A 38 magnum loaded to 9 mm Para is called 357 magnum... all at 35,000 PSI.
The .135" in case length difference is there more to avoid loading a 357 in a 38 chamber than for performance purposes.
A 38 magnum loaded to 9 mm Para is called 357 magnum... all at 35,000 PSI.
The .135" in case length difference is there more to avoid loading a 357 in a 38 chamber than for performance purposes.
Years ago Corbon loaded a 115 gr Speer HP at 1300 FPS from a 4” revolver. Essentially a 9mm. I still have half a box around somewhere. You knew when these went off, they felt similar to a 110 gr magnum round.
The famous 110 grain +P+ Treasury loads were slower and had less felt recoil to me.
I find the Golden Saber 125 gr 357 magnum load to be quite pleasant to shoot as it’s sort of a minus P loading.
Winchester 38 Special +P+ (110) JHPOriginally Posted by Norville
Muzzle Velocity: 1155 (FPS)
Muzzle Energy: 326 (FT.LBS.)
Velocity: 990 ft/sec (302 m/s) nominal at 15 ft (4.6 m)
Fired in a S&W Model 15 revolver with 2 inch (5.1 cm) barrel
Energy: 239 ft-lb (324 joules)
Pressure: 23,500 psi max. average (1,621 bars)
http://winchesterle.com/PRODUCTS/HAN...RA38110HP.aspx
I carry the .357 every day. I'm fine with it.
I'm just curious why the same gun is capable of shooting 9mm but so limited in .38.
Are you sure it’s the same gun?
My understanding, which may be flawed (or my recall may be incorrect), is that S&W .357 Magnum and .38 Special revolvers may have similar dimensional specs, but the steel alloys and heat treating used are almost certainly not the same.
Older .38 Special revolvers may not have even had heat treated cylinders. And then there are all the EAA, Rossi, Charter, Taurus, Astra, and other .38 Special revolvers out there that will take standard pressure .38 Special use to at least the amount most users will apply without blowing up or major parts failure, but will wear out much more quickly with moderate +P use that won’t even begin to faze a S&W, Colt, Ruger, or Dan Wesson .38. Further, real hot loads starting with the .38/44 and then .357 were not ever intended to be used in standard .38 Special chambered guns, and still aren’t.
Last edited by Duelist; 04-22-2019 at 08:03 PM.
I wonder about going the other way. Rather than seek out a hot 38 +P+ what about a light loaded 357?
There are some 357 "short barrel" loads on the market but in many cases the 357 in a small defensive revolver is just plain impractical. It should be an easy deal to load something like a 125gr JHP to run about 1,200 fps from a 357 snub.
Essentially something that's hotter than 38 +P but not as hot as a full magnum. Something that's purpose built to duplicate 4" 9mm terminal performance but from a 2" barrel. I believe such a load would be easy to shoot and would be welcomed by the market in general.
Sent from my SM-G930P using Tapatalk
@Tokarev - Two such loads exist already: Speer's 135-grain Short Barrel Gold Dot and Remington's 125-grain Golden Sabre. Remington started this 20-30 years ago with a load using their 125-grain SJHP at ~1225 fps. IMO these are the best loads for adjustable-sighted K frames and they're easy to duplicate in terms of power factor in handloads.
Last edited by revchuck38; 04-23-2019 at 06:35 AM.
I'm sure you know this: if you don't want full power loads in 357 magnum, with heavy bullets; then the 9 mm Para is a much more efficient cartridge, specially in short barrels.
If you don't want rimless rounds in a revolver, there is (was?) the obscure 9 mm Federal rimmed
Federal has a low recoil Hydra Shok as well.
I think probably the best load on the market for a 357 Mag snubby is probably the Hornady 135gr Critical Defense. It turns out about 1,100 fps from a snub so the recoil isn't bad. And this load does about 15" in gel after the clothing barrier which should make it about ideal.
I'd be curious to see how Federal's new Hydra Shok Deep bullet would do if loaded to about the same muzzle velocity.
I do carry golden sabers in my m19 every day.
This question is just out of curiosity. 9mm k frames are a thing and I just want to know why 38s can't perform similarly.
Reply With Quote
