can i load a 357 mag load in a 38 s&w special ctg?

Answer 1

"Can you load a .357 Magnum load in a .38 S&W Spl. case?"
YES, you can, but it isn't the wisest thing to do,and DO NOT shoot them in a .38Spl. revolver! ! ! !
I did this years ago, to get around a stupid regulation when working private security, which allowed no pistol larger than a .38, BUT, asininely, DID allow the use of 12ga. SHOTGUNS!
I used mil.-surplus brass cases, and only fired them in .357 Mag. pistols. Nor would I load them for anyone else, no matter how much was offered.

Answer 2

Yes, you can put up most .357 Magnum loads in .38 brass. I've often done it over the years, but gave it up long ago.

If you have handguns chambered for both .38 SPL and .357 Magnum, putting magnum loads in special brass is just asking for trouble.

Don't believe it can be a problem? A friend used to load his .454 Casull loads in .45 LC brass. One day a few years ago, he was shooting with his soon to be son-in-law. The son-in-law loaded a Great Western SAA-copy and handed it to Frank. The top three chambers of the cylinder blew away, and the top strap folded back and cut Frank's hand. Luckily, neither Frank nor his son-in-law-to-be were severely injured. After the bandage came off, Frank disassembled every .454 load in .45 LC brass that he had on hand, and he no longer uses .45 LC brass to load his heavy Casull loads. You are not highly likely to blow up a .38 with any reasonable .357 Magnum load, but you can damage the gun, and you WILL greatly accelerate wear.

Brass it way too cheap to risk damaging a gun or injuring yourself.

Doc

Answer 3

Nope. it won't fit. Even though the .357 Magnum cartridge is just a lengthened .38 Special, you cannot fire the .357 cartridge in a gun chambered for the .38 Special. You could exceed the design specifications for the gun resulting in it blowing up in your hand. Becides, the .357 magnum round won't fit into the chamber of a gun that is chambered for the .38 Special.

You can safely do it the other way aaround, though. A .38 Special round can ge safely fired in a gun chambered for the .357 magnum round. This is often done wnen the shooter wants to practice with his gun but doesn't want to fight the greater recoil of the .357.

Answer 4

Knew a guy who tried it--after all he was shooting them in a .357 revolver. He blamed the shop for selling him defective brass. Every one of them split; and though no one ever saw it he claimed it messed up his revolver too. So you can get a .357 size load of some powders into .38 Special brass, but only if you don't value your firearm or your hands.

Answer 5

An N-frame S&W revolver (like a .38SPL Heavy Duty model or a Model 26 Outdoorsman -both long discontinued) could handle very hot loads in .38SPL. The problem is that the case that the .38SPL uses is not as thick as the case used on a .357Magnum. You would rupture a case and cause a potentional chamber blow-out. The extra length of a magnum casing is just to prevent you from placing a magnum shell in a non-magnum chamber.

Answer 6

As the question stands....what Boker said.

Could you define what you mean by 'load'.....do you want to pack a .38 Special with a lot more powder?

Answer 7

In 38 Spl cases? Yes, but you will blow up the ,38 spl. gun and just might kill yourself doing it.

Answer 8

NO. You can put a 38 into a .357 but not the other way around . We're talkin' instant death here - don't do it!

Answer 9

Absolutely not= NO.*

Answer 10

Projectile yes, powder no.Primer no.brass no. so... NO.