I do not know if the cylinder is longer, but the 1/10 inch difference in cartridge length is intended to prevent chambering a .357 in a gun that is not designed for the pressure. Putting a .357 cylinder in a .38 gun would remove that safety feature.
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Gotcha, thanks guys. If you cant tell i grew up on plastic wonder 9s
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Well, the 357 cylinder is dealing with the primary issue with a 38 spl gun. the other factor is the frame. its unlikely the gun would fail catastrophically, but may loosen up quicker than it would otherwise.
Theres been much discussion of the K frame guns and the difference between the 38 and 357s. Its been stated by people with factory connections that at some point in the making of 357s on the K frames, they ended up just using the same steel and heat treatment. The first 357s that became the model 13 were made on model 10-6 frames. I have no idea if the J frames have the same situation, Id first guess no, but, who knows? They do make 357 Js. In any event, a recent 38 cal j frame with an actual 357 cylinder would fire them OK, the question is how long would the frame stay in spec? I wouldnt try it in an alloy J though.
I did just measure things, but might better state some things about this whole deal, primarily that nobody, especially me, was talking about doing this with the intent of turning a 38 gun into a 357, but I can see how some might draw this conclusion. 357 cartridges are longer just to prevent them from being used in a 38 gun, and doing this swap would obviously create a situation where that could be done. Some folks have done this to create a lighter combination in 38, knowing that this saves a few ounces and creates some options that the factory either never made or quit making.
That said, I did measure two of mine and confirmed the lengths are the same. But.... big surprise, the Ti cylinder is larger in diameter. It is only a few thousandths, but it is enough that it does not fit well in my new Harry's Icon holster. This was a surprise to me, and it has always fit nicely in my DSG holster.
Speaking of the OP, I picked up some speedloaders to keep the 43c noisy.
http://instagram.com/p/By-MdbOABC3/