.357 Magnum/.38 Special

[jkrijt]

I heard some people at my local gunshop complaining about .38 Special in a Winchester designed for .357 Magnum/.38 Special.
How does the Henry Big Boy in .357 Magnum/.38 Special handle .38 Special cartidges ?

[Mistered]

It is going to come down to the individual rifle as to how well it will handle .38 Special.
My Henry BBB cycles both equally as well.
A former Winchester I owned actually cycled .38 BETTER than .357 - but the Winchester has its own 'built in' issues that are problematic for either of these rounds.

[Vaquero]

I have a Rossi M92, it cycles and shoots both well.
I just shoot the 357's mostly but have run some 38's a few times.

RP

[JEBar]

our Henry BBS H012M chambers and fires both 357 Mag & 38 Spl equally .... that said, we will not fire 38 Spl cases in our 357 rifle/revolvers .... we will, without hesitation, fire 357 cases loaded to 38 Spl specs .... the reason has to do with residue build up in the chamber ....

[North Country Gal]

.... that said, we will not fire 38 Spl cases in our 357 rifle/revolvers .... we will, without hesitation, fire 357 cases loaded to 38 Spl specs .... the reason has to do with residue build up in the chamber ....

Plus one on this, at least in the 357s I prize. When I want to shoot 38s, I shoot them in a gun specifically chambered for 38s. Also an accuracy issue, too. My husband, on the other hand, does shoot 38s in his S&W 357, but it does get cleaned after every use.

[Old Syko]

Chamber ringing can be a major issue even with proper cleaning afterward but it may take a few thousand rounds for it to become evident.

[Mistered]

but it may take a few thousand rounds for it to become evident.

Yep - been shooting .38s out of .357 guns for years with no issues.
Standard, timely cleaning and no problems.

[Ojaileveraction]

we will, without hesitation, fire 357 cases loaded to 38 Spl specs

Practicality, what does that mean?
Just the OAL different?
I'm serious.
Not being a smart guy.

[JEBar]

we will, without hesitation, fire 357 cases loaded to 38 Spl specs

Practicality, what does that mean?
Just the OAL different?
I'm serious.
Not being a smart guy.

since we use the same bullets for both, outside of powder and charge, the OAL is the significant difference ....

[Old Syko]

but it may take a few thousand rounds for it to become evident.

Yep - been shooting .38s out of .357 guns for years with no issues.
Standard, timely cleaning and no problems.

Just so there's no misunderstanding, chamber ringing isn't a result of improper cleaning but an issue with gas cutting. The model 19 Smiths that were used as carry weapons and heavily used when LE still carried revolvers were extremely susceptible for some reason.