How many rounds through your Mod. 36?

[tacotime]

Just like to hear from people who have been shooting a particular Mod. 36 for a long time, to get an estimate of how many rounds you may have fired?

Has anyone ever worn one out using non +P ammo? If so, what part really wore out?

Also wondering what the realistic life is of a steel frame Mod. 36 using non +P ammo, and mostly cast bullets.

 

[palmetto99]

Hmmm, kind of hard to use up a model 36.

I would think that it would take a whole lot of rounds with lots of neglect and the timing would be the most likely problem. Maybe endshake too.

 

[M3Stuart]

I'd think that your hand would wear out, it being a J frame, before the Model 36 would!

 

[Hendel]

I rescued a poor little 36 some years ago that looked like it had been carried a lot, bu not shot much. Beautiful little thing had lots of honest holster and handling wear but thankfully no scratches or dings. Locks up like the veritable bank vault.


Since that time, I've put maybe close to a thousand rounds through it. All mid range cast handloads. I've never shot +p's through it. Still carry it loaded with NyClads. That box has lasted me awhile.

I know this doesn't help, but ask me again in 10 years.

 

[bluegrassarms]

I expect your grandkids will be using it just fine. I can't speak to +P but for regular .38 ammo it should last many 1,000s of rounds, maybe 10s of 1,000s with good maintenance. Springs and such may lose their tension or timing need to be fixed but those are all replaceable parts.

Maybe I'm way off, but in general revolvers hold up extremely well. The cylinder creates a very strong chamber on a quality gun and you only use each 1 time to fire 5-6 rounds versus a semi-auto using one chamber for all of them.

One of the things that amazes me the most about guns in general is how a thing designed to contain explosions is so well built that it works more than 100 years after it was made. I've got a Colt M1909 that served in the Philippines a century ago and I wouldn't think twice about firing it time and again. That amazes me.

 

[snubbiefan]

There was a thread on the forum here someplace concerning +P in a 36. The poster had bulged a cylinder and said he only shot a few. Smith told him the gun "should not have done that". None-the-less....it did. This particular member was looking for a 36 cylinder. I'd steer-clear of +P.

The old argument/discussion continues anyway. You don't gain enough from a +P load to justify ruining a revolver shooting it. I think Smith says that any "modern" revolver chambered for the 38-special should be safe for +P, but I don't use it in my revolvers not so stamped, or otherwise published as being +P compatible.

 

[tacotime]

Love the old well-worn blue revolvers. Rescued are the best. That one is a good deal less scratched up than this old friend.

Then there is the LEO on the other post with over 8,000 +P rounds through his Mod. 60. Good to know, though I like the idea of very limited practice with +P if it is to be carried, and standard loads for plinking/target.

That said, I am hoping someone shows up here with a 36 with many, many thousands of rounds fired, that is still solid. I believe mine will be, but just like to hear from those who have gone before...

 

[chief38]

Last year I inherited my Dad's "pre-M36" Baby Chief's Nickeled revolver made in 1950 - 1951. My Dad was a Fed. and he carried this gun (BUG) every day of his life from the time he bought it until the time he went in to the Hospital (total of 62 years). Not only did this little gun get carried daily, he would routinely shoot it in BUG (side) matches and weekly for practice. If I had to take an educated guess on how many rounds this gun has has through it I would guess between 50,000 to 60,000. Now I know he had replaced parts (the hand, springs, screws, cylinder stop, ratchets/ejector rod, etc.) in the past but I do not know how many times. When he died the timing was so off that the hammer was not hitting the primers reliably any more and I did a complete rebuild of the guns internal parts. The only parts that I did not replace are the frame, cylinder, barrel, grips, flat latch cylinder release & locking bolt. The other parts were all replaced with Factory parts that were purchased from S&W when the gun was made ( I guess he knew he would be shooting this gun quite a bit). He was very friendly with the Shop Foreman at the time and so the revolver still has all the period correct parts in it but they are all new.

