Can you shoot 357 magnum out of S&W 350 legend revolver?

[That_FNG]

Like the title say, can you shoot 357 magnum (and 38 special) out of smith and Wesson 350 legend x frame revolver? I was cleaning my M350 and started to wonder if this is possible. So I took a 357 magnum dummy round and decided to see if it would fit. Lo and behold it fits perfect in the cylinder with no issue. Looked up bullet specs and it seems that 350 legend varies from .354-.357 for bullet heads. Looking at Sammi spec the 350 legend is a noticeably higher pressure than 357 magnum. So now I’m wondering if this would work? Would be awesome to have more ammo flexibility out of a revolver!

 

[dsdmmat]

short answer: is it is your body, risk it as you wish.

350 legend is a rimless cartridge and is designed to shoot .355 bullets. The 357 magnum is a rimmed cartridge and designed to shoot .357 bullets. I see two potential issues (actually 3 but two are related) firing a 357 mag from a 350 legend.

1. 357 magnum headspace is based upon the rim. 350 legend headspace is at the mouth of the cartridge.
1A. The cylinder and frame fit may not allow proper rotation when loaded with 357 magnum cartridges. Just speculation (because not having one on hand), I am not sure the 357 magnum cartridge will be fully supported in the cylinder. You would have to take a look at the cartridge when inserted in the cylinder any part of the case shoeing because of the way the rim seats against the cylinder face is unsupported and can potentially lead to case failure.

2. a couple of thousands of an inch may not seem like an issue especially with cast bullets. The extra width can raise the pressure when the bullet enters the forcing cone and travels down the barrel. Jacked bullets could be a bigger issue. Try pushing a soft lead slug down the barrel so yo can measure what your diameter is and this will tell you if it is an issue. Of course you can load 355 bullets in the 357 as an option.

The general consensus in the things I have read online is the 357 magnum should not be fired in the 350 legend.

 

[S&W Fan]

The OAL is considerably different as well.

 

[That_FNG]

short answer: is it is your body, risk it as you wish.

350 legend is a rimless cartridge and is designed to shoot .355 bullets. The 357 magnum is a rimmed cartridge and designed to shoot .357 bullets. I see two potential issues (actually 3 but two are related) firing a 357 mag from a 350 legend.

1. 357 magnum headspace is based upon the rim. 350 legend headspace is at the mouth of the cartridge.
1A. The cylinder and frame fit may not allow proper rotation when loaded with 357 magnum cartridges. Just speculation (because not having one on hand), I am not sure the 357 magnum cartridge will be fully supported in the cylinder. You would have to take a look at the cartridge when inserted in the cylinder any part of the case shoeing because of the way the rim seats against the cylinder face is unsupported and can potentially lead to case failure.

2. a couple of thousands of an inch may not seem like an issue especially with cast bullets. The extra width can raise the pressure when the bullet enters the forcing cone and travels down the barrel. Jacked bullets could be a bigger issue. Try pushing a soft lead slug down the barrel so yo can measure what your diameter is and this will tell you if it is an issue. Of course you can load 355 bullets in the 357 as an option.

The general consensus in the things I have read online is the 357 magnum should not be fired in the 350 legend.

Winchester says that the 350 legend is .357 bullet heads like the .357 magnum. In regards to fitment it uses moon clips for the 350 legend and thus gives enough room for the rim of the 357 cartridge. 357 magnum dummy rounds fit and the revolver closes and functionally has no problem mechanically being operated with the 357 cartridge.

the whole reason I started wondering this is because when the 460 magnum x frames came out smith and Wesson said that was the only cartridge those guns could safely fire. Now over time it is commonly known you can fire 454 casull and 45 long colt out of those as well.

I tried looking online but had not anything where this question had come up yet either way, so hence I got curious and have started asking.

 

[S&W Fan]

The OAL for .357 cartridge is 1.59

 

[dsdmmat]

View attachment 204852

Winchester says that the 350 legend is .357 bullet heads like the .357 magnum. In regards to fitment it uses moon clips for the 350 legend and thus gives enough room for the rim of the 357 cartridge. 357 magnum dummy rounds fit and the revolver closes and functionally has no problem mechanically being operated with the 357 cartridge.

the whole reason I started wondering this is because when the 460 magnum x frames came out smith and Wesson said that was the only cartridge those guns could safely fire. Now over time it is commonly known you can fire 454 casull and 45 long colt out of those as well.

I tried looking online but had not anything where this question had come up yet either way, so hence I got curious and have started asking.

Well it seems I have read some fake news on the diameter of the bullet. I would still look for unsupported case in the cylinder.

one other thing I would look for before doing any test firing. Does the cylinder have a lip in it for the case to headspace on? Not having seen one of these revolvers I don’t know if it does or not. If it does not have a lip in the cylinder bores and there is no unsupported portion of the case, there should not be an issue shooting a 357 magnum from it. The operative word being should.

