357 case expansion

[Tempest455]

Anyone else have this problem? I have an old police issue S&W .357 Magnum. It fires .38 special rounds and they come out just fine. When I fire .357 rounds, some of them stick into the cylinder and have to be removed w/ a pliers. Typically, 3 of them come out just fine and 3 stick. And yes, it's clean. I clean it very well after every time.

[glockster157]

Several questions,

1. Are these factory loads or handloads?

2. Is it the same three chambers each time?

3. Are there erosion rings in the chambers where many 38 spl rounds have been fired?

I would not shoot any more mag ammo until I had this issue resolved. But if you must and it is factory ammo then I suggest you use an aluminum rod to tap out the stuck cases instead of pliers to pull them out.

[Tempest455]

Several questions,

1. Are these factory loads or handloads?

2. Is it the same three chambers each time?

3. Are there erosion rings in the chambers where many 38 spl rounds have been fired?

I would not shoot any more mag ammo until I had this issue resolved. But if you must and it is factory ammo then I suggest you use an aluminum rod to tap out the stuck cases instead of pliers to pull them out.

1. Ammo has been Magtech and Blazer.

2. Good question on the same three chambers. I did not check?

3. Yes, there appears to be rings. Not sure what it considered "bad" or not?

[Mike.357]

are you firing the .357 rounds after putting .38s through the gun?

If I mix rounds I always use the magnums first.

[Tempest455]

are you firing the .357 rounds after putting .38s through the gun?

If I mix rounds I always use the magnums first.

Yes I was shooting 38's first. I did some Google searching last night and found many situations just like I have. Sounds like where I thought it was clean, there may have been lead residue in the chambers which was not removed by the cleaning kit/oil.

I found one guy where he had the same problem and took a brass brush in an electric drill and polished the lead out of the chamber and problem solved.

[musicman]

I don't advise using the drill method. It's easy to get carried away and you coulod do more damage than you mean to in the chambers. The average 38/357 bronze brush does a really crappy job of cleaning chambers because the chammber itself is larger than the .357 diameter of the bore of the gun, and those little brushes are more for barrel cleaning. Pro-Shot makes a really good chamber brush Pro-Shot Products

Notice that the bore brush and chamber brush are separate products? The chamber brush is made of stiffer bronze, it is a little longer, and of a wider diameter than the bore brush. Get one of these and use a good solvent (plain ol' Hoppe's #9 works great in all my guns) and make 5-6 passes with the brush wet with solvent. Make sure that you completely push the brush THROUGH the chamber in each direction. Don't stop halfway and try to reverse directions. If it's real bad, let the chambers soak a few minutes and then run through them again. Then just follow through with dry patches until they come out relatively clean.

Most folks don't understand the difference between bore and chamber brushes, but it's pretty important, especially if you shoot magnums and specials in the same gun.

As others have stated, shoot your magnums first, then your specials. I like to go back and forth between the two when I'm at the range, so I take a brush and rod to the range with me. I don't take solvent and patches because I'm not worried about giving the gun a full cleaning while I'm there. The chamber brush itself will get out most of the crud, especially if the gun is still warm.

Edited May 1, 2009 by musicman

[Guest boatme99]

While I havn't had this problem with my Security-six, it's good to know. Thanks for the info. guys. That's why I love forums. There are no stupid questions.

[Oh Shoot]

.... Pro-Shot makes a really good chamber brush Pro-Shot Products ... The chamber brush is made of stiffer bronze, it is a little longer, and of a wider diameter than the bore brush.

Most of the places I normally shop online seem to only have Kleen Bore chamber brushes .. but they are stainless steel. Seems that would be risky?

- OS

[Tempest455]

I'm not a gun expert but I do know a thing about machined parts and steel. These parts are often made from 4340 steel and heat treated. I do not see how a brush (brass or even stainless) is going to cause any harm to a cylinder. It would take significant effort for either to have an impact on that grade of steel.

[glockster157]

There are two problems with sticky chambers in revolvers caused by firing 38 specials in a 357 chamber.

One is simple and that is fouling. Like has been stated, just scrub it out. Use a 40 cal brush if you have to, I like to use 40 cal SS spiral brushes but I will use standard brushes if that is all I have.

The second more serious problem is erosion/corrosion. If there is wear because lots of rounds have been fired the chamber can be just a little rough. I have fixed this by using a very fine scotch Brite pad on a split rod and just POLISH it out a little. Polish is the key word here, I used Super Fine Scotch Brite. The corrosion can happen in carbon steel where moister or corrosive primer residue may have actually pitted the area right in front of the 38 special case mouth. This can ususally be fixed but it has to be done more aggressively and I have never had to do it myself, though I have seen others polish out thier chambers with 400 grit, followed by polish and it seemed to work with no ill effects. I would not do this one myself without consulting a real gunsmith.

[frankmako]

fouling might be the problem. clean the chambers and it should work.