lwestatbus
New member
A couple of issues ago American Rifleman did a review of the new S&W Model 66 and commented that Smith had beefed up part of the revolver to handle the stress of shooting magnums through it. That got me to wondering whether I was safe shooting magnums through my two S&W Model 60s, one 3" and one 5".
Most of my range firing is 38 Special finished off with a couple of cylinders each of .38 +P and .357 magnum. I actually carry with the +P most of the time*. But, I am curious all the same.
* I made the decision to carry with the .38 +P based on a couple of factors. The most important is that the magnum casings just do not eject cleanly due to their length and I want to be able to get my speed loaders in quickly in a pinch. While I don't have trouble with the magnum recoil, even with these light revolvers, I do get back on target a little more quickly with the +P loads. Finally, I worry a little about over penetration.
Anyway, any insights on durability of a magnum-fed J-frame would be appreciated.
Most of my range firing is 38 Special finished off with a couple of cylinders each of .38 +P and .357 magnum. I actually carry with the +P most of the time*. But, I am curious all the same.
* I made the decision to carry with the .38 +P based on a couple of factors. The most important is that the magnum casings just do not eject cleanly due to their length and I want to be able to get my speed loaders in quickly in a pinch. While I don't have trouble with the magnum recoil, even with these light revolvers, I do get back on target a little more quickly with the +P loads. Finally, I worry a little about over penetration.
Anyway, any insights on durability of a magnum-fed J-frame would be appreciated.