After I did all the work rebuilding it I took it down to the Range and put 300 158 grain lead standard velocity RN and SWC through it and it functioned flawlessly. Not only did it function perfectly but it is still dead on and I would not hesitate to carry this gun for self defense. I would not however fire any of my usual carry loads through it that I routinely carry in my M60-7 which is the Buffalo Bore 158 grain LSWCHP-GC +P (HEAVY) load. That Baby Chief was not meant to fire those HOT BB loads and I would not want to risk damaging that very "valuable-to-me" gun!!

Now I will say this..........
The gun has been serviced and rebuild a number of times and parts will wear out if a gun is shot often enough, but the most important parts like the frame, barrel and cylinder are still perfectly serviceable and still make this 62 year old Baby Chief's a viable gun that one can depend on for self defense. Don't think that any mechanical devise can be used for this long and this often with out having parts in need of replacing, but as long as they are available or can be made, the original item can be kept in service.

Chief38

 

[tacotime]

Excellent story!

 

[tguil]

Chief 38, Great story!

I'm the guy who had the the Model 36 with bulged cylinder chamber. Yep, one factory +p round. I finally found a pristine replacement cylinder and the gun is at the gunsmith now having the replacemant cylinder installed with a bit of "tuning" too. No way is another +p going through this gun.

I purchased a new no-lock Model 442 just after I messed up the Model 36. It's a very nice gun but it's not the same. The Model 36 is a "classic" just like me.

By the way, I purchased my Model 36 new in 1984. It was made during the Bangor Punta years. I ordered it through a local dealer. It was the second gun that was sent to him. He said the first one was good only for a "boat anchor".

 

[tacotime]

I think there were some issues with the guns that came right after they stopped pinning the barrels. Kind of makes sense - they were cutting costs, and was that also around the time the company had been sold also?

I had a 34-1 from 82 or 83 or so, and that gun was a mess. It was new old stock when I got it around 2000 but had several assembly, fit and machining problems. Really bothered me. Prefer the older ones now.

 

[buckeyefist]

I have a pre 36 nickel from 1954 or so, flat latch, ramp sight, small trigger gaurd, short round butt and pinned barrell of course. All matching numbers including the grips. Getting decent accuracy much past 25 ft for me is not so good with 38 special factory rounds. I handload so i have the benefit of finding a comfy load that suits me. If i didnt load my own and intended on shooting the gun alot i would probably shoot 38's only. Its just not that fun to pump more than 25 or so rounds of the hot stuff through them. Will specials hurt them? As stated above, anything mechanical will wear proportionatley to the amount and level of use. Anywho, i keep this one clean and tucked away, i used to shoot the heck out of it until i got.....

A 36 no dash, blued, flat latch, ramp sight, elongated round butt bigger trigger gaurd. Bought cheap and this baby has some serious holster wear on it. I put a houge on this one and that makes a huge difference in the feel i think. Same deal though, i create my own loads based on my comfort level for practice and for defenseive rounds i flip a 148 HBWC upside down, but use the same charge.......Again as mentioned before, any weapon of this size is not going to gain enough from HOT specials or +P's to justify the felt recoil, degraded accuracy or even damage to a bad guy.

Im no pro but i do shoot alot. And i also beleive in shooting what you intend to defend yourself with alot.

Personally i do not own any of the airwheights, but i have shot a 37 with factory remington 38 specials and i feel that a steady diet of that will most definetly "hurt" the gun.

 

[serpentine]

My Pre Model 36 was also given to me by my dad. It was his dads. Since my ownership, I have about 200 rounds through it. I can't say how many have been through it prior to me, but its in great shape. Was a daily carry at one point in it's life.

 

[Bert Man]

Bought my 36 no dash new in 1974 for $96.00 when I was a young patrol officer. Carried it for nearly 30 years for off-duty/backup and qualified regularly with it with the required +p. Probably also 2000+ rounds of standard and wadcutter ammo over the years. Timing is still almost perfect with no measurable end shake. Still going strong and is still my go to j-frame carry gun. These little buggers are hard to wear out as long as they are properly maintained.

 

[Erich]

I know that I've shot over 1k rounds of +P rounds through my 36-1, and, beyond that, at least 500 rounds of +P+ (a significant number of these last THE LOAD, for folks who've been around here a while). Still perfectly tight, still carries-up perfectly.

