627 caliber question

[jdk62738super]

Just bought a 627 38/357. Also have a 627 38 super. Has any body shot 38 super out of 357. I know bullit diamiter is diffrent.I know short colt can be shot out of both guns. Any thought's

John

[Bill Sahlberg]

John,

I have shot both through my 627s, since 1998......I reload Montana Gold .356 130 gr RN in both my 38 Super AND my 357. Brownells sells a 38 Super full moon clip that will allow the 38 Super to tun in both guns....the factory S&W will not as the diameter of the FMC is too big.

I have shot .355 (9MM) bullets also in both without any accuracy issues but settled on the .356 just so I can use one bullet in my 627s and in my 38 Super for 3 Gun.

[jdk62738super]

Bill thanks for the info.

John

[ffl]

my 38 short colt bullets are .358 (lead) as I use them in a 357/38 gun. the 38 Short Colt brass is really a short 38spl case so moons for 38spl work. I use a 9mm taper crimp on the bullets instead of a roll crimp.

Edited May 18, 2011 by ffl

[lora]

Thanks Bill for the insight on use of 38 super in 38/357 mod. 627. I, like you have both 627's but didn't know that I different moons. My TK's and factory 38 super moon don't work with supers in the 38/357. I will try the others. Much easier to just reload supers for both guns, one gun for USPSA Revolver & ICORE, and one for Bianchi & USPSA Production, one modified and one not.

[50GI-Jess]

Interesting info and topic.

I've heard..and read, that if however, you don't use the right bullet dia. for a specific caliber, you'll have some gas blow by in the barrel. This may not always affect accuracy, but may/will shorten barrel life.

The theory goes something like this. The bullet doesn't fill out the barrel dia. completely, and skids the rifling most of the way out the bore. Also the fast moving gasses, that by passes the bullet, has a hot sandblasting effect on the lands/grooves.

Hard to figure out, whats true facts here...or simple just webside hear say.

Does anyone here know something solid about this topic? Mike?

[Carmoney]

Heck, I dunno Jess. I've never worn out the barrel on a revolver. Maybe Warren or Patrick would know.

Edited May 20, 2011 by Carmoney

[GMM50]

I've been told that the barrels for the S&W 627 in 38Super were made on a 38/357 line. So they are a bit larger in diameter. I had poor results shooting 38 Super bullets and I tried several styles. I then got Billy Bullets in 135 gn RN sized to .358 and the groups came in to 1-2 inches at 25 yards. Shooter dependent.

The old timers (knowledgeable folks) will recommend that you slug the barrel to find it's diameter and then go 0.001 or 0.002 over in bullet size.

Also I believe a term for the bullet expanding in the barrel is to obdurate. If the bullet is too hard for the load the force of the powder will not cause the bullet to obdurate (expand to fill the barrel) and hot gas will flow by. This gas will cut the bullet and the barrel neither are any good. I have some of these bullets I was shooting out of a 45. All that happened was severe barrel leading. Switched to a softer bullet and leading was gone. I was working at 800 to 950 fps with a 200 gn RN bullet.

[lora]

Bill, Brownell's has multiple moons from different manufacturers, any hope of recalling the manf. of the ones you use for both 38 super in the 38/357 gun.

As for the bullet diameter,I spoke to Donny at Bayou Bullets and he got it from Jerry that the 38 super guns did have a .357 barrel and I have been using the 160gr B.B.'s .357 dia with great accuracy, X ring(bullseye tgt),10 rds, 25yds. and about 11/2 - 2" for the 9mm bullets at 25yds,same 38 super gun(as long as they are minor loads, no ejection problems).

And I'm with Mike on barrel wearout, I have never seen one, even after 500k rounds use back when all road officers carried only revolvers.

[50GI-Jess]

Interesting. Anyway, anything mechanical gets worn over time. Remember an article with Dave Arnold..I think it was, writing about lead bullets in G&A back in the early 80's. He said that if using lead bullets, any revolver accuracy will last forever.

However, FMJ's would be a different ball game. I have a 686 that use to shoot 1-2" at 50yds.with 125 XTP using a scope on it. Now, after app.35-40 K rds. it shoots 3-4".

Remember when I worked at Wilson's. Barnhart and other topshooters, had their 1911 barrels changed after about 50K rounds. Ok ok, I just may be too scientific about it.

What do you guys think...or have experienced ?

[Toolguy]

One guy that I shoot with wore out a Douglass barrel in 75,000 rounds of jacketed .38 spl. Two other people I know wore out their barrel in 3 or 4 months cleaning them with JB bore paste.

[lora]

Good point, in the those earlier days it was all wadcutter use, duty ammo was expensive and used minimally.