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Post by tinkerpearce on Jul 18, 2020 21:29:59 GMT -5
 The Astra Police was available in .38 Special, .357 Magnum and 9mm Luger. I've looked for a .357 cylinder, but to no avail. I did find a fellow who worked for Astra in the 80's when these were made, and he said to just rechamber it for .357 Magnum; the material and condition of all the cylinders was the same, the only difference was the chambering, and it was a common modification. I kept that in mind, and when I ran across a .357 Magnum chambering die for $30 I snagged it. It arrived today, and I stuck it in a t-handle and carefully reamed the chambers to accept the longer cartridge. It was pretty easy, and now a gun that was a bit of a fifth wheel has a whole new place and utility. It's always been a sweet shooter, and I'm looking forward to taking it to the range this coming week. |
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Post by x101airborne on Jul 18, 2020 21:41:19 GMT -5
Cool man! Tell us how she shoots!
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Post by ezekiel38 on Jul 18, 2020 22:14:47 GMT -5
A savvy project, nice upgrade for little cash. Yankee inginuity, cool!
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Post by oddshooter on Jul 19, 2020 10:38:52 GMT -5
Please allow me to ask a dumb question.
If the 38 special and the 357 mag both use the same bullet diameter, what does rechambering mean?
You can't make the chamber "longer" can you?
Prescut
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Post by tinkerpearce on Jul 19, 2020 14:51:42 GMT -5
Please allow me to ask a dumb question. If the 38 special and the 357 mag both use the same bullet diameter, what does rechambering mean? You can't make the chamber "longer" can you? Prescut Yes, you can. The chambering reamer for .357 Magnum doesn't change the diameter of the chamber, but it does lengthen it. |
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Post by ddixie884 on Jul 20, 2020 2:22:24 GMT -5
I might proof that with a string from a distance.........
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Post by tinkerpearce on Jul 20, 2020 10:19:13 GMT -5
I might proof that with a string from a distance......... That would be prudent if I hadn't already been firing 38/44 loads in the same power range as .357 Magnum regularly already for over a year. This wasn't a step up in power; this was so I won't have 38/44 loads that fit in the chamber of a 38 special around waiting for me to do something stupid and blow up one of my guns that can't handle them. |
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Post by tinkerpearce on Jul 25, 2020 1:05:57 GMT -5
So the Astra handles full-power .357 Magnums with aplomb. Single hole slow-fire groups at seven yards, and rapid-fire was quite manageable. At seven yards with 158gr RNFP at 1200fps-  ...and 125gr JHPs at 1300 fps.-  I'm loving this gun even more now! |
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