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Old December 30, 2004, 10:25 PM   #1
m0ntels
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Are 38 and 357 bullets the same?

I noticed the other day I have 158gr LWCs from MagTech, and one bag says 38sp and the other says 357. They have different part numbers, but they seem to be the same. Any reason they'd be labeled different? The 38's are called "cowboy" on the tag, but I dont see that making it special. I've used them interchangably before, but it's been nagging at me lately.

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Old December 30, 2004, 10:45 PM   #2
rwilson452
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38spl vs 357

Both bullets have the same diameter. you can even shoot 38 ammo in a 357 pistol. Manny people use 38 loads for practice in their 357. as the 357 has higher pressure and the 357 case was intentionally made longer you cannot load 357 loads in a 38. A lot of packaging on bullets will be marked 38/357 or some such.
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Old December 30, 2004, 10:47 PM   #3
tc300mag1
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yep there the same even for the higher end loads the bullets are the same.
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Old December 31, 2004, 12:04 AM   #4
m0ntels
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I figured they'd be the same, I just found it odd that the same company would label their bullets 2 different things. Thanks.

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Old December 31, 2004, 12:47 AM   #5
Leftoverdj
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Montels, my guess is that they are not the same, but you'd need a hardness tester to prove it. Lead bullets for the .38 Special need to be fairly soft and bullets for full house .357s need to be quite hard.

A rudimentary test is to put one of each nose to nose in a vise. Crank down on the vise. The softer bullet will deform far more.
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Old December 31, 2004, 04:51 AM   #6
SmokinTom
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38spl. lead bullets will run .358 to even .359 in diameter.Jacketed bullets run .357 to .3575 in diameter. Both can be used in either case.
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Old December 31, 2004, 04:04 PM   #7
Archie
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Size, yes. Shape, maybe...

Usually the 'cowboy' bullets are a round or rounded nose shape. They are a bit more 'authentic' in style and they function better in lever action rifles.

I'm not aware of any bullet casters who use different alloys for .38 Special use and .357 Magnum use (even if perhaps they should). For normal use at normal pressures, they are all pretty much interchangible, with appropriate loads, of course. I don't mean to say the different bullet weights are interchangible.
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Old January 1, 2005, 10:01 AM   #8
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oooh, hard

Most are the same, but not all; some manufacturers recognize the possibility of different impact velocity.

For 'play' it doesn't really matter, ay?

Hornady offer velocity-range data on their XTP line.
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