Who Needs A .357 Anyway?

The .38 Special arrived in either 1899 or 1902 depending on which expert is correct. From the very beginning the standard load was a 158-gr. lead round nosed bullet at around 850 fps. This became the standard police load early in the 20th century, however by the 1920s it was obvious something heavier was needed. The new criminal of those times used the then high-tech semi-auto pistols, automatic rifles stolen from military installations and fast-moving cars.

To better provide for law enforcement, S&W took their heavy frame .44 Special, fitted it with a .38 Special barrel and cylinder and the .38/44 Heavy Duty sixgun was born. Ammunition provided included a 200-gr. Super Police load as well as a metal piercing 158-gr. bullet at over 1,100 fps. These were loaded in .38 Special brass, and it was expected shooters were smart enough not to use it in older, smaller-framed .38 Specials. This same sixgun, the .38/44 Heavy Duty, would be used as a platform for the .357 Magnum in 1935.

Brass-Less

Fast-forward to the 1950s. The war had ended in 1945, however it was still difficult to find .357 Magnum revolvers. Smith & Wesson was turning them out as fast as they could and in 1955 Ruger introduced their first centerfire single action, the .357 Blackhawk. Sometime in late 1956 I purchased my first centerfire Ruger, a 45/8″ .357 Blackhawk. I had a single cavity Lyman #358429 bullet mold, Lyman #310 Tong Tool with dies, but no brass. At the time .357 Magnum brass was exceptionally hard to locate, however this was the time when thousands of shooters took part in bullseye matches, which meant .38 Special brass was not only easy to find but inexpensive.

I discovered Elmer Keith’s .38/44 load using the above-mentioned #358429, and proceeded to load .38/44 rounds for my Blackhawk. Even when I acquired a double cavity mold, a melting pot, and a loading press I still stayed with .38 Special brass and loaded thousands of rounds using his bullet and his powder charge of 13.5 grains of #2400.

This is a very heavy load, actually higher in pressure than many current factory .357 Magnum loads, and should only be used in heavy-frame .357 Magnum sixguns in excellent condition. In fact I have even backed off from using it very often in .357 Magnum revolvers. It clocks out at over 1,400 fps from an 83/8″ S&W Model 27.

I never found the Keith bullet with the Keith .38/44 load or for .357 Magnum loads for that matter to be exceptionally accurate. However, when I discovered Ray Thompson’s bullet, accuracy in full-house loads in either the .38/44 or the .357 Magnum increased dramatically. The difference was the gas check. We can argue about gas checks on .44s and .45s, however there is no argument when it comes to .38/44s or .357 Magnums. The Thompson gas check, Lyman #358156GC, reduces leading or eliminates it altogether, and in most cases simply shoots more accurately.

Even More Versatility

I’ve also added a third bullet for use in my .38/44 loads, the RCBS #38-150KT. This is a plain-based bullet weighing approximately 155 grains, as does the Thompson gas check, while the Keith bullet weighs approximately 170 grains. For use in .38/44 loads or especially in .357 Magnum loads, my bullets are normally cast of a 50/50 mixture of lead and type metal. Wheelweight bullets are fine for standard .38 Special loads and even .44 and .45 semi-heavy loads, however at least with my alloy they are too soft for .38/44 or .357 Magnum loads.

In the 1950s, the only source I could find for .38/44 loads was Elmer Keith. However in the late 1950s/early 1960s, a new gunwriter appeared on the scene in our sister publication GUNS. That man was Charles A. Skelton who would later use his high school nickname of Skeeter as his byline. Skeeter had also found it to be nearly impossible to find .357 Magnum sixguns in the early 1950s, however he did come up with both a 5″ Smith and a 61/2″ Ruger Flat-Top.

At the time I discovered Skeeter I was loading the Keith .38/44 load almost exclusively. Skeeter introduced me to the Thompson gas check bullet; he also suggested loading it in .38 Special brass using the bottom crimping groove to increase case capacity. Ray Thompson had designed his bullet with two crimping grooves, the top one for use in .357 Magnum loads, and the bottom for .38 Special brass. By loading it the Skeeter Skelton way, in the bottom groove in .38 Specials with 13.5 grains of #2400, pressures were reduced, along with muzzle velocity. However, it’s still a potent load. In my 71/2″ Colt it clocks out at 1,360 fps and groups in 11/4″ at 20 yards.

The powders mostly used for my .38/44 loads are #4227 and #2400. I rarely use the Keith .38/44 load anymore as I am more interested in heavy .38 Special loads rather than duplicating .357 Magnum performance. While most of my shooting of .357 Magnum sixguns is done with .38/44 loads, they are always there to be used with .357 Magnum loads if needed.

A Tip Or Two

Since .38 Special brass is slightly shorter than .357 Magnum, it’s a good idea to keep the revolver chambers brushed out, as a small ring of deposits can form in the chamber wall at the top end of .38 Special brass. If this builds up enough it can make it difficult for the cylinder chambers to accept .357 Magnum loads.

I still use Keith’s bullet quite often, however I’ve dropped the powder charge of #2400 down from 13.5 to 11.0 or 11.5 grains. This gives me about 1,200 fps with significantly better accuracy. With the RCBS #38-150KT bullet over 12.5 grains of #4227 muzzle velocity is just under 1,100 fps and accuracy in my 71/2″ Colt New Frontier is exceptional.

With no fear of repeating myself, I once again caution the loads we talked about are for use only in .357 Magnum sixguns.

Subscribe To American Handgunner