Any need to ....

[rjohns94]

reload .38 special brass if you only have .357 firearms? I understand that supposedly it is cheaper to reload 38s but only in the amount of powder from what I can figure. Same bullets, same primers, nearly same amount of powder. Shooting the specials in a .357 requires extra attention to the chambers. The .357 can be loaded down so I loose nothing it seems.

I came to this question as I had forgot to seperate my 38s from my .357 brass before I put it in the tumbler and spent the last hour seperating brass. Would just make sense to only have .357 I'm thinking but perhaps I am missing something.

[bogus bill]

I own about 4 of each. I seldom shoot 357 but keep them in my carry guns. Seems I always shoot warm .38 reloads in all of them. Probley just because I accumilated so much 38 brass from practicing and requalifing at work many years ago. I think if we nit picked the idea MAYBE the same amount of powder in the shorter case should be slightly faster than in the longer case, but the differance probley wouldnt affect the course of our lives cost wise. What does make sense of course, is not haveing to worry about residude for shooting 38s in the 357s, but I havent worried about it.

[ceb]

Thats what I do. The only 38 I have is my little Smith snubby. I load a run for it every so often for practice and its easy to keep it separated. My .357 guns only see .357 loads from plinkin to huntin. Just easier that way for me.

[Chuck 100 yd]

I only use .357 brass in my .357 guns. There was a time I had a .38 also but that was in the before time, long long ago.
I gave away my .38 brass.

[Ysabel Kid]

Sell or trade the .38 Special brass for .357 Magnum brass!

[rjohns94]

thats what I will do. As soon as I get done cleaning and seperating I will. I have my last batch in the tumbler right now. I also located some 45 colt dies for my Dillon that I can get sell too.

[Buffboy]

I've been doing that for decades since I discovered that my Lee 357 dies would not crimp the case of a 38 special. At that time I only had 100 38Special cases and lots of 357 so I just loaded my plinking load in 357 cases.

That got me smart enough that when I bought my 44mag I got 44 special dies so I could load both but I never did that either.

I eventually got a set of used 38 dies at a show about 15/20 years ago so I "can" load 38s. I have found that I have only used them once since and that was to load for someone else.