If you think shooting 38spl and 357mag is different, I believe you are very likely mistaken.
I have J frame and K frame 357mag wheel guns that I love to shoot. I love them so much that I shoot more 38 spl than 357mag in them. A 357mag really rattles those frames damn hard. The pressure and shock wave looks for the single weakest point of steel every single time.
Same story here shooting +P for the S&W J frames. You can't shoot 357mag at all in many of the J frame pistols. The cartridge wouldn't fit, thank god. But +P ammo (maybe 20% greater fps) can easily reach velocities of many 357mag factory loads.
In numbers using a 158g bullet for both calibers and a 6" barrel, I have clocked cartridges called 38spl from 700fps to 1200fps. I have clocked cartridges called 357mag from 800fps all the out to 1500fps. What those numbers show is that the fps overlap of the two calibers starts at 800 and goes out to 1200. The two cartridges have two different lengths, but their performance seems exactly the same at throwing a 158g bullet downrange at from 800 - 1200 fps.
So be cautious about using terms like 38 spl, 357mag, and +P. As you can see above, those all have fuzzy definitions.
If you like shooting fast, heavy loads, then move up to an L frame or the awesome N frames. I have a model 28 highway patrolman that I can't even imagine the huge round count it would take to stress that beast.
I love the K frame model 10s. I shoot target 38spl (800fps) in mine for all day shooting with friends. She purrs like a pussycat. Great Fun. At the end of the day, I put defensive hollow point +P (1100fps ) for the last cylinder or two to make sure I train with what I defensive carry. That's when she turns into a hellcat hitting my palm like a baseball bat. Great Training. Shooting double action with good trigger control can be challenging, but there is no skill more rewarding. If you train double action, single action seems like cheating. Train with weak 38spl at 700fps until you are comfortable and then move to
800 and then in stages all the way up to 1500fps.
I love these calibers. I just wish I knew what they were?
I have J frame and K frame 357mag wheel guns that I love to shoot. I love them so much that I shoot more 38 spl than 357mag in them. A 357mag really rattles those frames damn hard. The pressure and shock wave looks for the single weakest point of steel every single time.
Same story here shooting +P for the S&W J frames. You can't shoot 357mag at all in many of the J frame pistols. The cartridge wouldn't fit, thank god. But +P ammo (maybe 20% greater fps) can easily reach velocities of many 357mag factory loads.
In numbers using a 158g bullet for both calibers and a 6" barrel, I have clocked cartridges called 38spl from 700fps to 1200fps. I have clocked cartridges called 357mag from 800fps all the out to 1500fps. What those numbers show is that the fps overlap of the two calibers starts at 800 and goes out to 1200. The two cartridges have two different lengths, but their performance seems exactly the same at throwing a 158g bullet downrange at from 800 - 1200 fps.
So be cautious about using terms like 38 spl, 357mag, and +P. As you can see above, those all have fuzzy definitions.
If you like shooting fast, heavy loads, then move up to an L frame or the awesome N frames. I have a model 28 highway patrolman that I can't even imagine the huge round count it would take to stress that beast.
I love the K frame model 10s. I shoot target 38spl (800fps) in mine for all day shooting with friends. She purrs like a pussycat. Great Fun. At the end of the day, I put defensive hollow point +P (1100fps ) for the last cylinder or two to make sure I train with what I defensive carry. That's when she turns into a hellcat hitting my palm like a baseball bat. Great Training. Shooting double action with good trigger control can be challenging, but there is no skill more rewarding. If you train double action, single action seems like cheating. Train with weak 38spl at 700fps until you are comfortable and then move to
800 and then in stages all the way up to 1500fps.
I love these calibers. I just wish I knew what they were?