[ladyrustic]

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. I hope I didn't somehow ruin my weapon, did I?

[Tarpaulin]

This happened with a Smith & Wesson!?

That's hard to believe.

Advice: Take it to a gun smith or chuck it.

[niteowl77]

You probably still have a slight ring of lead and/or assorted fouling in the chambers that are preventing the .357's from seating. Used to happen to me a lot with certain revolvers and types of ammunition.

[ORECON]

Go to S&W Customer Support and ask them.

http://customersupport.smith-wesson.com

[ghostcat]

you did not ruin your revolver. the most likely explanation is that you have had a significant build up of powder residue in the mouth of the chamber. this is quite common when shooting shorter length cartridges. I would suggest cleaning the chambers with a chamber cleaning brush or using a brass brush sized for the .45 cal be generous with the use of solvent as well. If the 38 spcl rounds that you were shooting were non jacketed it might also have some lead residue as well.

[JRandomFreeper]

Run a bore brush and Hoppes #7(I love that smell) down the cylinders. It may be leaded from shooting the shorter brass .38s.

Or take it to a comptetent smith.

Good on you for taking a lib shooting.

P.S. Buy an(other) autoloader. You have the extra money.... you know you want one.... And buy another wheelgun while you're at it.

/john

[nvcdl]

38 Specials are shorter then 357 mags. If you shoot 38s in a 357 it can make it difficult to load with 357 rounds during same shooting session.

A good cleaning of the cylinder with a bronze brush and bore cleaner should make all well.

Next time shoot your 357 ammo first - then shoot 38s.

[Democrap]

Are you sure that you cleaned the cylinders well? I don't own a 686 but I take it is a stainless. Even though it won't rust stainless will get gummed up easy. If you were using 38 wadcutters they can be real dirty. Have you ever used 357's in this gun?

[ButThreeLeftsDo]

What all did you do to clean the cylinder?

Because of the difference in the case lengths, you should shoot the 357s first and then the 38s. The shorter 38s leave a powder/lead ridge that will impede the longer 357 case. Clean the cylinder again, well. Try again. See your gunsmith if they don't drop in easily.

[yarddog]

I was going to comment but it has already been said.

Clean the chambers and it should be ok.

[DTogo]

he went to load it with .357's and the cartridges would not fit all the way into the chamber anymore. They almost fit all the way but not quite-- about an eighth of an inch sticks out.

This is a question for Bill Clinton. ;)

[yarddog]

There is one more possibility.

It is possible a few grains of unburned powder of sand etc. got caught under the extraction star. Easy to tell. If it is not flush with the rest of the back of the cylinder, that could be it.

[camas]

i would guess that that round had toooo much powder or wrong type in it. as said, take you piece to a gun smith

[fish hawk]

Smith and Wessons will shoot 38 specials and or 357 magnums but also will shoot liberals without jamming up much.

[MEG33]

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[Cornpone]

The 38 Special cartridge is about .14 inches shorter (1/8') in length than the 357 Magnum. As a result, I agree with edskid, that if you shot many rounds of 38 you built up a ring of gunk composed of unburned powder, condensation and lead that resulted in the 357 cartridge not seating properly. You need to clean the chamber between changing calibers.

[satchmodog9]

I agree with the posters about the fouling in the cylinder. I also have experienced problems with CCI 357 ammo not fitting. Just a thought. Soak that baby and scrub it.

[yarddog]

Let this be a lesson to those who think a revolver can't jam.

[Larry Lucido]

I have a 686 that has never given me a problem.

Of course, when I wash it, I tumble dry on a low setting. That prevents shrinking.

[Klickitat]

If you want to shoot lower recoil rounds but still use 357 cases try buying cowboy ammo like that made by PMC and black hills. They chamber 357 ammo but it's got less punch than a standard 38. Good for beginning shooters like your lib friend.

[Arkie2]

I had the same problem with my Ruger .357 revolver. After shooting .38 special I had a hard time loading the .357 ammo. The manager told me to clean the cylinders with a wire brush before loading the .357 rounds as the 38 specials were shorter rounds and powder residue was collecting in each cylinder. It worked like a charm.