Cylinders for rounds that headspace on the rim do not have a lip in them which allows the same diameter cartridge to be fired as long as it fits in the cylinder 357 max, 357 mag, 38 spc etc. If there is a lip near the end of the cylinder, you may want to reconsider shooting a 357 magnum from, it may be fine, you may get lucky or it may turn out bad.

The 460 magnum is a rimmed case which headspaces on the rim so it makes sense you can fire any shorter .452 based straight walled cartridges that headspace on the rim. Little different than firing a rimmed cartridge from a gun designed to fire cartridges which headspace on the mouth regardless of the use of moon clips.

It is almost always best to ask before punching a primer and finding out it was a bad idea.

 

[FP1201]

I'm not so sure the information on .350 Legend is "fake': Early on, I checked into the .350 thinking that I'd be able to use heavier .357 Bullets (reloading) but discovered that the Legend was .355 same as 9mm. after the .350 came out, another company advertised a ".357 Legend" Barrel for the MSR platform, and of course Rifles such as .358 Winchester and .35 Whelen use .358 bullets.
There's nothing new about Rimmed & rimless on Moon Clips with .45 Auto-rim and .45acp HOWEVER it should be noted that Auto-Rim is thicker than .45 Colt or any of its variants, and will not work in guns not specifically chambered for it.
Point is, the X-Frame with a moon clip is likely thicker than the rim of the .357 Mag or .38spc. That said, if it'll hit hard enough to set off the primer, it'll likely shoot them just fine.
Ironically, the gunsmith Groupe I belong to on FB had someone asking about shooting .223 out of his X-Frame and changing the Barrel & Cyl. [rolleyes]

 

[That_FNG]

Well I found the sammi spec for both cartridges. Interesting. I have to pick up some more 350 legend so I will do some real world measurements between the bullet heads on the 350 legend and 357 magnum commercial ammo that I normally.

 

[Acer-m14]

Demolition Ranch .. or Kentucky Ballistics Time

Pistol .,.. bullets .... vise .... string ..

something to hide behind ..


PULL!!!


LOL ..

 

[dsdmmat]

I'm not so sure the information on .350 Legend is "fake': Early on, I checked into the .350 thinking that I'd be able to use heavier .357 Bullets (reloading) but discovered that the Legend was .355 same as 9mm. after the .350 came out, another company advertised a ".357 Legend" Barrel for the MSR platform, and of course Rifles such as .358 Winchester and .35 Whelen use .358 bullets.
There's nothing new about Rimmed & rimless on Moon Clips with .45 Auto-rim and .45acp HOWEVER it should be noted that Auto-Rim is thicker than .45 Colt or any of its variants, and will not work in guns not specifically chambered for it.
Point is, the X-Frame with a moon clip is likely thicker than the rim of the .357 Mag or .38spc. That said, if it'll hit hard enough to set off the primer, it'll likely shoot them just fine.
Ironically, the gunsmith Groupe I belong to on FB had someone asking about shooting .223 out of his X-Frame and changing the Barrel & Cyl. [rolleyes]

A cylinder of primed 357 magnum cases would provide an answer if the firing pin would set them off without much danger to the shooter or the gun.

 

[S&W Fan]

Are you on any of the Smith and Wesson forums? If anyone has info. On this or has tried it out already it would be one of those guys. I find the Smith-Wessonforum.com to be a really good forum for All things S&W. Pose your question there and I’m sure you’ll find your answer.

 

[That_FNG]

finally had a chance to go to the range today. Took some empty primered brass to do a test fitting. 357 magnum/38 special fits just fine. Cylinder closes just fine, gun cycles and operates just fine. Pulled the hammer and it set off all 7 primers no problem. Also did a test with 357 maximum brass and that fit ok as well. Based upon sammi specs this should work ok with live cartridges. Next step will be to pull some 350 legend bullets and compare it size wise to 357 magnum/38 special/357 maximum bullet heads. This is looking promising. If the bullet will fit safely down the barrel, if the brass fits and works, if the pressure of the round does not exceed the pressure of 350 legend, then I can’t think of a reason why this wouldn’t work?

 

[Acer-m14]

if the 350 bullet is a bit to long .. just shave the tip and make it a wad cutter LOL ..

 

[dsdmmat]

View attachment 205978 View attachment 205977

finally had a chance to go to the range today. Took some empty primered brass to do a test fitting. 357 magnum/38 special fits just fine. Cylinder closes just fine, gun cycles and operates just fine. Pulled the hammer and it set off all 7 primers no problem. Also did a test with 357 maximum brass and that fit ok as well. Based upon sammi specs this should work ok with live cartridges. Next step will be to pull some 350 legend bullets and compare it size wise to 357 magnum/38 special/357 maximum bullet heads. This is looking promising. If the bullet will fit safely down the barrel, if the brass fits and works, if the pressure of the round does not exceed the pressure of 350 legend, then I can’t think of a reason why this wouldn’t work?

