How much .357 use can a M60 take?

[chief38]

So, avoid the 125 grain Remington and Winchester PDX1 rounds?
AA

I would not use any 357 magnum rounds weighing less than 135 grains. I use the 158 and 180 grain weight and mostly out of a stronger L Frame.

 

[daverich4]

Probably more rounds than most would be willing to subject their wrists. My 640-1 is now stoked with CCI Speer 135 grain JHP 38 Special +P Short Barrel ammo. It's easier to control and follow up shots come much faster than with full power 357 Magnum ammo, but it is nice to have the option of using 357 Magnum ammo.

I'm aware this is OT but I'm down to my last box & a half of that. Do you have a source for purchase or maybe you just loaded up before it disappeared from the stores?

 

[CJH]

One of my favorite things about Smith over Colt is their lifetime warranty. Shoot as many as you want and I'm the rare event you shoot it out of time years from now they'll fix it no questions asked

 

[Dave Haynes]

When the M1 Carbine was being developed the military benchmark was 6,000 rds and for some it was not reached.

I look at it this way. If you shoot some perp in the engine room with a J frame 38 Sp 158 gr lead, it will enter, hit a rib and turn sideways and the guy's going to get very sick very fast after that.

Salient point is that every round you fire has your name on it. Cops have a rich relative that pays for their mistakes, we don't. Picking hairs about this that and the other is pretty much a waste of time. Blazing away with .357s that scare everyone including the shooter are asking for trouble with bystanders. It's trouble that nobody needs. Pray that you never have to use it. I have a brother who did everything right during an armed robbery and the newspapers made him into a fool with a stupid article. He just missed going to jail. A pickup with firemen aboard saved his butt by being right in the area. The two perps drove away and the cops put my brother in cuffs. That's trouble I don't need.

 

[AlwaysArmed]

I never asked about shooting somebody. My question was about the durability of the revolver. The symptoms of any problem with it and the warranty. This is not a self defense weapon. I have something better suited for that task at all times.
Always Armed

 

[smoothshooter]

If you want more power get a bigger caliber.

 

[LostintheOzone]

I imagine quite a lot. You will wear out before the gun. The five shot has the cylinder stop notches offset from the chambers so in theory the 5 shot J cylinder is stronger than a 6 shot K.
I have always considered 357 in a J frame a silly endeavor anyway.

I have always considered 357 in a J frame a silly endeavor anyway.



Probably quite a few of those buried in a sock drawer after the first range session.

 

[HughD1]

My wife's mini-me of my 686+ has had the sum total of two through it. A 158 grain Remington SJHP and a 135 grain Gold Dot. They were shot by me because I had to know how it felt. It stays loaded with Gold Dot 135 grain 38+p. They are quite comfortable for my wife to handle and should be sufficient for the task with a three inch barrel. I expect the vast majority of these little guns are loaded with 38s. I don't think S&W makes a stainless steel three inch J frame in 38 anymore. My wife likes it and keeps it with her so I am satisfied with it as a 38.

Hugh


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[Bill Lear]

Something I've noticed with the J frames is that when pocket carried they are typically equipped with teeny tiny grips. Which makes them nearly useless for rapid fire shooting. Basically they are one shot and then re-grip pistols. Now throw the 357 magnum into the mix, then the question is can you keep the gun in your hand. Then there is the matter if all that sound and fury actually provides for a significant increase in velocity over 38 special. From a 1 7/8 inch barrel I don't think it does.

What it boils down to is simple, if you really need 357 Magnums then purchase a 3 inch model 60 and plan on equipping it with ugly rubber Hogue Combat Grips. Then if you carry do it in a IWB holster, NOT a pocket.

Now for the longevity question. The Steel J frames are pretty darned tough little guns. With 38 special they should last a very long time. However if you look at how thin the barrel extension going thru the frame is and how thin the frame is under the barrel and you will see the consequence of designing a revolver to be as light as is possible. Compared to a K frame at it's famous barrel flat you will see the J frame are even thinner in these critical areas. I just don't think the design is well suited for the 357 Magnum. Just because you can do something doesn't mean that you should do it. I would suggest only minimal use of 357 Magnums in any J frame.

38 Special Federal 130gr. HST
38 Special Ammo - Federal HST Personal Defense Micro 130gr JHP - 20 Rounds

357 Magnum Buffalo Bore 125gr. Barnes XPB
Premium 357 Magnum Ammo For Sale - 125 Grain XPB HP Ammunition in Stock by Buffalo Bore - 20 Rounds

The .357 load is 600 hundred feet per second faster from a 2" barrel, and delivers 397 foot-pounds MORE kinetic energy. Most people will consider that "significant."

.38 load.....................357 load
826 fps........................1,426 fps
197 fpe (266 joules).......594 fpe (796 joules)

People don't buy these guns to plink at the range, they buy them to carry for real life self-defense. With appropriate rubber grips they don't move in the hand under recoil, they merely kick so hard one wonders if they have fractured bones, BUT under the adrenaline-fueled circumstances of self-defense, a bullet traveling over 1,400 feet per second, impacting with just shy of 600 foot-pounds of kinetic energy beats one coming under 200 foot-pounds.

The links to the the gelatin tests show the difference.

 

[stansdds]

I'm aware this is OT but I'm down to my last box & a half of that. Do you have a source for purchase or maybe you just loaded up before it disappeared from the stores?

On this I was actually lucky. I stocked up in late 2019, just before the panicdemic began.

 

[Brian Parrish]

Something I've noticed with the J frames is that when pocket carried they are typically equipped with teeny tiny grips. Which makes them nearly useless for rapid fire shooting. Basically they are one shot and then re-grip pistols. Now throw the 357 magnum into the mix, then the question is can you keep the gun in your hand. Then there is the matter if all that sound and fury actually provides for a significant increase in velocity over 38 special. From a 1 7/8 inch barrel I don't think it does.

What it boils down to is simple, if you really need 357 Magnums then purchase a 3 inch model 60 and plan on equipping it with ugly rubber Hogue Combat Grips. Then if you carry do it in a IWB holster, NOT a pocket.

Model 38 Bodyguard Airweight here. 158 grain SWC or 135 grain FMC.
I have found that the Hogue grip disappears in my pocket just as well as the stock grips. With certain pants it can look like you are carrying a Subway sandwich but it is easier to draw! It is faster to draw! It is comfortable to shoot! It is not sticky on the clothing at all. I have it in the Uncle Mike's pocket holster in my left front pocket. I walk around with my hand in that pocket anyway. Though this does not really work with tighter jeans, it is great with Dockers or slacks. It is indeed uglier than the stock wooden grips.

 

[catboat]

If you reload, you can have anything from mild to wild. You can use a 357 mag load that is hotter than a 38 special +p+, and less than a max 357 mag load.

Should give you a lot of terminal performance, be easier to shoot, and be easier on your revolver.

 

[BE Mike]

I never was into torture testing. I've fired a box of 158 gr. JHP .357 mag. ammo out of my S&W model 60-10. With Crimson Trace grips or the rubber grips it came with, it wasn't fun, but not terribly uncomfortable. Just a guess. I think after a few thousand of .357 mag. ammo out of a 2" J frame the gun will show the wear and may or may not be able to function as designed.