LCR in .38 Special or .357 Magnum?

[TGS]

Color me obtuse, but given the above discssion, and DocGKR's very detailed link, If I wanted a lightweight, fielded, effective BUG, I'd personally choose one of the Glock subcompacts-probably the G26 in 9mm, or, if I wanted closet to .357 Magnum performance, I'd go with using something like Winchester 127gr +P+ cartridges in the G26, or by going with a G33 in .357 SIG.

I'm no expert, but I believe that tests have demonstrated significant issues arising with the ultra-lightweight S&W snubs, along the lines of the transmitted recoil impulse wrenching bullets from the cartridge casing, essentially tying up the gun after the first round.

Don't get me wrong; I like revolvers, but my interest level is for those with 3-4 inch barrels, and I'm unlikely to prefer a revolver for back-up use. As an earlier poster recommended, I think it makes a tremendous amount of sense to stick with the same platform for both primary and back-up guns.

Best, Jon

Jumping the crimp is only a problem with extremely lightweight guns using specific bullets with light crimps.

[Long tom coffin]

Long Tom,

Thanks for the insight from the Ruger discussion. What would you say then about gettng the LCR .357, but only firing .38 +P through it?

From my own personal experience? I liked the .357 LCR better. It was heavier in the pocket but on the range, my follow up shots were definitely faster. The shot timer doesn't lie.


I would also, highly recommend a set of CT laser grips. If you can't afford them up front, save for them, buy them off someone at someplace like M4C, or do whatever else you have to to get them. They are a nice addition on most guns, but IMHO they are golden on BUG's like LCR's or
J frames. I will never own a small revolver with out CT grips on it, ever again.

[Long tom coffin]

all revolvers have gas leakage after the bullet leaves the chamber and passes through the forcing cone.

the mechanical disadvantage of firing shorter cartridges through a revolver cylinder is the longer distance the bullet jumps,("Bullet Jump" being the term for uncontrolled bullet acceleration before the rifling is engaged.)

Unless your revolver is suffering from excessive endshake, then yes, a nominal amount of gases and particulates will escape from the gap between the cylinder and the forcing cone. But these amounts are minute and really have no effect on bullet performance. Again, that's provided your endshake isn't excessive.

However, that's not what I was referring too.

When the .357 was designed, it was designed around certain bullet weights and commonly accepted barrel lengths. The charge load inside the casing was optimized to work within these parameters, and to a certain extent this is still the case today. The shorter your barrel, the less time the charge has to burn while propelling the bullet inside the barrel, and the more of it will escape out the front of the barrel as the bullet escapes. If you are looking for a examples, go get a hot 125 gr round and shoot it out of a snub. For your hand's sake, I would recommend and SP101. Witness the massive barn burning fireball at the end of your barrel. Then fire that same round out of a 5-6" barrel and witness the lack of same.

The corollary to that is since the gas spends less time propelling the bullet inside the barrel and spends more time escaping out the barrel end, you will see drastically decreased ballistic performance and velocities. In the case of the aforementioned 125 gr out of a 2" or less barrel, we are talking about a significant loss of fps.

[MadMax17]

From my own personal experience? I liked the .357 LCR better. It was heavier in the pocket but on the range, my follow up shots were definitely faster. The shot timer doesn't lie.


I would also, highly recommend a set of CT laser grips. If you can't afford them up front, save for them, buy them off someone at someplace like M4C, or do whatever else you have to to get them. They are a nice addition on most guns, but IMHO they are golden on BUG's like LCR's or
J frames. I will never own a small revolver with out CT grips on it, ever again.

Yeah, I went with the .357 model and got CT laser grips and am very happy with it. I figured the Hogue Tamer grips were so essential in keeping the lighter .38 special version shootable, by my taking them off and adding the CT grips (non-negotioable), I was entering hand-cannon realm. I've been extremely happy firing .38 out of the .357, and actually enjoy the weight increase.

[Long tom coffin]

Yeah, I went with the .357 model and got CT laser grips and am very happy with it. I figured the Hogue Tamer grips were so essential in keeping the lighter .38 special version shootable, by my taking them off and adding the CT grips (non-negotioable), I was entering hand-cannon realm. I've been extremely happy firing .38 out of the .357, and actually enjoy the weight increase.

I would concur with all of the above. When I first got my LCR, just for S&G I loaded it up with some 158 gr .357 ball I had laying around (magtech, I think), and fire it with the hogues on. I was actually surprised with it. You definitely know you have just set off a .357, but it wasn't the kind of agony inducing experience I thought it would be. I wouldn't call it pleasant, but it wasn't horrific either. Still, not something I would do on a regular basis. Hogues may be fugly, but they are undeniably effective. I have a hogue on my SP101 and I can put Buffalo Bore through that without problem. I later tried the same stunt while I had the CT's on, and the results were significantly different; more along the lines of "I just got hit on the hand with a hammer". Still, I have found the 135 GD's I load it with to be very pleasant to shoot with the CT's on. The LCR is a very ergonomic little revolver. I wish ruger would spend more time putting out crafty stuff like that as opposed to 1911 knock offs.

[MadMax17]

I would concur with all of the above. When I first got my LCR, just for S&G I loaded it up with some 158 gr .357 ball I had laying around (magtech, I think), and fire it with the hogues on. I was actually surprised with it. You definitely know you have just set off a .357, but it wasn't the kind of agony inducing experience I thought it would be. I wouldn't call it pleasant, but it wasn't horrific either. Still, not something I would do on a regular basis. Hogues may be fugly, but they are undeniably effective. I have a hogue on my SP101 and I can put Buffalo Bore through that without problem. I later tried the same stunt while I had the CT's on, and the results were significantly different; more along the lines of "I just got hit on the hand with a hammer". Still, I have found the 135 GD's I load it with to be very pleasant to shoot with the CT's on. The LCR is a very ergonomic little revolver. I wish ruger would spend more time putting out crafty stuff like that as opposed to 1911 knock offs.

Where do you find the Speer 135 gr GD's? I've been unable to find any, so I've been using Cor-Bon 110 Gr. DPX...