Shooting Magnums Through a J-Frame

L

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.
 
The all-steel "J-mags" will outlast you.

They might not hold up to the same thousand of hot barn burned screamin' eagle full house .357 magnums as, say, a Model 686 L-frame, but for what they are they will handle all the hot loads you care to punish yourself with.

My point is, unless you shoot hundreds of max power .357 loads through your Model 60 each month, you have absolutely NOTHING to fear. Keep in mind S&W makes an ELEVEN OUNCE (!) scandium-frame J-frame chambered in... .357 magnum! If that gun is safe enough to wear a .357 roll mark, you can bet your 20 ounce Model 60 made of all steel is plenty strong for the task.

Also, I think you are very much in the right carrying .38 +Ps in your Model 60. .357 magnum is wasted in such short barrels, a lot of recoil and the flash and noise is terrible and velocity drops quite a bit from say a 4" or 6" barrel. .38+P snub nose ammo is great now, get some Speer Gold Dot .38 special +P 135 grain Short Barrel ammo. Best made for a short barrel .38.
 
I shoot 125 gr. .357 loads in my smith 60-9 when I practice. I have been doing this for the 10 years or so that I have owed the weapon. The gun is tight and shoots well. I did have a cracked firing pin bushing that was repared by the factory a few years back. Not sure if this was a result of shooting the hot loads.
 
If you constantly pounded it with mag loads, it may loosen up a little. Assuming normal use, I wouldn't worry about it.

About carrying +P's: If I carried a J-frame, I'd have +P's in the holes. It's about recoil and target reacquisition. And I didn't even think about brass ejection - one more good reason. I would give up some potency to get back more control; besides, +P's have plenty of pop.
 
The guns may hold up better than you do!

A few years ago, a good friend spent one summer developing and shooting hot .357 loads from J-frames and other small revolvers. A couple thousand rounds over the course of the summer left him with severe nerve damage in his arms. Nearly ended his recreational shooting for good.

Today, he is back up to being able to shoot about a box of 9mm, before he has to stop. I would NOT recommend this to anyone.

The stuff is tricksy, and sneaks up on you. Your tolerance might be different, maybe much less. If you are shooting enough magnums out of the ultra light guns to worry about the guns, worry about yourself, instead!!!]


You can fix a gun with mere money....
 
A few years ago, a good friend spent one summer developing and shooting hot .357 loads from J-frames and other small revolvers. A couple thousand rounds over the course of the summer left him with severe nerve damage in his arms. Nearly ended his recreational shooting for good.
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Wow. Good info. Personally I prefer a gun beefy enough to absorb recoil, like my S&W 686+ or Ruger GP100.
 
Opinionated Guy

Personally I think the 357MAG in 'J' and 'K' frame revolvers was one of the mistakes S&W made.
 
Market demand. The Combat Magnum (Model 19) was brought out at the request of Bill Jordan as the ideal police revolver, easy to carry (in contrast to the N frame Model 27), yet with plenty of power. Most users fired mostly .38 Special, with relatively few .357's, a policy S&W recommended.

When concealed carry became more common, many prospective buyers wanted the power of the .357 in a small revolver. The Scandium revolvers were the ultimate response. But they are brutal, and many people who bought them soon found that out. When they first came out, someone reported that gun shops in his area were full of Scandium J-frames and boxes of .357 holding 47 rounds. One round was fired. A second round was fired to see if it was really THAT BAS. A third confirmed that it REALLY WAS THAT BAD. Off to the gun shop with bandaged hand to trade in the gun and ammunition.

Jim
 
Personally I think the 357MAG in 'J' and 'K' frame revolvers was one of the mistakes S&W made.
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"Mistake" might be a little harsh. But I agree that these frames are not well suited for realistically shooting 357 Mags with any kind of consistency.

I have a J and a K frame. Both are chambered for 38 Special. When I was in the market for my Model 67, there were none available. I could get a 66 right away, but declined because I specifically did not want a 357. I wanted a 38 Special and it was worth the wait. Even if they were chambered for 357, I seriously doubt I'd ever shoot mags through them - except maybe the occasional "novelty" cylinder full.
 
I have a model 60-15 J frame. IME a 23 -24 ounce gun firing magnums is not pleasant. I have no doubt that that guns ability to cope with magnum loads exceeds my body's ability to endure the recoil.
 
That got me to wondering whether I was safe shooting magnums through my two S&W Model 60s, one 3" and one 5".
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It is perfectly safe.

That said, extensive use with hot loads will shorten the overall service life of the revolver. That's really true of any revolver. Even a full-sized revolver will last longer if you only shoot light loads in it. In a compact revolver, the effect will likely be accentuated.
Anyway, any insights on durability of a magnum-fed J-frame would be appreciated.
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If you're shooting standard pressure loads in the gun for most of your practice and only a few rounds of +P or magnum each shooting session, then, IMO, you're using the guns the way the designers envisioned.

They should hold up for a long time--especially since you're spreading your usage over two revolvers. If you're worried about wearing them out, put a dollar or two in a jar for every box of ammo you shoot through the guns. When the guns are worn out, there should be enough money in the jar to replace them.
 
Personally I think the 357MAG in 'J' and 'K' frame revolvers was one of the mistakes S&W made.
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"Mistake" might be a little harsh. But I agree that these frames are not well suited for realistically shooting 357 Mags with any kind of consistency.
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Yea, back in the day it was well known and accepted, at least with the K-frame magnums that you practiced with 38's and saved .357's for "serious use." Magazine writers, other shooters, and gun shops both told us that. That was touted at one of the big advantages of the guns.

I've never tried a .357 in a J-frame. I'm not sure I'd want to. :D
 
I am thinking that the model 60 or other J-frame magnum is self limiting, because it is too punishing to shoot enough magnums through one to damage it. I recently fired some 125 gr lead using 11.0 gr HS-6, not a hot load experience in a bigger gun, in my 60 Pro and immediately thought d-a-a-m-n! A couple cylinders and I was done. It is hard to manage a flinch or find the right grip on a gun that wild. Still, my defensive ammo is Speer Short Barrel (135 gr), and I am sticking to it.
 
I shoot my 66 snub regularly with 38 special and 357 magnums....still nice and tight after 15+ years I have owned it. I don't find the recoil to be bad. Ymmv
 
"I've never tried a .357 in a J-frame. I'm not sure I'd want to."

I have, with emphasis on "tried". I can't imagine anyone wearing out any J frame (let alone a Scandium model) shooting .357's. I think it would probably take 5k rounds (100 boxes of ammo) to do that, and anyone who claims to have fired that many .357's from a J frame is either 1) one tough hombre, or 2) one big liar.

Jim
 
I had my model 640-1 magnaported so I could shoot a 30 round qualification course. with full power magnums its like shooting +p ammo. before that 5 rounds was enough for me.
 
I had a Rossi 6-shot steel snubbie. I think it weighed 25 or 26 ounces. One cylinder of Magnums was enough for me. Others may be more tolerant of what I consider hand-busting recoil. I'll stick with .38 Sp.
 
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