Are Corbon's safe for Official Police Colt use?

D

Doug.38PR

Moderator
I've beent told, and have experienced first hand now that I've tried it, that the old Colt Official Police is a large sturdy frame that can handle .38+P loads. Would you all say that this could be said for Corbon 38+P ammo as well? It seems to be a lot higher in energy and velocity than other .38+P manufacterors like PMC or Winchester.

Corbon: Vel 1250fps En 382ft/lps

Winchester/PMS somthing like Vel 945 En 310

Think it's safe?
 
"Probably" Yes on the Official Police as made after the early 1950's.

On older guns, I recommend No.
True, the pre-war Official Police was rated for the hot .38-44 round, but why take a chance on ruining a nice older Colt.

Shooting hot ammo accelerates wear on the gun.
If you want to shoot the hotter stuff, buy a gun specifically made to handle it.
 
Not always.

Hotter loads can cause stretching of the frame and ratchet peening of the breech face.
These can't be "fixed".

Older guns just weren't built to take todays hotter ammo. The steels and the heat treating never anticipated that shooters would shoot ammo that operated at pressures and pressure-curves unknown back then.

Another problem with the Official Police is, VERY few people are left who are capable of doing even normal repairs on these guns.

The average local gunsmith might as well be given a complicated watch to repair.
He has NO experience with the Colt's, and since the Colt action is absolutely NOTHING like any other revolver, most of his skills with S&W or Ruger revolvers is largely useless on the Colt.

So, shoot hot Corbon's in your Official Police, and there likely won't be a "KA-BOOM", but your revolver will not last as long as it should, and it MAY not be repairable at all, even when you do find a Colt-qualified pistolsmith.
 
I see. Now then, you are talking about extensive shooting at the range right? In other words don't take it down to the range on a regular basis every month and put 3 boxes of Corbon .38+P through it. I wasn't necessarily planning to take the gun to the range with three or four boxes of Corbon or even Winchester .38+P for the 1944 OP.....or even the 1961 for that matter.

For defensive purposes or even 6-12 rounds of practice every other time I go to the range do you think it would be alright?

I've already put 9 rounds of Winchester +P through the 1944 OP with no problems.

An old gunsmith down here in Houston (whom I believe is very popular among law enforcement) told me once (He was specifically talking about +P use for the 1944) that before these guns ever left the factory, Colt (and all other gun makers) test fires each chamber with something like 3 times more powder than will ever be used in any one shot. But even he agreed that I shouldn't take it to the range on a regular basis.

On another thought, in theory, if the chamber of the OP could be extended to fit a .357, couldn't it in theory handle a certain amount of those? It is essentially the same frame size as the K frame Smith and Wesson. As the Model 19 is a K chambered for .357 it can handle a number of these for .357 loads before they wear out. So with that thought in mind, couldn't the OP certainly handle a limited load of .38+P or even Corbon .38+P?

Out of all my handguns, my Official Police from 1944 is my fav. Has the nice plane jane look to an old style cop gun. I like carrying it as a CHL piece and want to get the most out of it for defense, while still taking care of it and using it as a good shooter.

For shooting Corbon +P on a regular basis, would it probably be better to just get a .357 magnum N frame? A model 27 maybe...if I can find one.

Those were the first S&W .375 I think. A dealer showed me one at a local gun store for about $950. The action was as smooth as a Python. Said, he had a 27 of his own and loves it, had already been through 2 Pythons that were worn out but his M27 was still kickin'.
 
Early magnum revolvers were heat treated differently than the standard chamberings. Reaming out the cylinders of the older .38 special and .44 special models to accept magnum loads can be dangerous as the cylinders and frames aren't as strong as you think.
The Model 19 was nothing but a beefed up and strenthened Model 15. Ream an older M15 to accept magnum loads could result in a blown revolver when the hammer falls.
 
What I'm going to suggest is, you should contact Colt and ask them if Corbon's would be Ok in your gun.
NOBODY knows more about the Official Police than they do.

My advise is, shooting a LIMITED number of +P ammo in an OP will be OK, BUT I don't know enough about Corbon's to make the same statement.

In otherwords, until you get the last Word from Colt, you're on your own.

As for the OP being the same size gun as other guns: The Op is the same frame size and cylinder as the .357 Python.
Does this mean the OP could shoot .357 ammo?
ABSOLUTELY NOT.
The difference is, the Python is built from the get-go to handle .357 ammo, and one BIG difference is the heat treating given Magnum guns.

