re: S&W 38 Special Revolver Ammunition

quote:

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So you think it would be ok to shoot +P ammo in this gun?

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The safest bet would be to use the ammo you recommended.

However, I was assuming the OP would shoot target ammo for practice and (like most of us) only shoot +p if in a SD situation. Personally I wouldn't hesitate to do this, assuming it's a steel revolver and in good condition.

Conventional wisdom (which isn't always correct) indicates that occasional use of +p ammo shouldn't hurt any S&W or Colt steel revolver manufactured after WWII (assuming the gun is in good condition).

Today's +p ammo for .38 Spl is only slightly hotter than standard pressure loads.

IIRC Elmer Keith and Jim Cirillo hand-loaded a lot of "hot" ammo for their service revolvers "back in the day."

Some of the old timers also say that "standard" ammo back then was hotter than today's standard pressure loads. I'm not sure about this.

Here's a thread form the S&W forum that argues both sides of the question. LINK

With all that said, I suspect the S&W factory would say to not use +p ammo in that vintage of weapon. So my "personal choice" would be to retire any revolver from the 50's and buy a newer generation revolver, or buy a good 9mm semi-auto. Kinda like shooting an old shotgun you inherited from your great grampaw ....... I'd retire it and trade-up to a more modern design so I wouldn't have to worry about shooting modern ammo.