Federal American Eagle Issues

[when_shtf 4]

I was out firing my .357M today. I was firing Winchester .38 Special Rounds and then switched to a new box of Federal American Eagle .357 (158g) ammo.

 

After I fired I pulled ejector rod and tried to eject the expelled .357 cartridges from the cylinder. All six were completely stuck. I had to get a hammer and punch to extract the cartridges from the chambers. I fitted 6 new .357 and they went into and fell out of the chambers with ease.

 

I reloaded with .38's again and fired. The cartridges ejected normally from the cylinder. So I reloaded the .357's again. After firing the cartridges were stuck again.

 

I usually fire 125 grain Winchester .38 Specials in my .357. In the past when I have fired .357 rounds they too were Winchester rounds (which are 110 grain).

 

Has anyone ever experienced this with Federal American Eagle .357 ammo? I would think that the weapon should handle ANY .357M round, whether 110 grain or 158 grain.

 

Any thoughts?

[Malsua 1,422]

Fairly common problem. The 38 is shorter and leaves a residue where the .357 case goes. Once you fire the .357 and it expands, it gets stuck.

[hd2000fxdl 422]

Gun getting dirty??

[checko 180]

Dumb question but you do have a gun chambered for. 357 right?

 

 

[checko 180]

Ok nvm then

[JonF 79]

Fairly common problem. The 38 is shorter and leaves a residue where the .357 case goes. Once you fire the .357 and it expands, it gets stuck.

What Mark said!

[DargZ 5]

I just picked up a box of the American Eagle 357s. In that instance, would a quick clean after shooting 38s before switching to 357s resolve this?

[PeteF 1,044]

Fairly common problem. The 38 is shorter and leaves a residue where the .357 case goes. Once you fire the .357 and it expands, it gets stuck.

 

This is whats happening. You just need to clean the cylinder and you'll be good to go.

Look on Brownells for Lewis lead remover. It works really well for cleaning residue out of the cylinder.

 

Another trick, if you have a reloading press, is to lightly bell out the end of a 357 brass and push it into the cylinder. This will scrape the residue away.

[david8613 69]

also shoot 357 first. then the 38 specials....

[when_shtf 4]

It’s as simple as a sequence issue? Well that’s good to know. Cleaning the weapon out in the field isn't terribly convenient, but David's suggestion is about as simple as it comes.

 

Thanks for the info.

[4redz 2]

OP: I'm curious if it just the AE 357s giving you trouble or is that the only 357 you had with you? any 357 would give you the same problem if the carbon buildup is the cause.

[when_shtf 4]

OP: I'm curious if it just the AE 357s giving you trouble or is that the only 357 you had with you? any 357 would give you the same problem if the carbon buildup is the cause.

 

I don't know the answer. I usually bring one or the other out. Those times that I've shot both I must have shot the .357 rounds first.

 

I'm going to go out and get some Winchester .357's and do further testing. I've got to tell you, the cartridges were REALLY stuck in the chambers. It took considerable force to remove them. I was thinking that the brass had over-expanded and never gave thought to residue in the chamber.

[Old School 611]

Fairly common problem. The 38 is shorter and leaves a residue where the .357 case goes. Once you fire the .357 and it expands, it gets stuck.

 

+1

 

OP- Listen to Mark you silly rabbit!

[4redz 2]

Gotcha. I am sure you will prove out the carbon buildup theory. I've experienced it too, but to a much lesser extent than you. I bring a portable cleaning kit with a 38/357 bronze bore brush to the range, I use a little Hoppes though I am sure there are better cleaning solutions. Have fun doing your research! I love shooting the 357!

[when_shtf 4]

So I took the .357 out again today. Before I went out I brushed and cleaned the chambers. I loaded and fired the Federal American Eagles and when I went to expel the spent rounds I get this:

 

 

As you can see, one round came out easily by itself, and the others came out about 3/16" before stopping. Now mind you, they were no where near as stuck as yesterday. With a few hard pushes on the ejector rood they all came out. I reloaded and fired again. This time all six moved back 3/16" and stopped. A few agressive pushes on the ejector and they were free.

 

I then shot 25 rounds of Winchester .38 special. All simply fell out of the chamber when I moved the ejector. I'm going to pick up some WIN .357 next week. I'm quite sure I've never had this problem with those rounds.

[PeteF 1,044]

Cleaning the .38 residue out is not easy. It does take some work. I would expect you are going to get the same results with the Win ammo.

 

Shine a light from the barrel end of the cylinder, while looking from the hammer side you will see the soot ring ~1/4" back from the front end on the cylinder.

[raz-0 1,259]

Fairly common problem. The 38 is shorter and leaves a residue where the .357 case goes. Once you fire the .357 and it expands, it gets stuck.

 

+1 to this suggestion.

[when_shtf 4]

Cleaning the .38 residue out is not easy. It does take some work. I would expect you are going to get the same results with the Win ammo.

 

Shine a light from the barrel end of the cylinder, while looking from the hammer side you will see the soot ring ~1/4" back from the front end on the cylinder.