Over the years I was often asked about re-chambering similar models guns to Magnum rounds.
One example is, the S&W Model 64 and the Model 65.
The 64 is a .38 Special, the 65 is a .357.

People have stated that there really is no difference, S&W is just "ripping the customer off" by stamping the Magnum barrel differently and reaming the cylinder to take Magnum rounds.

In fact, some non-gunsmiths have reamed the 64 chambers to take Magnum rounds, on the basis that they weren't going to "play S&W's little game".

The fact is, when a OP or S&W .38 Special gun re-chambered to Magnum shows up at the factory, red lights start flashing, and sirens start to blare.

The difference is, the Magnum guns have different heat treating for the frame and cylinder, and sometimes use different steels for Magnum guns.

Just because they LOOK similar, or even exactly alike, doesn't mean ANYTHING.
You can't SEE different steel and certainly not different level heat treating.
The .38 Model 64 is built to a LOWER standard than the Magnum Model 65.
The Official Police is a .38 Special revolver.
The Python's special heat treating allows it to shoot .357 ammo.

Re-chambering an OP to Magnum ammo may SOUND OK, since it's the same size frame and cylinder as the Python, but what you've actually done is convert a revolver into a hand grenade.
Worse, it's a hand grenade that probably WON'T explode the first time.
Often, it'll fire just enough to convince you it's Ok.

Bottom line: The Post-1950's Colt Official Police was rated for use with STANDARD factory spec +P ammo, NOT Corbon's which weren't invented until after the OP was discontinued in 1969.

The pre-WWII OP wasn't built to handle +P ammo which wasn't invented until LONG after WWII.

In either case, shooting +P ammo WILL increase wear on your revolvers, and use of Corbon's MIGHT cause irreparable damage.

In short, you're trying to take a good, serviceable Chevy car and turn it into fast, off road SUV.
Yes, you can do that, but don't be surprised if your Chevy breaks down.

If you want a SUV or a more powerful revolver......buy one.

Your choice.
 
OKay,

1) Corbon's .38+P apparently aren't any different than any other .38+P rounds as far as pressure goes. The velocity is I think tad higher, but not near what I thought, and not due to any higher pressure. Their effectiveness mainly has to do with how the bullet expands and penetrates. See for yourself:

http://mysite.elixirlabs.com/index.php?uid=12665&page=1639

http://mysite.elixirlabs.com/index.php?uid=12665&page=1609


2) I called Colt AND Pittsburg Handgun.

Colt told me a firm no on any kind of +P ammo according to the book the phone associate had. I suspected that might be their answer in order to be safe from lawsuits and such. They also mentioned that Police Positive could take limited .38+P but relaized I was asking about OP and then told me "No." Since other information I have heard from you and other gunsmiths in here, on other boards and about Houston a little bit different, I decided to talk to Pittsburg Handgun HQ too.

I called Pittsburg and talked to their gunsmith that worked on my guns. He told me, as you did, that .38+P would be fine for the 1961.

He told me that it could handle and even the 1944 could handle +P for business but not to give either of them a steady diet of them. Of couse their is the point that .38/44s are suited for any OP gun made after 1940.

When all is said and done, I'm dang sure not going to take a box of 50 and put them through each gun, but just play it safe and use it for defense only.
 
You could save all your money on that Corbon, and buy a new Smith or Taurus that will handle anything factory without question.

Colt's not going to make those or much else again, so why not save it ?

_________________________________________________

An old west lawman once said when asked why he carried a .45, "because they don't make a .46"
 
:eek: After loading my box of 20 up in speedloaders, today I took the last 2 spare Corbon .38+P rounds and put them in my 1961 OP along with a couple of Winchester +P and regular .38 special rounds. Those Corbons have quite a kick to them :cool: yet according to their website and the box they are within .38+P pressure standards while giving a little extra velocity. Are they a lighter bullet? Is there anyone who is familiar with Corbons? What about Golden Sabers?

They got a gun show coming up in Houston later this month, I'd like to get a good ol' .357 at a good price to put those high power rounds through on a regular basis but I have enough handguns for now and I'd rather not blow so much money on such expensive ammo. Think I'll get a M1 Carbine while they are still fairly cheap and easy to find. Make a good balance between my .22 long rifle that sounds like a staple gun and my .30-06 that knocks my arm out of joint.
 
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