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valleyforge.1777 · June 4, 2012, 11:51 AM

I'm the guy who was determined to load 38 Special cases beyond the 38+P pressure loads to fire them from 357/38 lever rifles. Thanks for doing the case sectioning. It proves what a lot of people have stated without proof, that is, that 357 cases are indeed made stronger than 38 Special cases. Left unproven is whether the design differences matter, but I will leave that question un-tested. I am now convinced, thanks to your work, that I should NOT load my 38 cases beyond 38+P pressures.

I can tell you that many commercial reloaders, including Georgia Arms and HSM amongst others, do not separate out the 38 from the 38+P cases when they reload them. I have a few thousand 38+P cases that were loaded with 38 Special loads by those reloaders. When I asked another commercial reloader if I needed to separate the 38+P cases from the 38's in brass I was going to send in for brass credit, I was specifically told not to separate them. I can see differences in the 38 Special and 38+P cases you sectioned, but apparently they are not significant to the commercial reloaders.

Thanks for doing this work. It probably saved my life.

June 4, 2012, 11:51 AM	#2
valleyforge.1777 Senior Member Join Date: June 2, 2011 Posts: 177	I'm the guy who was determined to load 38 Special cases beyond the 38+P pressure loads to fire them from 357/38 lever rifles. Thanks for doing the case sectioning. It proves what a lot of people have stated without proof, that is, that 357 cases are indeed made stronger than 38 Special cases. Left unproven is whether the design differences matter, but I will leave that question un-tested. I am now convinced, thanks to your work, that I should NOT load my 38 cases beyond 38+P pressures. I can tell you that many commercial reloaders, including Georgia Arms and HSM amongst others, do not separate out the 38 from the 38+P cases when they reload them. I have a few thousand 38+P cases that were loaded with 38 Special loads by those reloaders. When I asked another commercial reloader if I needed to separate the 38+P cases from the 38's in brass I was going to send in for brass credit, I was specifically told not to separate them. I can see differences in the 38 Special and 38+P cases you sectioned, but apparently they are not significant to the commercial reloaders. Thanks for doing this work. It probably saved my life.