SaxonPig, thank you for that link I found it very informative and I think everyone should read it. I wasnt trying to blow you off after your last post, I've just been very busy and have spent a good amount of time doing research on this subject. I've done a lot of reading lately trying to get a handle on all these numbers and for the life of me I can't understand why anyone would not use +P ammo if the pressure rating is much lower than the standard rating set for a .38 special which is 21,500 PSI. Ammo today is much milder than what it was when these guns were manufactured. So if it was fine to use it then, why is it bad now?
I asked the person working at one of the local gun shops if I could use +P ammo in my K-38 and he said if it wasn't marked +P on the gun then I couldn't use it. Obviously he hasn't got a clue what he was talking about.
I'm still not sure I understand how the numbers work. If a round is loaded with less grain, how can it have a higher velocity than a round with more grain? How or what gives it a +P rating. Any feedback on this would be a big help.