 

I went to D!cks Sporting Goods today and picked up a box of Remington .357 125 grain rounds (they didn't have Winchester, but these are the same). Pete, you were correct, same result.

 

I'll probably regret this, but more importantly I may learn something. Here are the results of my cleaning technique:

 

Rear View

 

And the Front View

 

If I'm doing something long, PLEASE let me know.

[Malsua 1,422]

After looking at your pictures, I had to go look at my revolvers. The bores in the cylinders aren't very smooth at all on yours unless it's just the picture. That would explain why it traps reside so easily.

[Daedalus 19]

What is the advantage to shooting 38SP as opposed to 357MAG? Sorry for the dumb question.

 

I just bought, and am awaiting delivery, of my first revolver - a Dan Wesson 15-2V Pistol Pac. Obviously not new, but new to me. The reading I have been doing about lead and crud in wheel guns vs. what I am accustomed to in 1911s has been an education, to say the least!

 

When_SHTF - what part of Warren? We should get together and pretend we know more than we do with our .357s

[M4BGRINGO 139]

We shoot about 1000 rounds of .38 Special to every round of .357 Magnum through our 686, never had any issues at all. Either your gun is incredibly dirty, or there is something wrong with your cylinder.

 

I clean the gun everytime I bring it home. I have a stainless cylinder brush and use a regular bronze brush in the barrel.

 

The cylinders in all of my revolvers are bright and shiny, no sign of hash marks at all. Maybe your cylinder was never properly finished when it was made and never showed-up as a problem until you started using high pressure rounds. It is possible that .38 Special +P may also give you problems.

 

We shoot wadcutters 90% of the time, .38 Special the rest. Rarely do we use .357 Magnum in it. My wife won't, but from time to time I bring that and .44 Magnum out to the range to have some fun.

[when_shtf 4]

I have a stainless cylinder brush and use a regular bronze brush in the barrel.

 

There's some interesting information right there. I've been using the bronze brush on both the cylinders and the barrel. Am I doing something wrong here? Did I create the grooves in the cylinder with the bronze brush? Would a stainless brush help smooth the cylinders?

 

My gun is clean, but obviously those cylinders are not smooth. I think a good honing is in order. Can anybody recommend a good gunsmith in NWNJ?

[M4BGRINGO 139]

A bronze brush is very pliable compared to the stainless brush, it won't make any marks and may not remove the possible lead build-up inside the cylinder. I think my stainless brush came from Brownells, not 100% sure. This SS brush is listed for cleaning revolver cylinders. There is also a short handle to use with this brush (or bronze also), looks a lot like a screwdriver.

 

Take a used .357 Magnum shell and try to push it back into the cylinder, is it still tight? Have a set of calipers? Measure the open end of the used brass and the rimmed end, how much difference? I can measure some of my brass and let you know what they look like.

 

Go checkout the S&W Forums, lots of good stuff there and a lot of very knowledgable people too. I am fairly new to this stuff, Pizza Bob may also be able to help you.

[Malsua 1,422]

Just for comparison, here's the cylinder on my SW638. Was having a hard time getting focus and I didn't want to bother getting it up on a tripod, but I think you can see how smooth it is. The gun is dirty by the way, needs a good scrubbing.

 

[when_shtf 4]

Yeah, that picture tells me everything I need to know.

 

So, who can recommend a good gunsmith?

[M4BGRINGO 139]

I did some measuring for the heck of it, found some interesting things.

 

All my fired .38 Special brass is .374 at each end. There is a point in the brass where it is .380. The new unfired brass is .374 the entire length.

 

I have two different types of .357 brass that has been fired. One is .380 by the rim, .374 at the bullet end. Another is .376 by the rim, .372 at the bullet end.

 

A new unfired ,357 brass is .376 by the rim, .372 by the bullet.

 

Not sure what that all means, but nothing has ever stuck on me.

 

PS: Give S&W a call and see if they will look at it under warranty.

[Malsua 1,422]

 

PS: Give S&W a call and see if they will look at it under warranty.

 

His gun looks like a Comanche .357 to me, not a S&W.

[when_shtf 4]

His gun looks like a Comanche .357 to me, not a S&W.

 

Good eye. It's Llama Comanche III made in Argentina.

 

You get what you pay for. In this case I bought in new for $160 plus shipping and FFL. A good price and still a good value after I have the cylinders honed.

[when_shtf 4]

Just to close the loop in case anyone searches on this in the future...

 

The stainless steel brush did the trick. My cylinders still don't look anything like the S&W cylinders in Malsua's photo (post #24), but all of the carbon is out and .357's now extract. Even though I cleaned the gun after each use (with a bronze brush) I think that the cylinders got carbon fouled over time to the point that I couldn't eject the .357's. That's why I suspected the Federal rounds...it just happened to occur with a new box. I now know that it would have happened with any .357.

 

I'd still like to have the cylinders honed, but for now I can fire, and eject, .357's once again.

 

Thanks to M4BGRINGO for suggesting the SS brush.