1873 Cattleman 357Mag with 38cal bullets

[Karsten]

I've heard that you can use 38cal bullets with 357Mag revolvers. Can this be done safely with the 1873 Cattleman 357Mag Revolver?

[Mingo Mike]

The .38 special and .357 magnum bullets are the same diameter. Most people shoot .38 special in .357, because the .38 special is less money to buy or reload. You cannot shoot a .357 in a gun that is chambered only for .38 special. In this caase the .357 round is too long for the chamber.

mingomike

[Irish Dave]

Yep. .38 Specials in .357 = OK.
.357 Mags in .38 Special guns = Not OK.

Your Cattleman should handle the .38 specials with no problem.

[Karsten]

Thanks guys, I was pretty sure that that was the case. I guess Uberti's official response "We dont recommend using anything other than it was calibrated for" was more for liability reasons.

[AZ_Rebel]

While it is quite true that any regular or +P .38Spl round can be safely fired in a (sound) .357Mag gun, it can cause problems. Excessive use of the shorter .38Spl cartridges can cause erosion in the chambers of .357Mag guns leading to difficult extraction of .357Mag cases. That is the reason manufacturers do not recommend the practice.

[mojavemike]

While it is quite true that any regular or +P .38Spl round can be safely fired in a (sound) .357Mag gun, it can cause problems. Excessive use of the shorter .38Spl cartridges can cause erosion in the chambers of .357Mag guns leading to difficult extraction of .357Mag cases. That is the reason manufacturers do not recommend the practice.

...so in this case, would it be better to load .357 mag cases with light cowboy loads ?

[AZ_Rebel]

If you are concerned about recoil a lighter load in a .357Mag Case is probably your best bet. Be aware that you should use recommended/tested loads/powders as lighter loads can result in higher chamber pressures. Also, light loads of fastburning powder in (more spacious) .357 cases can result in flash-over and detonation due to the powder laying in the case. Use loading data from a reliable source. Good luck.