I've begun reloading for my Ruger SP101, and have about 400 brand new cases of 357 mag to get started with ... but I also have 500 once-fired 38 sp cases.

I was thinking of trading in the 38 sp cases for as many 357 cases as I could negotiate, thinking it is best to just use full length cases in my chamber. I thought I could always just load down the 357 cases to a good practice / range fodder load. BUT, I have a couple friends saying just to use the 38 specials.

Any thoughts on the matter would be appreciated before I stuff any of the 38's

I own a Ruger LCR, Blackhawk, GP-100, and 77/357 as well as a Marlin 1894C, all chambered for 38 special/357 mag. I reload from .38 special loads all the way to max magnum loads with 180 grain bullets, all in .357 cases. I find it easier to keep my die adjustments as simple as possible using .357 cases.

Being stuck with Indiana firearm restriction on deer hunting I use this caliber for deer hunting. With the right reload it is a deer slaying round, with some range restriction.

Thank you ... seems to make sense for consistency of bullet seating as well as just about everything else ... just easier overall.

Any further comments appreciated from all who have an opinion.

Or you can go 1 or 2 other ways. First you can get another bullet seating die and set it up for the 38s. (the flaring die is a cinch to adjust between the two) or you can simply set your dies up for the 38s and get a .135 spacer from Midwayusa.com so you can load 357s without adjusting the dies. I personally have 2 set of dies.

Is there any concern about the shorter 38 sp case and exposed .135 of bullet allowing for more lead or plating to "scrape off" on the chamber edge?

Having never approached this before it crossed my mind, but I have no experience with it to know one way or the other.

If your wheel gun is in time you won't have that problem (well, serious problem as ALL wheel guns have a little scrape off when jumping from chamber to barrel) unless you have some "tilt" in your loads. I used to shoot .38sp out of my .357 Colt Python all the time for practice (still kicking myself in the butt for selling that damn pistol) and the only time I ever had serious scraping was when I didn't seat the bullet dead straight. I don't practice a whole heck of a lot with my current .357 since I don't hunt with it all that often and the only loads in .38sp I load currently are for my wife's little Lady Smith.

My 1894c manual states that shooting .38 special will do such a thing in a lever action after many rounds. The issue is lead build up in the chamber, in that extra .135 gap between the case and the lands. It can lead to jamming issues when shooting .357 magnum rounds. I have seen this happen.

Revolvers are built differently and I think there wouldn't be a problem here since you would know if there was an issue. You wouldn't be able to load or spin the cylinder if the same issue occured. And I never seen this happen.

I have used .38 Special cases in a .357 revolver. It works OK. No problems at all other than cleaning the crud out of the chambers from firing a shorter cartridge. I always use jacketed or plated bullets and do not shoot lead bullets unless it is necessary. You will probably want to clean the chambers well with a good brush after shooting a bunch of .38 rounds to make your longer .357 cases easier to load.

To avoid cleaning out the ring of crud I do not shoot the shorter cases in .357 or .44 revolvers anymore.

Thanks for all the replies and info. This helps me in my initial decision.

I'm gonna just stick with 357 cases for all loads. I'll make my best swap deal with somebody that wants to gain 38 sp cases and get rid of some 357 cases.

Thanks folks for the background experience I needed.

The nice part about a turret press is that I can keep multiple sets of dies loaded in their own turrets with the proper seating depth and crimp position for respective loads.

I don't like chamber rings - I load 38spcl level loads in 357mag cases for my wife. The only downside is that it wastes 5-10% extra powder, since the case is larger.