S&W 66-2 Ammo

[kennyv]

I have a S&W 66-2. Which 38 non +p bullet has the the least
wear on the barrel Lead RN or FMJ?

 

[Warren Sear]

A lead bullet will put less wear on a barrel than a jacketed one.

 

[kennyv]

A lead bullet will put less wear on a barrel than a jacketed one.

So lead bullets would be better for practice.

 

[Warren Sear]

I suppose so, but a barrel is good for many, MANY thousands of rounds of ammo, so I would not worry about that.

High pressure 125 grain jacketed bullets have earned a bad reputation in K framed .357's for splitting forcing cones. This happened to me once. That is different though, than conventional wear. Are you referring to this?

 

[papajohn428]

If you can afford to shoot enough jacketed, plated or any other kind of bullets to wear out a barrel, the cost of the gun would be inconsequential. S&W 1917's that shoot thousands of rounds of FMJ 230-grain loads with shallow rifling still shoot quite well, many decades later.

I had a Model Ten with shallow rifling that digested nearly 70,000 rounds of plated bullets in a five-year period, and the rifling was just as good when I got rid of it as the day I got it. Barrel wear is not a concern, as long as you don't shoot a steady diet of lapping loads through it!

 

[ArchAngelCD]

No 38 Special or .38 Special +P ammo will harm your M66 .357 Magnum. You can't afford enough .38 Special ammo to wear out that revolver, really... Like said above, .357 Magnum ammo is a different story. Stick with 158gr loads in .357 Magnum.

 

[65kaiser]

I suppose so, but a barrel is good for many, MANY thousands of rounds of ammo, so I would not worry about that.

High pressure 125 grain jacketed bullets have earned a bad reputation in K framed .357's for splitting forcing cones. This happened to me once. That is different though, than conventional wear. Are you referring to this?

To add to this, 125 grain 357 magnum loads are thought to be the cause of the failing forcing cones. Not 38 +P . The 158 grain 357 magnum loads are the preferred magnum load for the k frame.