I think your focus on case length is what has colored your impressions and expectations. Parisite addressed the black powder versus smokeless powder issue and that is pretty much the reason for the case length. This is really important.
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Both sets of rounds were from the same manufacture and were both 158 grains - so how do they stuff so much more power into that 1/10th of an inch?
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The 357 was designed using smokeless powder and the increase in case length was done so that revolvers chambered for 38spl would not accept the longer case. Safety. The same approach has been done with some of the 44 caliber offerings and why you normally find 45 Colt loaded rather tamely in factory loadings.
There tends to be a lot of talk on the forum(s) about the 44 magnum and shooting it. Many, especially inexperienced shooters, seem to dismiss the 357 mag from a recoil point of view. But the 357 mag
IS actually a pretty powerful cartridge and one that you need to learn to handle the recoil when shooting it especially in the heavy bullet weights. 38spls tend to be loaded pretty tamely and the 357 mag loads tend to approach maximum loads relative to SAAMI pressures. I would assume that's market driven and the fact that you can shoot regular 38spl and 38spl +P's in the same 357 mag revolver, so you get tremendous variety.