Are the 357mag and the 38spl interchangeable rounds?

A pistol or rifle chambered in 357 mag can safely fire any 38 special round .
A pistol or rifle chambered in 38 specail CAN NOT safely fire a 357 mag rnd.
The 38 special is a shorter case loaded to a lower pressure
The differance between the to are the
38 spccial has a case length of 1.155" the 357 mag is 1.290"
In some 38 special guns a 357 mag may chamber but it is not safe to fire it !!

Johnch

Yes & No. As noted, you can fire 38Special (and +P) in a revolver chambered for 357Mag., BUT you can not use 357Mag. in a gun chambered for the 38Spec.

Its a safe and common practice to shoot 38 Special in the 357. It is a good idea however to clean the cylinder often to make sure there is no buildup in the front of each hole. If you don't then you may have trouble chambering 357 rounds.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I was under the impression that a .357Mag will not chamber in a .38Spec chamber, or at least the nose of the bullet would stick out and the cylinder wouldn't close. I've never heard of a non-revolver chambered in .38Spc, but even there were lever guns chambered in .38Spc I'd think that for safety reasons the chamber would be shallow enough so the .357Mag couldn't fit because it'd hit the throat of the chamber.

Mike

A S&W 52 is a 38 specal (wad cutter) auto.
Marlin made some 38 special only lever guns ( cowboy action )

I have a S&W model 10 that 125 gr 357 mag will chamber and the cylender will close and freely spin . Bought new by my uncle ,now mine , no work done to it.

That's a scary thought...wonder how many people tried their luck with those?

Mike