.38 vs .357 brass, when loaded .38 special

[Goodcat]

I have a lot of brass that was reloaded (twice fired) by someone else and is empty now. The brass is mixed headstamp and half and half marked .38 special / .357 magnum.

They are all the exact same length, is it safe to assume the .357 brass was trimmed down in length, and these are now all inheritantly .38 special cases regardless of headstamp?

 

[Robert Richardson]

I think you are correct. 357 cases are approx .135 longer.

 

[gungirl65]

I bought both kinds of bullets over the weekend so I have them handy. The 357 cases are a little longer than the 38 special.

 

[Aszerigan]

I have a lot of brass that was reloaded (twice fired) by someone else and is empty now. The brass is mixed headstamp and half and half marked .38 special / .357 magnum.

They are all the exact same length, is it safe to assume the .357 brass was trimmed down in length, and these are now all inheritantly .38 special cases regardless of headstamp?

So, someone took a .357 Mag case and trimmed it to .38 Special? Just making sure I'm not lost here.

If they're different length cases, then the load data is going to differ. Powder burns at the correct rate when it's under the correct amount of compression. If you take .38 load data and load a .357 case with it, then you're changing the dynamics of the powder, and are much more likely to have inconsistent ignitions, lodged bullets, and other bad things.

If they're micrometer'ed to the same length, then regardless of the headstamp, they can be loaded to .38 special pressures (assuming they're trimmed to the correct length).

 

[Leo]

Thankfully, no one is talking about putting magnum loads in cases marked .38 spl. I've seen that done before. With good clean .38 spl brass only costing 4 to 8 cents each and the fact they will easily last for a dozen reloads, why mess around making .38 cases out of .357? Too much bother and too confusing to be worth the hassle.

Anytime you are loading differently than is marked on the headstamp, you are inviting problems, sometime dangerous conditions. With wildcat cartridges it is hard to avoid, so you have to be extra careful. For common calibers I would not chance it.
If you need some .38 brass, drop me a PM

 

[billybob44]

.357 Brass trimmed to .38 Spl. length??

1. .38 Special Average case length=1.150"
2. .357 Mag. Average case length=1.285"

IMO, if your .38/.357 head-stamped cases are all around 1.150", I would sort out the .357 Mag. cases+throw away.
As said in this post, .357 load data in a .38 length case can drive up pressure in the case.
I own "Several" revolvers in each caliber+have gotten to where I do NOT shoot any .38 Special loads in any of my .357 Mag. guns.
The shorter cases (In a Mag. cyl.) will leave a carbon ring that is a pain in the Arse to remove.
Both (.38 Spl.+.357 Mag.) cases are in good supply+it doesn't make sense to me to substitute for, IMO.
It may pay for you to recheck your case length (with a dial caliper/mic.) and see exactly what you have. It's quite a bit of work to cut .135" off of .357Mag. cases (In Bulk), when .38Spl. cases are so available?? Just my 2 cents worth..Bill.

 

[Goodcat]

Wow, I feel like a big dummy! I just got out the box of crap and went through it all. It was an assortment of .38 special, +p, and +p+. No .357, which explains why they are all the same. I should have double checked before posting from memory, sorry for any confusion this caused guys and thanks for your help!

 

[billybob44]

It's GREAT to learn....

No problem, goodcat.. I love to learn everyday..I even had to pull out my Hornady Load book to get the specs!! I KNEW the .38 Spl. cases were about 1/10" shorter--HAD to pull the book out to get the exact specs...As Aszerigan says "Always Learning"..Bill.

 

[Goodcat]

I had .357 mag cases separated in a bag near them, somehow thought I had seen the .357 cases mixed in. Ha! Any idea on value ratio for .38 special vs .357 mag brass. Might trade these off to load only .357 when I start.

 

[Leo]

Good .357 mag cases bring about twice the price of good .38 cases.