yes I keep my .357 mag loaded with 110 grain JHP same Veloc as an M1 Carbine!!!
Only six shots but its not my primary weapon!! Bob |
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Reeeeally? So, unlike any other gun, which have differences of around .008", you're saying that .38's have a .023" difference, meaning the rifling is about 3 times deeper? Also, how are .357 bullets even gripped by the .357" lands? I think you might want to reconsider your theory. -Troy |
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Yeah 357 will fit in a 38. But you have to cut the bullets off shorter. And sometime you still have to hammer on the cylinder to get it closed. he
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I stand corrected. I've read to many gun magazine articles. |
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What is happening My replica Colt Navy .36 is actually a .38 since it uses .375 balls!! So, a .38 Special should really be a .36 Special and my .36 Navy should actually be a .38 Navy!! Even with this new nomenclature, the .357 is bigger than the .36 Special although it is the same diameter!
Sounds like a Kerry speech! wganz ¶ |
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Actually (and also assuming this is a serious thread – though I’m still not convinced!) I was under the impression that the .41 Magnum predated the .41 Special. |
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The naming of cartridges in the BP era was much simpler. You know 45-70 45 cal, 70 grs of bp by volume, 38-40, 38-55, 44-40 and so on. You know like the 30-30 which has always been a smokeless round and was never made in bp. And of course different manufacturer used different tapers for cartridges so 40-65 Marlin may or may not be identical to a 40-65 Remington which may or may not be identical 40-65 Winchester. And the "38" caliber bp rifle cartridges fire a .375 bullet.
See a piece of cake, unless you want to delve into the Sharps family where you had Sharp's in both straight and bottlenecked cases of the same capacity. |
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The 38-40 uses a .40 not .38 caliber bullet. |
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Now from what I heard on American Shooter today.... thus starting the post was that the CASE was .38 even though the bullet was .357. It is the same thing with the 357 round... Measure the case... you will see.
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What about .38 Special +P ammo? Is it a way to make .38 special closer to .357 Magnum in its "punch"?
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Kind of. The +P designation indicates that it is loaded to higher pressures than the max SAAMI spec allows for standard .38Spl, and should only be used in guns rated for +P ammo. Many older .38Spls will not hold up to a diet of +Ps. .357Mag is loaded to much higher pressures than .38Spl +P, and is longer to prevent it from being accidentally chambered in a .38. -Troy |
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