Okay guys, I'm the proud new owner of a pre-Model 10 in .38 Special made between 1948-1952. I plan to use it for off-duty carry as I'm an LEO (and in my pre-retirement days I guess I'm missing what I started out with). I don't plan on shooting +P ammo out of it regularly, but I would like to carry the +P 158 gr. Remington load in it on the street. I don't think it would have any problem digesting a couple dozen rounds of +P just to see how it shoots them, but I thought I'd ask for opinions from the experts. That would be you guys Any opinions? Thanks in advance.


pic from the auction

SW&W does not recommend the regular use of +P ammo in .38 Special M&P revolvers made before the model designation stamped into the frame.

My own feeling is that a few dozen rounds won't hurt anything, but keep in mind that cracked forcing cones are frequently found in older .38 specials from that time frame. It's the major reason S&W went to a higher grade of barrel steel after high velocity jacketed bullet ammo became popular in the 1960's.

Factory +P is loaded below allowable maximum pressure for the caliber and will cause your gun no harm whatsoever.

This 1942 M&P has so far digested 600 rounds of +P (125 JHP at 925 FPS) and another 600 rounds of my hand-loads (125 JHP at 1,150 FPS) on top of however many thousands of rounds it fired before falling into my hands with no sign of excessive wear or stress.

The +P designation is a marketing myth.

Nice old M&P. I have a couple of old NYPD ones just like it but with a lot more blue wear.

Can't see where a moderate amount of the +P 158 gr. SWCHPs are going to do anything very bad to them. If I were going to carry one I would stoke it up with those and feel okay.

Zoostation,

I also have the same gun and shoot it on a regular basis with standard pressure 158 grain LSWC ammo. I would not hesitate to carry it loaded with the 158 grain LSWC +P ammo if I were to use it as a carry piece. I would not fire a lot of the +P ammo through it, however I can not believe that the 10% power increase will harm your gun. The proof loads that they tested those guns with was a lot hotter than the +P ammo of today's manufacture.

I'm with Saxon Pig on this one. I think you'd die of carpal tunnel syndrome before you would wear out a K-frame .38 (even an older one) with factory +Ps.

I have a 5" 1946 model and I wouldn't hesitate to put +p in it. I also say this as if you look at pressures, most +p pressures, they are 17k psi vs the 15k psi which .38 factory loads generally operate around.