Those .357 Magnum velocities must have been from a 10" test barrel, not any revolver.
Ballistics for S&W Branded Ammo
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Most of them were in the '70s. You could often deduct 200 fps or more from many of the book figures to get real velocities from 4" or 6" revolver barrels.
You know...It might be a good project to shoot as many of the old S&W ammos out of typical revolvers of the era. Wouldn't have to use a lot of the ammo..And it is still available at normal prices. I shot a fair amount back in the day but didn't keep the records(I don't think).. The only ammo I shot that I have the best recollection of was Supervel...and it was mostly underwhelming compared to their figures. The only loads I remember being memorable was some 110 gr HPs. I shot some of them one evening just before darkness set in...coulda use the muzzle flash to take pictures with. Shooting some out of a 4 5/8 inch BH...I thought I was going to have flash burns on my hands. I've always had a little non believing thoughts on factory ammo stats. The only ones that seemed to be in the reported ballpark were shotshell loads.
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Just about everyone, myself included, used to buy Super Vel but Norma and Remington ammos were hotter and loaded to considerably higher pressures. As I recall, Super Vel .38/.357 bullets were slightly smaller in diameter than most similar bullets, presumably to keep pressures down. I don't know what effect this had on accuracy but no one bought Super Vel for target shooting. The flash, noise, and performance were more important then.
In 1970, many shooters believed a snub nose .38 loaded with Super Vel was state-of-the-art weaponry. Maybe it was.
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Speaking of factory ammo velocities... Ichronoed a S&W load.. Waterfowl load 2 3/4 inch 1 1/2 ounce with plated shot. . Holy Cow...Supposed to be about 1200-1225 FPS..It actually produced over 1300 FPS. I remember it averaged 1308 out of a 30 inch Rem 3 inch Full choke bbl. I was guiding on a place that had a runoff pond full of Pintails and Baldpates. I ran 'em over the chrono because they were duck stompers...shoulders too. Pass shooting those ducks was hard on the shoulder. Being 10 point ducks and they were really good eating I shot more than 200 before the pond froze up and they left. The last bird I shot there was a banded Green Wing teal the day before if froze completely up. I always wondered what the pressures were on those loads.
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You should find one of these original ammo charts.... 
Click on the pic for a larger view....
Click on the pic for a larger view....
Walter Rego
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I shot quite a bit of the S&W branded ammo back in the late 1970's and early 1980's. in both the blue and white cardboard boxes and the rifle ammo that was in flat clear plastic blister packs. My shooting buddy and I were convinced that it was hotter than other brands, especially in .357 Magnum loadings. Not that we had any evidence other than it seemed to have a lot more muzzle blast and flash.
There was a shop in town that always had a good supply of it, other retailers seemed to ignore it in favor of the usual Remington, Winchester and Hornady ammo. For a long time I used to find old stock at gun shows at tables of assorted ammo, usually from estate sales. I bought it up for less than new production ammo whenever I came across it. I haven't seen any in several years though.
There was a shop in town that always had a good supply of it, other retailers seemed to ignore it in favor of the usual Remington, Winchester and Hornady ammo. For a long time I used to find old stock at gun shows at tables of assorted ammo, usually from estate sales. I bought it up for less than new production ammo whenever I came across it. I haven't seen any in several years though.
