Using +P
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ronnie gore
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plusP
yes you can, I have found that most plus p ammo is not all that hot anyway.
I reload and was shooting plus p equivalent out of guns made in the 40's for years without any problems.
yes you can, I have found that most plus p ammo is not all that hot anyway.
I reload and was shooting plus p equivalent out of guns made in the 40's for years without any problems.
Jim Lawburgh
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The +P ammo I use is in the tactical .357 magnum range. I would not use it in a gun not rated for it's use.
A call or email to Smith will get a definative answer for you.
Better safe than sorry. YMMV
Stay safe,
Jim
A call or email to Smith will get a definative answer for you.
Better safe than sorry. YMMV
Stay safe,
Jim
ArchAngelCD
Moderator, SWCA Member, Absent Comrade
As per S&W, you can safely shoot .38 Special +P ammo in any all steel S&W .38 Special revolver that has a model number. (1957 on) Most, including me believe +P ammo is safe in any post WWII all steel S&W .38 Special revolver.
Remember, there are many revolver that can safely fire .38 Special +P ammo but aren't marked +P on the barrel because those revolvers were manufactured before SAAMI came up with the +P designation.
Remember, there are many revolver that can safely fire .38 Special +P ammo but aren't marked +P on the barrel because those revolvers were manufactured before SAAMI came up with the +P designation.
66snub
Member
I shoot +P rounds in my 10-6 at the range all the time. The recoil is pretty tame, considering the 4" barrel. Incidentally, I also occasionally carry my M10, and it is stoked with Remington 125 gr SJHP's, which are superbly accurate out of this gun.
bananaman
Member
What year did the + P designation come into existence? Based on the info above is it safe to shoot in a Model 36? ( non pinned barrel) Sorry, I am new to J Frames. I know that my K's, L's, & N's are safe. Thanks, Bob
shouldazagged
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Yes, it's safe. See post #4.
Art Doc
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I think the +P was coined around 1973 give or take. Current +P is loaded well below maximum allowable chamber pressure. It is not any sort of hot load. In fact it's very mild IMO.
In 1972 , down in Texas, the Winchester company came out with a high pressure, high velocity 158gr load but...........
it did not have "+P" any where on the ammo box, even though it had a 18,500 pressure rating.
I do not have any 1973 ammo boxes with "+P" on them but there should have been be a few out there, by then.
Maybe someone with post a picture if they have one.
it did not have "+P" any where on the ammo box, even though it had a 18,500 pressure rating.
I do not have any 1973 ammo boxes with "+P" on them but there should have been be a few out there, by then.
Maybe someone with post a picture if they have one.
SAAMI introduced the +P designation in 1974. This came about as a result of folks using 38 Super ammunition in firearms designed for 38ACP.
Since the cartridges are externally identical all 38 Super from that day forward has been designated as +P
S&W's position is that 38 Special +P ammunition is safe to use in all, model numbered, steel S&Ws in good condition that are factory chambered for the 38 Special cartridge.
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Pigirondan
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You'll run out of +P ammo before you run out of Model 10.
Art Doc
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"S&W's position is that 38 Special +P ammunition is safe to use in all model numbered S&Ws in good condition that are factory chambered for the 38 Special cartridge."
This statement always prompts me to ask just exactly what was different between the last revolver made without a model and the first one made with it, other than the number stamped on it? How could they have made a gun capable of handling +P ammo in 1958 when the ammo wasn't made until 1973 (or1974)?
This statement always prompts me to ask just exactly what was different between the last revolver made without a model and the first one made with it, other than the number stamped on it? How could they have made a gun capable of handling +P ammo in 1958 when the ammo wasn't made until 1973 (or1974)?
mickeyblueyes
Member
So just for the sake of the conversation, I have some Winchester Ranger +p+ is that a hot load? What is the definitive hottest load you can purchase off a store shelf for .38 special?
Texas Star
US Veteran
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Texas Star
US Veteran
Plus P Plus was intended only for sale to LE forces who specified the exact loads (no SAAMI standard!) and who signed a waiver attesting that it WOULD cause accelerated wear to guns. You cannot know what pressures the lot that you have generates.
Keep in mind that this was normally issued for .357 guns, not for .38 Specials. It's sole reason was to let chiefs in PC cities tell the media that they issued .38 ammo. It was purely a means to avoid "community activists" from causing trouble over ammo. Some batches may be unsafe for many .38-chambered guns. Plus P Plus was not commercially available. Did you buy this at a gun show, or what? I suggest that you fire it only in .357's.
I was for about 30 years a gun writer and had contact with firearms and ammo makers not available to the public. These included engineers and various company PR spokesmen. They advised against using Plus P Plus in .38's and one told me that S&W had seen more gun wear in K-frame .357's using Plus P Plus .38 ammo than from the formidable 125 grain .357 rounds that prompted the introduction of the L-frame guns!
Because you do not know what pressures are in your particular Plus P ammo, do not fire it in anything but a gun chambered in .357. I hope that you didn't buy much of it. It was never intended to reach the public, but some has.
I do not know which current .38 load is hottest and it changes. I personally would not buy anything hotter than Buffalo Bore's loads that border on the performance of the old .38-44 round.
If you need a .357, buy a .357.
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Thanks for catching that. I did leave out the word steel
You are thinking of this backwards.
Manufacturers did not start making 38 revolvers stronger because the +P designation was created in 1974.
The +P designation was created because the strength of the current generation of firearms in the marketplace could already safely handle +P.
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Is that all steel only???
Doesn't this apply only to all steel guns. I looked at an alloy job back around 1980 and the lgs guy said it couldn't take +P.
Back in 1958 a normal load was about as hot as today's +P.
Doesn't this apply only to all steel guns. I looked at an alloy job back around 1980 and the lgs guy said it couldn't take +P.
Back in 1958 a normal load was about as hot as today's +P.
Art Doc
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A member here shoot 1,000 38/44 loads through an alloy Model 12 to see if anything would happen. Understand the 38/44 makes the +P look like what it actually is, a mild target load. He is an engineer and carefully measured all the dimensions and looked for stress in the metal. It came as no surprise to me that nothing happened to the gun.
In 1955 the late Elmer Kieth wrote of shooting 38/44s through an alloy Chief's Special. Again, no effect.
The current (it's been reduced in the past due to liability concerns and not because good guns were blowing up) SAAMI pressure standard for the 38 Special takes into account the cheap revolvers that were imported. The +P is loaded below that standard. It's usually 18,500-20,000 PSI. This is not a hot load.
God I'm tired of this discussion. I have GOT to stop letting myself get sucked into it.
Y'all do whatever you want. Believe whatever you want. If you think that 125@925 FPS is a monster, killer load then you go right ahead. I'm done.
In 1955 the late Elmer Kieth wrote of shooting 38/44s through an alloy Chief's Special. Again, no effect.
The current (it's been reduced in the past due to liability concerns and not because good guns were blowing up) SAAMI pressure standard for the 38 Special takes into account the cheap revolvers that were imported. The +P is loaded below that standard. It's usually 18,500-20,000 PSI. This is not a hot load.
God I'm tired of this discussion. I have GOT to stop letting myself get sucked into it.
Y'all do whatever you want. Believe whatever you want. If you think that 125@925 FPS is a monster, killer load then you go right ahead. I'm done.