The picture of the open cylinder shows there is a small portion of the case which is unsupported, Where the moon clip would normally reside. This may or may not be an issue, but you won’t know until you pull the trigger. Worst case you will have a case rupture there, best case is no harm no foul. You may want to measure the fired brass (after firing an actual cartridge) just above the rim to see if you are getting some bulging.

 

[S&W Fan]

Dooo it !

 

[repete]

Before actual live firing a full power round try slugging the guns barrel, that will give you actual inside measurements of the barrel. It's easy to do, clean and oil the barrel, using a bullet (or ball) of as soft lead as possible, place it on the muzzle and tap it down in, you can force it all the way or push it back out.
Some of my guns have up to 3 slugs, one for each end and one all the way thru.
Personally I think your in for trouble shooting the .357 jacketed bullets.
It might be a great lead bullet shooter!

 

[Vapor]

Well did you ever try it?

 

[repete]

I forgot all about this thread. Sooo, what happened? Are you still alive?

 

[That_FNG]

I forgot all about this thread. Sooo, what happened? Are you still alive?

Been waiting on more primers to come in. Been busy planning wedding and house shopping so gun stuff has been a bit of the back seat.

 

[meketrefe]

NO!
of course it fits that doesnt mean they are compatible.
the bullet is going to jump wo the support of the bore or a free bore and torching for the legend chamber plus potential massive fouling at the headspace step into the cone.

 

[FP1201]

short answer: is it is your body, risk it as you wish.

350 legend is a rimless cartridge and is designed to shoot .355 bullets. The 357 magnum is a rimmed cartridge and designed to shoot .357 bullets. I see two potential issues (actually 3 but two are related) firing a 357 mag from a 350 legend.

1. 357 magnum headspace is based upon the rim. 350 legend headspace is at the mouth of the cartridge.
1A. The cylinder and frame fit may not allow proper rotation when loaded with 357 magnum cartridges. Just speculation (because not having one on hand), I am not sure the 357 magnum cartridge will be fully supported in the cylinder. You would have to take a look at the cartridge when inserted in the cylinder any part of the case shoeing because of the way the rim seats against the cylinder face is unsupported and can potentially lead to case failure.

2. a couple of thousands of an inch may not seem like an issue especially with cast bullets. The extra width can raise the pressure when the bullet enters the forcing cone and travels down the barrel. Jacked bullets could be a bigger issue. Try pushing a soft lead slug down the barrel so yo can measure what your diameter is and this will tell you if it is an issue. Of course you can load 355 bullets in the 357 as an option.

The general consensus in the things I have read online is the 357 magnum should not be fired in the 350 legend.

I concur 100%

 

[Robin]

Heck, I didn't even know S&W made a 350 legend revolver!

https://www.smith-wesson.com/product/model-350

I put together a 350L rifle when I first heard about it, I reload for it also. Very accurate, good variety of bullets available for it as well. So, the pistol would be a great companion for it, but I'm not going to do it, nope, no way, uh uh!!! You guys are kill'n me!
Robin

 

[Xae289]

Heck, I didn't even know S&W made a 350 legend revolver!

https://www.smith-wesson.com/product/model-350

I put together a 350L rifle when I first heard about it, I reload for it also. Very accurate, good variety of bullets available for it as well. So, the pistol would be a great companion for it, but I'm not going to do it, nope, no way, uh uh!!! You guys are kill'n me!
Robin

I dunno if I'd call a 4.5 lbs, 7.5" barreled revolver a /companion/ to a rifle. Still looks like a ton of fun.

 

[Robin]

Well, I did buy a 7-1/2" barreled revolver as a companion piece for my Henry, so it is not unprecedented Xae.

And I enjoy shooting it more than any other hand gun I have. Though, concealed carry is a bit problematic.
Robin

 

[S&W Fan]

The cartridge converters for those cap n ball guns make them even more enjoyable to shoot too !

Well, I did buy a 7-1/2" barreled revolver as a companion piece for my Henry, so it is not unprecedented Xae.
View attachment 231532
And I enjoy shooting it more than any other hand gun I have. Though, concealed carry is a bit problematic.
Robin

 

[Robin]

Now I can't get that S&W out'a my head! Probably too heavy, that porting will make it too loud, I got too many guns already!
Robin

 

[kev74]

Now I can't get that S&W out'a my head! Probably too heavy, that porting will make it too loud, I got too many guns already!
Robin

 

[S&W Fan]

Now I can't get that S&W out'a my head! Probably too heavy, that porting will make it too loud, I got too many guns already!
Robin

Hahaha , keep trying. It won’t work, but keep trying.

 

[That_FNG]

Well it works. Not recommended though. Accuracy is not the best. Would only say in an “end of the world scenario” would it have any point to it.