Using .38 brass to load weak .357 Mag power levels

[reddog81]

I’d still expect 20+ reloads depending on how hot they end up being. I’ve loads up some real hot +P loads in 38 Special cases. I put a red X on the case head with a sharpie along with extra notes on the container.

[TruthTellers]

Originally Posted by buck460XVR

This is a question that comes up regularly on these types of forums. Truth is, the brass will take it, and the gun will take it, all long as one keeps the pressures within the parameters of .357. Thing is, why? Oh yeah, free brass.

As others have said, once fired .357 brass is not that expensive and readily available. One can label their ammo boxes all they want, but other folks are only gonna pay attention to the headstamp. What are the odds of those hot loaded .38 specials making it into a .38? Probably minimal, at worst. Still, why take that risk? Oh yeah.....free brass.

IMHO, I would load it to tested and published .38 special levels and shoot it. What one is going to gain by trying to get a few FPS more out of it, by guessing, is moot. Want legitimate .357 magnum loads, you are going to need .357 brass anyway.....kinda why they make it.

Still, your choice. As I said, the brass ain't the weak spot.

500 pcs to 1000 pcs or even more is a fair amount of money saved.

I'm not looking to do this for every single case tho and I can't say that I'm intended to load hundreds of rounds of .357 pressure level .38 brass as I have about 100 cases of .357 brass on hand. I intend to grab as much .357 brass as I can get for free and maybe I'll reach a point where I have hundreds of cases of that and won't bother loading .38 like .357 any longer.

But there's no guarantee that I'll find any .357 brass.

As for what other people find after I'm gone... hey if they didn't listen to me when I was alive, they won't when I'm dead and they can pay the price for it.

[res45]

Originally Posted by gwpercle

There is a Lyman bullet mould that was designed to do just what you are talking about .
Lyman # 358156 GC . It is a 155 grain SWC , gas check design , with two crimp grooves .
The lower crimp groove is for loading 357 magnum loads in 38 special cases . It gives the same case volume as a 357 mag. case . the gas check helps with leading at higher velocities .
Want to load 38 special cases and loads ...just use the top crimp groove .
Although Lyman has discontinued a lot of good designs they still stocks this mould .
They even carry it in a hollow point version to boot !
It was the first one I ever bought , Skeeter Skelton liked it , I had buckets of 38 brass and a 357 Ruger Blackhawk to feed .
Gary

A good read by Skeeter Skelton in Shooting Times http://www.darkcanyon.net/MyFriend_The357.htm

I have a NOE clone of the Lyman 358156 GC bullet, my mold will cast either the HP or the FN SWC version of that bullet and it's a great bullet in my Ruger BH in 357 Mag. I have no problems using the light to medium loads in 38 special brass with this bullet.