Originally Posted by rwsmith

I could tell a big difference in standard and +P ammo. I don't think they were max but they had much more authority. Today a +P is enough to feel the difference, but not by much.

I found some .38 loads in a Sierra manual from about that time and they were substantially higher than most manuals today allow. Having a model 10 in good shape I started working up to the load and actually felt I should drop back some before I got halfway up. I don't think it was unsafe, but they were startlingly more hot that I was used to.