American Handgunner .357 Magnum DA Sixguns - American Handgunner
41 The 6" K-38 became the 4" .38 Combat Masterpiece which then became the .357 Combat Magnum from S&W in 1955. Elmer Keith was instrumental along with Phil Sharpe in laying the groundwork for the .357 Magnum by using heavy loads in the .38/44 Heavy Duty, an N-Framed .38 Special which arrived in 1930. Keith tested a .357 Magnum in 1935, however, he did not particularly care for the long barrel nor the fact his #358429 bullet was too long for use in .357 Magnum brass in the relatively short cylinder of the S&W .357 Magnum. His solution was to use .38 Special brass and his bullet over 13.5 grain...
Source: americanhandgunner.com