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Old 03-04-2011, 12:00 PM
Habbyguy Habbyguy is offline
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Default .357 +P loads in a 19-6

Recently picked up an unfired 19-6 at a gun show just minutes before the show closed. Ran to the ammunition vendor, and convinced them to pull the covers off and sell me a couple boxes of .38 Special and one box of .357 Magnum ammo.

The .38's shoot like butter... most fun I've had shooting anything other than that AK-47 loaded with tracers, but that's another story... Loaded up the .357 rounds and was amazed at the 2 foot fireball and the thunderous blast. Still, easy enough to control, and didn't have any problems cycling 24 rounds through the gun.

Only after leaving the range did I happen to notice that the .357 Magnum ammo I picked up was 160gr Miwall FMJSP .357 Magnum +P. I'm reading conflicting info on whether there's really any such thing as ".357 Magnum +P" or not, but it appears that it IS a pretty hot round (1400fps, 696 ft/lbs).

I've also read about the potential for cracking / gas cutting the forcing cone on the K-frame guns.

There's also the Buffalo Bore ammo that's NOT listed as +P. but that has even higher listed performance figures (like their 158gr JHC w/ 1475fps, 763 ft. lbs). Buffalo Bore claims that their loads are safe for any gun rated for .357 Magnum, providing it's in good condition.

I'll probably shoot a more pedestrian .357 Magnum round in the future at the range, but am looking for recommendations on the wisdom of using the Miwall or Buffalo Bore "hot ammo" in my 19-6 for hunting (as a BUG to my rifle), and home defense.
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Old 03-04-2011, 12:12 PM
P&R Fan P&R Fan is offline
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As far as I know there has never been a +P classification for the .357 Magnum round.
That said, some factory loads are much hotter than others.
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Old 03-04-2011, 12:17 PM
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roaddog28 roaddog28 is offline
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Hi,
I have never heard of the ammo your talking about. If I were you I would not shoot the rest of the box. Some others on this forum may have experience with this ammo brand but I don't. I have three K frame magnums. When I want to shoot 357 magnum ammo I stay with 142 to 158 gr and also stay away from the higher velocity 357 kind. Generally speaking I use ammo in the range of 1100 to 1250 fps. I stay away from the full power 125 gr or lighter in my model 13, 19 and 66. If you stay away from the so called "frame thrower" type ammo and take care of your 19-6 you should not have any problems with your revolver.

You have purchased one the finest 357 magnum S&W ever made. Enjoy your new revolver.
Howard
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Old 03-04-2011, 12:50 PM
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diamonback68 diamonback68 is offline
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There is no such classification of .357 +P, to my knowledge, unless someone has just started making them up. Rugers may be able to handle them, but I would not shoot them in a model 19. That gun was never meant for continual use of "pedal to the metal" hot 357 loads. Continual use of them could mean a cracked forcing cone in your future.
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Last edited by diamonback68; 03-04-2011 at 12:52 PM.
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Old 03-04-2011, 01:35 PM
oldtexan oldtexan is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Habbyguy View Post
Recently picked up an unfired 19-6 at a gun show just minutes before the show closed. Ran to the ammunition vendor, and convinced them to pull the covers off and sell me a couple boxes of .38 Special and one box of .357 Magnum ammo.

The .38's shoot like butter... most fun I've had shooting anything other than that AK-47 loaded with tracers, but that's another story... Loaded up the .357 rounds and was amazed at the 2 foot fireball and the thunderous blast. Still, easy enough to control, and didn't have any problems cycling 24 rounds through the gun.

Only after leaving the range did I happen to notice that the .357 Magnum ammo I picked up was 160gr Miwall FMJSP .357 Magnum +P. I'm reading conflicting info on whether there's really any such thing as ".357 Magnum +P" or not, but it appears that it IS a pretty hot round (1400fps, 696 ft/lbs).

I've also read about the potential for cracking / gas cutting the forcing cone on the K-frame guns.

There's also the Buffalo Bore ammo that's NOT listed as +P. but that has even higher listed performance figures (like their 158gr JHC w/ 1475fps, 763 ft. lbs). Buffalo Bore claims that their loads are safe for any gun rated for .357 Magnum, providing it's in good condition.

I'll probably shoot a more pedestrian .357 Magnum round in the future at the range, but am looking for recommendations on the wisdom of using the Miwall or Buffalo Bore "hot ammo" in my 19-6 for hunting (as a BUG to my rifle), and home defense.
There is no SAAMI standard AFAIK for a +P pressure level for the .357 Magnum.

If someone has sold you something marked as .357 Magnum +P, then the sellers were either deceptive or ignorant. I would avoid future dealings with them.

I googled "Miwall ammo", and found a website for a California company thats sells ammo, relaoading equipment, and shooting supplies. I suspect this Miwall ammo you bought is their in-house manufactured stuff, or something made by a commercial reloader for them. Either way, you would have no way of knowing what their quality control is like. My advice is to stop shooting this ammo immediately.

For defense, I'd stick with .38 +P loads. I really don't think that for defense the extra velocity of .357 Mag compared to good .38 +P loads is worth the extra flash, muzzle blast, recovery time, etc of the Magnum. If your 19-6 has a 2 1/2" barrel, I recommend either CorBon's .38 +P 110 grain DPX load or Speer's +P 135 grain Gold Dot Short Barrel load. If the barrel is longer, I'd go with a 158 grain .38 +P Lead Hollowpoint load (the so-called Chicago load or FBI load), preferably from Remington, Winchester, or Federal. These all do well in ballistic gelatin testing and seem to work well on people as well, providing sufficient penetration and reliable expansion.

Last edited by oldtexan; 03-04-2011 at 01:46 PM.
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Old 03-04-2011, 04:22 PM
cptdco cptdco is offline
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That box of ammunition sounds like all the excuse some of us would need to go shopping for a Model 27.
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357 magnum, 696, commercial, k frame, k-frame, model 19, model 27, remington, winchester

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