38 special 357 mag

I've been reloading rifle and shotgun for years but hardly any pistol I'm trying to figure out why there are so many bullets from .356 and .357 listed and are either of these safe for reloading 38 special or 357 mag thank you in advance I know with the amount of knowledge that this group has someone can help me

Usually the bullet size used for the 38 Spl or the .357 Mag is .357" Some people have used smaller sizes but I don't know what their results were. Just use the bullet the respective manufacturer recommends for the 38 Spl or the .357 Mag.

That's the beauty of these calibers....a lot of bullets to chose from for different uses.

I'm new to reloading 38/357 as well. I've only bought a couple of boxes of pills thus far. Both were .357.

.356" is a 9mm alternative size, which normally shoots .355". Berrys Bullets are this size in 9mm because they're plated and not jacketed. It's not uncommon in lead bullets to actually be 0.001" oversized compared to jacketed bullets.

38 Special/ 357 Mag bullets should be .357".

That said a 0.001-0.002" undersized bullet in a revolver shouldn't be an issue. It's been done before, accidentally and on purpose.

Depends on if they are lead, plated/bonded, or jacketed

cohunt said:

Depends on if they are lead, plated/bonded, or jacketed

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The bullets I'm looking at are 124gr jacketed no name bullets that .356 Dia. They're actually pulled bullets that are cheap to practice with

Are they sold as .356, or do they measure at .356?

Cause if these are pull downs it could just be manufacturing tolerances on .357 bullets. I think you'd be fine to use them, do the normal start low and work up loading thing, not that a 38 Special loaded to plink is exactly a fire breather

GUNNNN said:

The bullets I'm looking at are 124gr jacketed no name bullets that .356 Dia

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These are not for 38/357. They are undersize .

.357" jacketed or .358" lead or plated for 38/357 mag.

Ruger made a convertable revolver with 2 cylinders. 9mm luger and 357 magnum. Ok to shoot jacketed bullets, but not lead in 9mm/.356" diamter.

To load .356" bullets, a 9mm expander may be needed for good bullet hold? May depend on brass wall thickness used.

243winxb said:

These are not for 38/357. They are undersize .

.357" jacketed or .358" lead or plated for 38/357 mag.

Ruger made a convertable revolver with 2 cylinders. 9mm luger and 357 magnum. Ok to shoot jacketed bullets, but not lead in 9mm/.356" diamter.

To load .356" bullets, a 9mm expander may be needed for good bullet hold? May depend on brass wall thickness used.

Click to expand...

Thanks brother

I have loaded 9mm (.355/.356) in 357 mag without a noticeable drop in accuracy. All jacketed mind you, no lead. However, for my dual caliber (9mm/357) I find it better to just use the .357s for both.

You could always slug your bore so you'll know what the bore diameter is.

I would agree with Laguna Freak. It is nothing to slug the bore. In my mind if you want the best accuracy you will make your decision after you slug the bore. I have personally used bullets in my 38/357 ranging from .355 jacketed to .357 lead. Some are more accurate than others but most will shoot a lot more accurately than us mere mortals can hold off hand.
I would measure the bullets and not believe what is said on the box or the ad for the bullets. A little time spent with calipers or a micrometer will save you any consternation you may have about how to load the pulled bullets.

I carried a S&W Model 19 for years, A couple other models, Last was S&W Model 686, Before our department went semi- auto.
Done a lot or reloading and shooting. 38 spec. and 357 Mag.
My favorite 38/357 bullets was a Wad cutter 141 gr. and 150 gr. Keith style. I sized them with a .357 sizing die as I applied lube to the bullets. An old gunsmith/gun nut gave me a recipe for a lube that worked great, No leading even when driving rifle bullets to 2200 fps.
My play load in a 38 Special. was 141 gr. cast wad cutter. 3.2 (three and 2/10 Gr.) Bullseye, Remington primer. Shot very accurate in several pistols. I have loaded some150gr. Keith bullets with Unique powder in 38 spec. cases, Shot well too.

My 357 mag. load was 150gr. gr Keith flat nose cast bullet, With a load of Hercules Herco powder. Tried 2400 in my 4" barreled service pistol. 2400 would not burn clean in 4" barrel and find unburned powder on a sheet in front of pistol.

I need to find some newer powders and work up a load for the 150 cast bullets. My son got a Henry rifle in 357 Mag. Need to load some shells to play with in the Henry rifle.

LoneTraveler said:

My 357 mag. load was 150gr. gr Keith flat nose cast bullet, With a load of Hercules Herco powder. Tried 2400 in my 4" barreled service pistol. 2400 would not burn clean in 4" barrel and find unburned powder on a sheet in front of pistol.

I need to find some newer powders and work up a load for the 150 cast bullets. My son got a Henry rifle in 357 Mag. Need to load some shells to play with in the Henry rifle.

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I've been running 2400 in a 6" barrel shooting 158 gr pills. I never thought about hanging a sheet to see if I was getting a full burn.