9mm Steel cased or .38spl Reloads...

[bullfrog99]

I'm trying to decide between a 9mm and a .357. Considering the price of 9mm FMJ at around $150 per 1000, can the .38spl, be reloaded at standard pressure for less $$$ ? I don't have the equipment for casting at the moment, so all projectiles would have to be store bought.

[cdrt]

I prefer the .38 to the 9mm for reloading. Of course, when I was loading 9mm, it was for a Ruger P85 (that I have since sold). It only liked jacketed bullets; could not get any accuracy with lead bullets.

As for the .38, you can load it pretty cheaply. For instance, I use 2.7 grains of Bullseye and a 148 DEWC for practice loads in my Clark 1911 conversion, which means I can get way over 2,000 rounds out of one can of powder. For matches, I shoot a HBWC with 3.0 grains of BE. Works real well on the 50 yard line and is a killer on the 25 yard timed and rapid fire strings.

[Sevens]

Count my vote as a BIG one for the .38 special over the 9mm. Here are many reasons to support that vote:

• Buy a .357 revolver and you have the versatility of incredibly light .38 special wadcutters and lightning bolt .357 magnum bombers, and everything in between. All this through the same single revolver. A good S&W or Ruger for moderate cash, a slick Colt for big cash, or a solid, decent Taurus for small cash. And almost any of these (except for the Colt) will cost less than most new 9mm pistols.
• When reloading, chasing brass from an auto pistol is a monumental pain in the keister. Ask anyone who reloads! I can find my .45 fairly well because it's big, but my 10mm brass goes nearly as far from the pistol as the bullets do, and it's expensive and hard to find. As for 9mm, brass is horribly cheap, though... so it's not like you can't replace lost 9 brass cheaply, but just the same, you are picking up a lot of brass. With a .38/.357, you just dump your cylinder of fired brass in to your range box and that's it.
• When handloading for revolver, you needn't worry about bullet shape and crimp and feeding problems. You must crimp heavier loads that produce extreme recoil so the bullets don't jump in the other loaded rounds, but when loading for a semi-auto pistol, you need a solid crimp so the bullets don't get crushed in under the cycle action of the slide. And you need to find bullets that your pistol eats up reliably based on their shape. You can spend a LOT of money making a semi-auto pistol feed different types of ammo reliably.
• Again, you must also build loads up in power that function the slide properly... too light a load won't allow the pistol to function. In a revolver, as long as the bullet exits the barrel, it's going to function in the gun.
• Similarly, 9mm's typically eat up FMJ rounds easily, but can get hairy with lead bullets and different shapes. When handloading, jacketed and FMJ bullets are the most expensive, lead bullets are freakishly cheaper. And being that the bullet is the most expensive component of the reloaded round, the price you pay for your projectiles is really what determines how much you spend on reloads (and how much you save over factory ammo!)
• A good solid 4 or 6 inch revolver is a damn fine home defense tool. Simple and reliable for anyone who isn't very well versed and practiced with a semi-auto pistol. You can make the firepower/capacity argument, but many .357s are coming with 7-round capacity these days... 7 well placed rounds is typically quite sufficient for most threats. I look at the semi-auto pistol for defense as something to move to or upgrade to, not something to start with. I don't know your level of experience with handguns, but either way, I use this to support my argument for a good .357 revolver.

I think a 9mm is a fine pistol for range fun and even in some cases, defense purposes. (this is a BIG debate we don't really need to get into!) I have a 9 myself, but if the question is that I don't own any centerfire handguns and I want to buy my first one AND also handload for it, then I emphatically recommend a good solid 4 or 6 inch revolver in .357 Magnum. I can almost guarantee you will not regret such a purchase.

[Unclenick]

The .357 revolver is a much better learning platform for reloading, whether you use .38 Special cases (I never did) or .357 cases even for your target loads. It is more forgiving of errors than 9 mm. At the risk of stirring up a nest of hornets, the 9 mm +P+ Federal Hydrashock is the only 9 mm round that has developed a good stopping power reputation, while all .357 magnum loads seem to be effective stoppers. Even those who disagree will that last statement will admit the .357 outperforms the 9 mm, assuming similarly placed shots. Add to this that you can build .357 loads for hunting up to deer-size game, and that a revolver is safer for teaching others to shoot. It seems to me the .357 is clearly the more versatile of the two cartridges. The only place it would fall short in the revolver is in multiple target engagement speed, especially where multiple reloadings are required.