+P ammo thru non+P guns??

[madmag]

Many years ago Bill Ruger himself addressed this issue about the Security Six series. His direct answer was that you could shoot +P in un-limited amounts in the .38spl. Security Six model.

Added: BTW, modern day off the shelf .38spl. SAMMI +P ammo is not really that big a deal for pressure increase. Now in the old days there was some really hot +P ammo around. Some even hotter than todays +P+.

 

[bighead46]

Well Biff, lots of opinions. If you go to a used gun store and look at some of the antique 38 Special revolvers, some of them are pretty small and flimsy, and yet they are supposed to handle a 38 Spl. The Ruger you mentioned, I would think that ought to be okay if the only time you shoot the p+ is self defense. A lead bullet will generally allow you to drive it at higher velocity with less pressure so if you reload consider that.
I had a BIG talk with a couple of firearm mfgrs several years ago on all this. The 38 spl frames look like, mike out, etc just like the light 357 magnum frames. "Are they the same frame?" I would ask. I can't believe a mfgr would set up tooling for different frames. If they are the same frame then the only difference is one had a barrel put in stamped 38 Spl while another had a barrel stamped 357 Magnum.
I never got an answer, just a lot of nervous yammering from the various customer service departments.
Am I nuts????? I hope not- how do you know if you are crazy if you are really crazy?? I wanted to talk to some guy out in production that would give me a straight answer like, "Sorry pal, we use different metals and heat treatment on the frames, there IS a different." Then I'd know. But as I said I never got an answer so I'm forced to err on the side of caution.
That said, I was told that all proof rounds that all 38 Spl guns get before leaving the factory exceed to P+ ammo. So if all you want is to carry it for self defense, a situation that may never even occur, I'd say you ought to be okay with at least the Ruger.

 

[warrior poet]

I seem to recall being taught that +P rounds are 1% to 10% over standard pressure and +P+ is ANYTHING above that... all the way up to proof pressure! Your gun, your hand... but I wouldn't risk mine.

FYI: I use +P in my 9mm for home defense (the firearm is designed for +P), and regular pressure for target practice. No sense in the extra wear and tear (and cost) even when designed for it. Yes, every once in a while I practice with +P, more for familiarity than accuracy.

 

[madmag]

Just one more time.

Any Ruger Security Six .38spl. series will handle +P ammo for your lifetime and your kids life time.....well that's conservative but you get the idea.

BTW, I wonder how many commenting about +P ammo have really shot a Ruger Six series using normal stuff followed by +P ammo? Well I can tell you that you can barely tell the difference. I even shoot Remington Express 158g SWLHP +P from my 70's vintage Smith 36 with no issue.

For any reasonably built modern steel .38spl revolver, shooting +P ammo is much ado about nothing.

 

[madmag]

The Ruger: absolutely OK with .38Spl+P...those are actually .357Mag guns with .38Spl cylinders...you could probably have the chamber holes reamed out for .357Mag and have no worries...except losing the collectors value (DA-Sixes in .38Spl are getting rarer by the day)...

My focus is the Ruger Six series, and that's the best answer to put things in their correct perspective. The question should really be, can a Ruger Six .38spl handle +P ammo @ 18000 psi when it actually has the same strength as the magnum model except for long cylinder. The .357 mag round is around the 35000 psi area. So the answer seems a moot point to me.