J Frame 357's

[Beauetienne]

I know about limiting full load 357's in K frame revolvers to prolong the life of the revolver.
What's the deal with modern J frame 357's ?
Is the ability of stainless steel frames about the same as my Model 19's or would the reasoning be to almost never shoot 357 rounds in the J frames ?

 

[Loyaljeeper]

Believe it or not the stainless j magnum j frames can be stronger than k frame magnums. Some of the weak areas of the K frame magnums are eliminated in the 60/640/649.

 

[Bill In Texas]

Howdy Beauetienne!

My EDC is a 640-1. I carry .357's in it, the Speer Short Barrel 135 grain rounds. But I've run several other kinds of .357's through it without any trouble. I will say that it is a hand full with 158 grain rounds though!

 

[TAROMAN]

Same with my 640-1. A little brute:

 

[oldiesradio1560]

I've owned a .357 640, 640-3 and now my carry is a 640 Pro Series. At the range I shoot 158gr FMJ factory .357 loads and my carry ammo is Hornady Critical Defense 125gr FTX .357. Never had any issue.

 

[sawlog]

I carry a model 60-14 or model 60-15 daily.
I shoot a ton of 357s thru them. I was wondering the sa e thing, so I called smith last week and asked them.
They said if it says 357 then shoot 357. I then asked if I should limit 5ne round count and he told me no, shoot all you want.

 

[colt_saa]

A 357 K-frame Combat Magnum (19/66 family) manufactured last month is not the same thing as a 357 K-frame Combat Magnum manufactured in 1955 when they were first introduced.

Across those more than 6 decades of manufacture and sales, Smith and Wesson learned things, both in metallurgy and manufacturing techniques. As they learned those things, the firearms became stronger and more durable.

My oldest 11 ounce Model 340PD has had in excess if 7,000 full power 357 Magnum rounds fired through it over the last 17 years. It has never had a round of 38 Special fired in it. Myself and about 100 of my associates have used that revolver to shoot our qualifying course

The ultra light Scandium J-frames are not fun to shoot, but it is comforting to know the power is there if it is needed

 

[Jingles]

I find full-house .357 loads in my J frames tend to be self limiting. Quite the handful!

 

[KalamazooKid]

Had my boys over a couple of weekends ago and we’re shooting my 340 PD and as usual, finished up the session with all of us shooting a cylinder of full load 357’s. Brutal, but exhilarating! [emoji23]


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[ImDrRich]

60-14

I have shot thousands of rounds of .357 through my Model 60-14 with no problem. I have checked the forcing cone periodically but other than that it is one tough gun.

Of course, I need to wear a glove if I'm going to shoot more than 50 rounds, lol.

 

[Rpg]

The 357 mag j frames suffer no harm from shooting 357 mag ammo in them because doing so is so unpleasant most folks will never shoot a box if it through their gun.

357 mag ammo will damage the shooter before it damages the gun.

 

[cpt-t]

I have been using a S&W 640-1 357 MAG with a Crimson Trace Laser Grip Sight for my CC gun for several years now. And I really like it. I shoot it quite a bit and I have gotten much better with it than I ever thought I would be able to. For the life of me I just don`t understand why the S&W 640-1 is so unpopular. I shoot alot of 38SPL`s for practice but I shoot quite a few practice 357 MAG rounds also. But I carry the hot factory ammo in it for CC. Which I really don`t find that type of factory ammo that much of a problem. But it is sure nice to see someone else bragging about and carrying a S&W 640-1 other than just me. IMHO my S&W 640-1 with a Crimson Trace Laser Grip Sight is just really hard to improve on.
ken

 

[chief38]

JUST my personal opinion but I'd always recommend NOT getting a J Frame in .357 magnum!

I know no one who actually carries Magnum loads in their J's even if the gun accepts them. The .357 version is larger, heavier, bulkier and probably more expensive, and for what? The .357 Mag out of a 2" gun is really no advantage over that of a Buffalo Bore 158 grain .38 special +P LSWCHP-GC (#20A) which does an honest 1025 fps from a 2" bbl and won't knock your socks off.

IMO the .357 Magnum should START from a 3" bbl gun and REALLY comes into its own at the 6" bbl. mark. YMMV

 

[chief38]

2" J Frames loaded with full house .357's have too much recoil, are way too loud to practice with, burn much of the powder outside the barrel causing huge muzzle flash, retard follow up shots, could over penetrate, and hurt the tendons in your hand and fingers. AGAIN, just my honest opinion - OR maybe I'm just a wuss......

 

[Andy Lowry]

My defense load in a 640 or K6 is Remington Golden Saber. They're not horrible to shoot-- 125 grains at 1100fps is bearable, and the Lucky Gunner tests have them at 18" penetration with .62" expansion from a 2" barrel. It's easier for me to handle than a .38+P in a lightweight like a 642.

 

[loeman]

I've never found my 649-3 to be particularly unpleasant to shoot with .357. I've had this gun for 20 years and I love the Uncle Mike's grips that came with it. True, I don't shoot that many rounds at one time, maybe around 15. And for its size it is pretty heavy and that is probably why it is not unpleasant to shoot. And with the shrouded hammer it is just perfect for pocket carry or IWB. I love this gun so much that I've never even considered another J frame magnum. I have a lot of Smith and Wessons but this gem is my working gun.

 

[Targets Guy]

with my 60-15 I shoot .357s just to make sure I still can but I don't call it enjoyable. +P and .38 special are fine but the .357s are work.

 

[MetalMan]

with my 60-15 I shoot .357s just to make sure I still can but I don't call it enjoyable. +P and .38 special are fine but the .357s are work.

My sentiments exactly.

 

[KSDeputy]

I love the grips you have on it. Are they aftermarket? If so where did you get them?

 

[GTBL]

I have a 640 Pro. I carry .357 in it everyday. Recoil out of the 23oz gun is not as bad as some make it out to be. I am comfortable with it being loaded with .357 and would rather have that than .38 if I came down to a life/death situation.