Magnum loads from Colt Official Police

H

HighValleyRanch

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Hmmm, looking at the BuffaloBore site, they quote 1255 fps from a six inch barrel and so their .38 +P Outdoorsman 158 grain Keith HC yields a whopping 530 foot pounds ME! That's in the mid range .357 magnum range, isn't it?

Now I've read that the Colt Official police was built to take the old 38/44 loads, maybe not as robust as the SW heavy frame versions, but still, my old Colt OP with its 6" barrel might work as a woods gun with those loads.
 
The Colt Official Police never came in .357 or any magnum cartridge. Kind of doubt it'd be safe with +P ammo either. .41 Colt and .38 Special, when +P didn't exist, was as hot as it got. No .357 load would be safe. Even cast loads
No .38/44's in the Colt Official Police's history. Colt apparently did claim the thing was strong enough for the cartridge, but notably did not chamber for it. Most likely because it was a Smith proprietary cartridge with pressures in the 20,000 PSI area. That's a .38 +P load, not a .357.
http://gundigest.com/classic-guns/38sw
Anyway, that 'ME' is the potential energy of the bullet, not the pressure the revolver can safely handle.
 
Well, the OP is the same frame and cylinder size as the 357 Trooper and Python models. But unknown if they are tempered to the same level.

In my non expert opinion a factory load of a 158 at 1255 FPS is pretty warm but I wouldn't be afraid to use it in an OP in good condition. Face it, they don't want to get sued so if they are selling it they are probably pretty confident it will be OK.
 
I am not saying that the Official Police came in .357 magnum.
What I am saying is that BB's .38 +P load out of a 6 inch barrel, 158 grains at 1255 fps is equivalent to mid range .357.

It doesn't matter if the original load came out of a .38 special case, or a .357 case, weight and velocity equal the same ME.

BB must be able to get more out of the same SAAMI pressures by using a better blend of powders. Since they (BB) are responsible to keeping it under current +P pressures, these loads should be safe to use in the Colt OP, EQUALLING the ME of mid range .357.

When I get a chronograph, I can better measure these specs.
 
I'm sure the loads would be safe to fire - as in they won't blow up the gun... But certainly hundreds of rounds will increase the wear considerably. There is no magical way to increase velocity without increasing pressure,

What makes you think Buffalo Bore is a member of SAAMI? I don't see anything on the SAAMI website to indicate they are a member nor do I see anything on Buffalo Bore's website claiming they are a member of SAAMI.
 
What makes you think Buffalo Bore is a member of SAAMI? I don't see anything on the SAAMI website to indicate they are a member nor do I see anything on Buffalo Bore's website claiming they are a member of SAAMI.
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Where did I claim that Buffalo bore is a member of SAAMI?
 
BB must be able to get more out of the same SAAMI pressures
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This implies that BB is sticking to SAAMI pressures. They are under NO obligation to do so.

I would remind everyone that SAAMI "standards" are a voluntary set of standards agreed to by the members of SAAMI. They are not the law, they are not the blow up limit of the guns, they are an industry agreed on limit to provide safe working pressures in ALL firearms in the designated calibers.

I have no idea what BB loads are for pressure, you should ask them. If you have a question about a specific gun being able to handle their loads, ASK THEM. DO not ASSUME you old colt is ok with their ammo, unless they say so.
 
This implies that BB is sticking to SAAMI pressures. They are under NO obligation to do so.
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Implies is the key word.
Reddog said that I think that they are a member. I do not.
I stated:
"BB must be able to get more out of the same SAAMI pressure".
This was only an assumption based on BB's implication that they are safe in any firearm made for .38 +P.
This does not mean that they are a member. They are under no "membership" obligation, but they are under liability obligation by stating that these are safe in all modern firearms designated for +P pressures (as they do on their web pages).

Obviously, if one blows up, the first thing a lawyer is going to ask is if they are loading to industry standards, i.e. SAAMI pressures.
 
If I had an old revolver that I knew was plenty strong enough for some extra pressure, I would tailor my handloads to give it some without straining the limits. But if you were me, you wouldn't be putting that Buffalo Bore ammo in that Colt. Why chance wrecking the gun? They aren't making any more of those, you know. If you wreck the gun, the gun might wreck you. You could just buy another revolver in 357 magnum. But the 357 magnum, as great as it is, has some drawbacks to it. Mainly, extremely high-decibel muzzle-blast and secondarily, sharp recoil in guns that are fairly light in weight. You can match that power in a larger caliber, with less pressure and thus less muzzle blast, in a revolver that has a bit more weight with milder recoil. I think the 38 Special is ideal for many purposes without trying to make a magnum out of it. Let your Colt be all it was meant to be, not more; and go buy a bigger gun for when you need more gun.
 
Your post did imply they are following SAAMI pressure guidelines. My post was intended to highlight they are not members and therefore not required to follow SAAMI.

No need to argue about it.

Like I said before the loads won't blow up a gun, but I'd assume there would be subtainally more wear using light to medium strength .357 loads in a gun designed for 38 Special. If you can afford to shoot through box after box of BB ammo I'd guess you can afford to fix or buy a new Colt when something breaks.
 
Here's a pic. Made in 1937.
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With the flap holster I made for it, hand tooled floral carving with stamping on flap.
 

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Thank you for the picture! Very nice! Another way to get more power out of it without over-doing it, is to use heavier bullets with a relatively slow burning powder. Perhaps 170-180 grain bullets using AA-9 or 2400 powder, loaded into the mild +P range, or simply maximum pressure for standard loads and call it good. It's a classic gun, so don't over-load it. If you don't reload, you are limited to what you can buy. But if you do reload, you can come up with something reasonably powerful that is perfectly tailored to that gun without causing undue strain upon it.
 
Thanks, I do reload, usually milder target loads.

I was just thinking that since my polymer/aluminum LCR can handle those BB Outdoorsman +P loads, I am sure that a big old metal Colt should be able to do it fine as well.
Not intending to, and can't afford to shoot ton's of BB loads, but at that energy, it would be good for woods carry and a shoot a few to test POI.
 
They aren't making any more of those, you know. If you wreck the gun, the gun might wreck you. You could just buy another revolver in 357 magnum.
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Beautiful old Colt and holster...I'd heed the highlighted text. As you say you reload, then you'd know that 1255 fps with a 158 gr SWC out of a .38 special case is a VERY powerful load. And one that I'd not like to try in any of my guns. YMMV, good luck, Rod
 
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BB must be able to get more out of the same SAAMI pressures by using a better blend of powders. Since they (BB) are responsible to keeping it under current +P pressures, these loads should be safe to use in the Colt OP, EQUALLING the ME of mid range .357.
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BB is a boutique ammo producer that doesn't give a rats behind about SAAMI. If the did they wouldn't offer +P ammunition in cartridges that have no SAAMI +P rating like 32acp, 380acp, 9X18Makarov, and 40 S&W.
 
I've run Skeeter's load and a slightly reduced Keith's in 38 cases thru a 1956 OP that caused great damage to my hand, the gun seemed fine. The 358156 and 358429 cast bullets are very accurate at these velocities.
 
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