Earliest Smith & Wessons to practically use jacketed bullets

[desi2358]

That is exactly what I am thinking .

True the 1917 45 acp ammo was jacketed ...
but the 357 magnum just about demanded a jacketed bullet with the pressure and velocity it developed .

Gary

While the 357 works very well with jacketed bullets it started out with lead ones and continued with lead into the 1960's before jacketed ones began to become common. Reading old gun magazine articles I've found much discussion of the problem of leading and poor accuracy in 357 revolvers with the factory standard 158 gr lead bullets that the ammo manufacturers used. General consensus being that factory lead bullets were too soft and handloaders of the era often went to harder lead alloys and gas checks to try to alleviate the problem. Some even began experimenting with swaging and forming various jacketed designs............ But the factories took a while before getting into the act themselves.

PS: I've shot a fair amount of the old factory 357 loads (they were still the most common load around in the 1970's) and the leading issue was very real! Still occasionally shoot odd bits of old factory ammo (partial boxes that I find mainly) and while some aren't bad, some still lead up a barrel in a hurry!

 

[mrcvs]

I’m fairly certain early rounds for the Model 1917 are cast lead bullets and jacketed bullets for this model did not arise until much later.

I thought leading on the .357 magnum was from shooting too great velocities and/or from firing .38 Special rounds in a .357 magnum revolver??? From what I have heard, but that doesn’t mean a lot.

This is a box of .38 Special from the late 1930s—and you will note the bullets are not copper jacketed.

The inside flap states “12 29 22E”.

 

[desi2358]

I’m fairly certain early rounds for the Model 1917 are cast lead bullets and jacketed bullets for this model did not arise until much later.

I thought leading on the .357 magnum was from shooting too great velocities and/or from firing .38 Special rounds in a .357 magnum revolver??? From what I have heard, but that doesn’t mean a lot.

This is a box of .38 Special from the late 1930s—and you will note the bullets are not copper jacketed.

The inside flap states “12 29 22E”.

The model 1917 was intended to use standard military 45ACP which was loaded with a 230gr. jacketed bullet. The first common usage of lead bullets in them would have been with the appearance of the 45 Auto Rim round in the 1920's. This round was developed after the 1917 became available to the civilian market and eliminated the need for moon clips.