Lately it's been supplanted for shooting and carry by a 3" SP-101, but not because I think the J-frame is delicate, rather because I can go full-on hardcore (158s at 1400 fps, 180s at well over 1200) with the little Ruger.

Love the little five-shots. If you're not slinging the cylinder shut or dry-firing as fast as you can for hours on end - and you keep it clean, I don't know that you can wear out a steel J-38.

 

[riverrat38]

By the time enough rounds are fired through a $500. revolver to "wear it out", it is likely that at least 5 times that amount has been spent on hand loads. A lot more if using factory rounds.

Rick

 

[chief38]

Chief 38, Great story!

I'm the guy who had the the Model 36 with bulged cylinder chamber. Yep, one factory +p round. I finally found a pristine replacement cylinder and the gun is at the gunsmith now having the replacemant cylinder installed with a bit of "tuning" too. No way is another +p going through this gun.

I purchased a new no-lock Model 442 just after I messed up the Model 36. It's a very nice gun but it's not the same. The Model 36 is a "classic" just like me.

By the way, I purchased my Model 36 new in 1984. It was made during the Bangor Punta years. I ordered it through a local dealer. It was the second gun that was sent to him. He said the first one was good only for a "boat anchor".

Hmmmmm,
I am quite surprised that one +P round would bulge what I would consider a relatively modern Smith Revolver. Smith has put in writing that any revolver with a model number stamped in the yoke will handle +P rated ammo (which yours will have if built in 1984). I would have returned it to Smith as a possible defective gun and I would have also chronographed the box of ammo that it happened with. The modern J's should handle plenty of +P stuff before showing any signs of getting tired and should never develop a bulged cylinder chamber unless there is something askew here.

While I would NOT chance my Dad's 1950 Baby Chief's I'd still bet money that even that old geezer would come through fine with a limited amount of +P's through it. I would think that because my Dad's agency constantly experimented with all kinds of +P and +P+ ammo he did at some point fire some very hot loads through it. I do have a few boxes (half shot) of the "Treasury Loads" from both Federal & Winchester which are both rated +P+. I don't know for sure that he fired them through the gun, but knowing my Dad I would not be surprised of he had.

Well good luck with your gunsmithing work and I hope your GS can find the reason the cylinder bulged. Please let us know if he does.

Chief38

 

[tguil]

Don't mean to take from orginal post but....

My model 36 was purchased in 1983, serial #1J04---. I'm not sure if the model number is stamped on the yoke. The gun will be at the smith for a while. I'll check when I get it back. The bulge is very slight. At first the smith didn't think it was bulged...just enough to make extraction from that cylinder impossible without a tap from a wooden dowel.

As I mentioned in another post, I ordered this gun from a local dealer ($185). This is the second gun that the dealer got in. He told me the first was good only for a "boat anchor" and set it back.

Prior to my "oops" with the +p's, the gun only had wadcutters, snake shot and few regular semi-wadcutters through it. Maybe 200 rounds max.

The +p's are Winchester SuperX .38 Special 158 gr. Semi-Wadcutter +p's. They are almost as old as the gun.

I had not shot this gun for for over twenty years and got it out only for a "back-up" when I was taking my CCW class. Yes, I made sure it was ready to use before loading up.

So in reality it is a like new gun. I'll probably not use it all that much. I have a new 442 no lock that works whole lot better in my pocket. But still my Model 36 is perhaps my favorite gun. (Hate to admit that all of my other handguns are Rugers. No bulged cylinders with any of these "tanks". )

I have had several conversations with S&W about this gun. They would not work on it because it is "obsolete", but offered to give me a "good guy" price on a new gun. Unfortunately it was not all the good.

Back to the OP. Sure am glad that most of the posts indicate that you can "shoot the snot" out of a Model 36.

Tom

 

[Will Carry]

I shoot my Model 36 3" all the time. I don't use +P ammo. Over the years (hundreds of rounds) I have shot it enough to know that it is a great concealed carry revolver, even with standard pressure ammo. It's a very quick gun to draw and fire. If getting off the first shot means anything in a gun fight I would rate the model 36 at the top of the list.