.357 Loads
- Thread starter Shemp1895
- Start date
Person of Interest
New member
Which people is that saying not to use 125 loads? Not this people. I have two K frame Magnums and all they ever get are full-power 125 JHPs (my 1,500 FPS handloads, not wimpy 1,200 FPS factory loads). The stories about damaged forcing cones seem to mainly involve 19-5s and I suspect this specific model had some faulty barrels.
Personally, I wouldn't buy a gun if I seriously believed that it wouldn't safely handle any factory load.
Personally, I wouldn't buy a gun if I seriously believed that it wouldn't safely handle any factory load.
azredhawk44
Moderator
May have been an accuracy recommendation...
My sp101 in .357 is much more accurate with 158's than 125's...
It has something to do with the speed of the rifling and the distance of the bullet from the forcing cone. The 158gr is closer because it is a heavier and longer bullet.
My sp101 in .357 is much more accurate with 158's than 125's...
It has something to do with the speed of the rifling and the distance of the bullet from the forcing cone. The 158gr is closer because it is a heavier and longer bullet.
Person of Interest
New member
Some people warn against the hot 125 loads in K frames saying they cause flame cutting and cracking on the forcing cones. Hasn't been a problem for me (at least not yet) and I use loads much hotter than factory level.
One of these days I'm going to find out who these " people" are. If it says .357 shoot it. The one caution on the 19 is : It's not designed for day in, day out shooting with .357. It was designed foor the LEO who pactrices with 38 special., shoots a few cylindes of .357 ammo. and then gos to work. The L frame is designed for a steady diet of .357
Wouldn't that happen on all .357's then? That theory has been disproven because they don't use better still in the L frames than the K frames.
All .357's are meant to shoot any kind of .357 ammo. They are not like 9mm's that can't uses +p+ ammo or anything like that because there is no .357 +p or +p+. Therefore, everything factory made is standard pressure including Buffalo Bore and Double Tap. Hot .357 loads will definitely wear the gun down faster than using .38 wadcutters, but not anymore than 9mm +p will wear a 9mm.
Dave, Check the history of Smith and Wesson. ( And Bill Jordan ). The 19 was brought out in the K Frame to be a Law Enforcement Firearm.At that time in history most if not all police officers carried a revolver and 38 Special ammo. The 19 was a more stable platform and much easier to shoot. It was the weapon of choice if your department allowed it. ( Some mandated other weapons such as the Model 15) More and more people started shooting the 19 with full 357 loads on a steady basis and as a result more and more, very loose S&W were being sent back for repair. Hence the L- Frame. No. the steel isn't any better, just a few more ounces of it. If you want to go out and burn off a hundred rounds of full power 357s every day the L-Frame could take it. It reallly didn't have that much to do with flame cutting and cracking of the forceing cone ( that did happen) It's about beating a good gun loose. Remember, the Model 19 Combat Magnum came out in 1955.
Person of Interest
New member
The K frame .357 does have a thinner forcing cone at the bottom to clear the ejector rod. I have heard 4-5 people claim their 19s split at this spot and they blamed the use of hot 125 grain ammo whic produces more flame than the 158 loads. All but one of these guns were 19-5s which makes me wonder if there might be a problem with this particular model. Like I said, my K Magnums have had no trouble as yet.
