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Not to hijack the thread, but if 38's are so miserable in a 36, why do they work so well in a S&W 357?
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The .38 long colt and S&W both use a bullet diameter of .361
the .38 short colt was slightly smaller at .359
The .38 Special uses a .357 bullet.
My understanding is they used to measure caliber from groove to groove, but then changed it to the more accurate land to land and the 38 special kinda got caught partway through the process.
Well, actually all those rounds did. We are talking ".38" rounds that go into ".36" guns
Essentially you can use the same bullet diameter in loading both a .38 special or a .357 magnum cartridge.
The .357 magnum came after the change, hence why it is named a ".357"
Interestingly though, I believe one can load and safely fire .38 short or long colt from a .38 special chambered gun (or .357), but not a .38 S&W round.
That said, be really careful about older guns, there are some old .38's that will chamber a .357 magnum and "set it off". I say "set it off" rather than fire because it may be more likely to blow apart than to actually "shoot".