Just picked up the above at a show. I have a manual for it, but it is not listed specifically on the use of +p .38 ammo. Does anyone know if it is safe for the hot loads? Thanks for the help.

Just picked up the above at a show. I have a manual for it, but it is not listed specifically on the use of +p .38 ammo. Does anyone know if it is safe for the hot loads? Thanks for the help.

Nice find! I have one and periodic +p is no problem.

The title of the post is S&W 460 - what does that have to do with +P .38 ammo?

+1 for 505Gibbs, I wouldn't have looked at the post if I knew it was about .38 Specials. Don

This is the designation of the Custom House. The gun is similar to the 442. Bbl is ported, and completely hammerless. I realize that the non-custom house is for the .460. I did not name the gun, just reporting what is on the yoke.

I have heard many times from many sources that S&W revolvers that have a model number designation can safely handle +p. I have not confirmed this so it may well be rumor, but one such source was the Internet, so it must be true.

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NRA - All Day

I have a PC that is a model 25 and it has the number 157 on the yoke. Means nothing... just a part or assembly number.

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S&W factory revolver armorer

Those of you who questioned the accuracy of the information in this thread: qrider13 is absolutely correct; his gun is the Performance Center Model 460 Airweight. Look it up in the Standard Catalog of S&W--the factory used that model number back in the early '90s for a 38 Special revolver long before they ever introduced the .460 Magnum.

qrider--nice find! Those revolvers are very scarce; there were only a few hundred built, and I believe it's the only Airweight model ever to come out of S&W's Performance Center. Here's one I picked up a couple years ago--it's a sweet-shooting little J-frame:

Thanks DC7 for the beautiful picture. Mine looks the same except for crimson trace grips. I can't tell if yours is ported like mine is. Is it +p rated?

Dan/DC7 did those Eagle Secret Service grips come factory on that PC460??
They realy look good & set that revolver off.
They appear to have a clear coat gloss on them that niether of my SS grips have..
NICE!!
Congrats grinder13
gary/Hk

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MightShowYouHisSmith&Wesson

qrider: Sorry, that pic came out a bit dark so it may be hard to tell on the dull black finish of the gun, but yes it is ported. That's a factory-original feature of the 460 Airweight, by the way, not aftermarket--the entire production run of this model was ported.

As far as +P goes, it's probably not officially rated for it, but if the gun is in good condition I'm pretty sure it could handle a limited amount without any problem. Around the same time these were built, S&W made a handful of 442's for testing by the Secret Service; they used the same frame as the 460 Airweight/442 no-dash but with lightweight alloy cylinders instead of steel. Those revolvers were tested to 5000 rounds using +P ammo with no failures. I figure if a gun using the same frame and an alloy cylinder held up to 5000 rounds of +P, a steel-cylinder model should also be fine with it. (I still have a stash of 125-grain standard-pressure Nyclad hollowpoints, though, so that's what I use in my Airweights. It's a good defensive round, designed for use in a snub .38, and the low recoil makes it easy to shoot in a lightweight revolver. Rumor has it that Federal may reintroduce it at the upcoming Shot Show--I hope that's true!)

Gary/Headknocker: The Secret Service grips are original to the gun; they came on all the 460 Airweights. I've never owned another set to compare them to, but since these grips would be coming up on 15 years old now, maybe Eagle changed the finish on their later grips. They do look great--and they feel great! I usually use Crimson Trace grips on all my J-frames, but the SS grips are so comfortable that I left them on this one.

I'll beg your forgiveness for my lack of knowledge however there were/are PC guns chambered in the 460 S&W mag as well.
I'm glad its a rare one hence I don't feel too bad about not recognizing it. Nice grab!!

S&W does that number thing once in a while just to keep us on our toes. It would be fun to know just how they decided to name that thing a "460" since it should be something along the lines of a 42. 460 just makes no sense... or does it?