Some REALLY dumb questions!

[crashresidue]

Cheers people,

I've just started reloading for pistols.  I'm reloading .38Special for two .357Mag S&W wheel guns.  I bought a batch of .38 brass and both lead and jacketed bullets.

If I'm reloading the jacketed slugs, is there any reason that I can't load them to .357 performance?  I realize that I'll shorten the life of the brass, but will it cause any other problems?

Second question: with the tiny amount of powder used, why is the case so large?  Why can't the case be as small as a 9mm  or .380 and still function to produce the velocities?  Why the "wasted space"?  Is it because "smokeless" hyper-heats the air in the case to  propel the bullet?

Third, and last - for now, why use a "large" primer for such a small powder load?  I use "large" rifle primers for my Sharps (bp), and I understand why - but for the tiny loads in pistol cartridges - do you really need them?

Thanks - and "Warning, warning, Will Robinson" - I'll probably be back with more dumb questions.

Gentle winds,
cr

[Lloyd Smale]

if your a beginning loader first lesson you need to learn is ALLWAYS STICK TO LOADS IN THE MANUAL!!!! If your loading .38 brass load it to .38 levels as a matter of fact as a beginner i wouldnt even fool with +p loads. You can get into trouble with mixing ammo up and shooting it in a gun not capable and if you do make a mistake and double load and your allready shooting hot ammo your going to destroy your gun. Most pistol cartidges were designed back in the days of black powder and shortly after and they needed more space for the powders available then. No .357 or .38 uses large primmers they both use small primmers and if it was mag verus standard you were refering to rather then lg. ves sm. again i recomend you stick to what the reloading books tell you. Some powders need a mag primmer to ignite properly. I will repeat one thing STICK TO THE BOOKS dont even use the loads you get off this computer. Theres some real good advise here but you have to have some basic knowlege and experience to weed through and seperate this advise into good and bs. Oh did i tell you to STICK TO THE RELOADING MANUALS>

[crashresidue]

Cheers Lloyd,

I wasn't planning to "bump"` the load - I was just asking "why not?"

After seeing one of my crew (Nam) shoot an AK-47 with some captured ammo ( that was planted by the "sugar people") and have it explode in his face - I ain't interested in testing the relative strength of ANY firearm!

A .357 is a "large" gun - compared with a .38 - in strength, that is.  I was asking why I can't load a .38 caseing(sp?) to the same specs that a .357 is loaded.

I DO have a .38 in my inventory - but I shoot only commercial rounds in it -it's a home defense weapon, and I use "safety slugs" in it - ONLY!  It's a close neighborhood.  I don't need a neighbor having one of my rounds go through his house because I'm too rattled to get a good sight picture!

But - point taken!  READ THE BOOK - and abide by it!

Thanks - and Gentle winds.
cr

[New Hampshire]

All great advice so far.  To get specific..... the .357 has a thicker case web to take the higher pressure.  Even a .38 +p load does not come ANYWHERES near the preformance of high end .357 loads.  Besides, outside of defensive purposes the .38 +p is pointless.  Added muzzel flash, recoil and reduced case life are not worth it.
Also, most .357 Mag loads cal for regular small primers.  Ultra slow burning pistol powders like Win 296 are about the only instance when a Mag primer is needed.
Brian M.

[Vern Humphrey]

Cheers people,

I've just started reloading for pistols.  I'm reloading .38Special for two .357Mag S&W wheel guns.  I bought a batch of .38 brass and both lead and jacketed bullets.

If I'm reloading the jacketed slugs, is there any reason that I can't load them to .357 performance?  I realize that I'll shorten the life of the brass, but will it cause any other problems?

Not recommended.  Stick with the reloading manual.

You have no way of measuring pressure.  If you dump a .357-level powder charge into a .38 Special case and seat a bullet, the space in the case will be much less than if you were using .357 brass -- and that will kick pressures  through the roof.

Second question: with the tiny amount of powder used, why is the case so large?  Why can't the case be as small as a 9mm  or .380 and still function to produce the velocities?  Why the "wasted space"?  Is it because "smokeless" hyper-heats the air in the case to  propel the bullet?

The .38 Special is a stretched version of the .38 Long Colt, which is a stretched version of the .38 Short Colt.  The .38 Short Colt was a black powder round.  It was stretched to keep the newer, higher pressure cartridges from being used in the older, weaker revolvers (the same reason the .357 is longer than the .38 Special.)

Many early .38 Special loads were black powder as well.

Third, and last - for now, why use a "large" primer for such a small powder load?  I use "large" rifle primers for my Sharps (bp), and I understand why - but for the tiny loads in pistol cartridges - do you really need them?
cr

I'm not sure I understand this.  The .38 Special and the .357 Magnum are loaded with Small Pistol Primers.  Some early .357 brass was made for Large Pistol Primers, but there isn't much of that kicking around these days.

[Leftoverdj]

If I'm reloading the jacketed slugs, is there any reason that I can't load them to .357 performance?  I realize that I'll shorten the life of the brass, but will it cause any other problems?

You can, kinda, sorta. It usta be pretty common with cast. Lyman had a mould with two crimp grooves. By seating only to the rear groove, the usable volume of a .38 Special case approximated that of a .357 case and the loaded cartridge was too long to go in most .38 Special revolvers.

Second question: with the tiny amount of powder used, why is the case so large?  Why can't the case be as small as a 9mm  or .380 and still function to produce the velocities?  Why the "wasted space"?  Is it because "smokeless" hyper-heats the air in the case to  propel the bullet?

Mostly for the historical reasons already cited, but the larger case generates lower pressures for the same velocity. .38 Special has been around over a hundred years, and there are pistols that old still being shot. Many of those pistols would come plumb unglued if loaded to 9mm pressures.

Another reason is that you get better accuracy with near cylinder length brass. Less jump into the barrel. PPC shooters have custom pistols built with shortened cylinders and extended barrels for .38 Special WC only.  The Nagant revolvers carry this even further with cylinder length brass and a mechanism that moves the cylinder forward so that there is no room at all between the bullet and barrel at the moment of firing.

Third, and last - for now, why use a "large" primer for such a small powder load?

Been 40 years since I've seen a .357 case that took large pistol primers and those were old, then. If I ran into any, I'd junk them because they date back to the mercuric priming era. Over time, even traces of mercury can dangerously weaken brass. I'd be curious about the details of that brass. It's just remotely possible that someone did a modern run for some arcane reason.

Cartridges that are pocketed for different primers by different makers are not unknown.  The 7.62x39 can be found with both large and small primers.

[Paladin]

I hate  to tell this, but I feel a need to tell it. I was loading 357's for a friend who had a ruger service six. The load was a mag primer,14 grains of 296 and a 180 grain XTP. Yes I know this is a very hot load, but safe in a ruger. some how I got a hold of a box of 38 special instead of 357 and put the 357 load into the 38 cases. they shot excellent but they stuck in the cyl. needless to say I pulled the rest of the 38's and reloaded them with 231 and a 158 grain bullet.  conclusion- it's easy enough to screw up with out doing it intentionally. BE SAFE go by the book and use more than one for reference-good luck