Posted: 2/18/2009 12:00:56 PM EDT
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I have a 637 Airweight that I carry. A fellow employee of mine is working on his carry permit and looking for a gun. He wants pretty much what I have, snubbie revolver, although he is looking for hammerless, which I agree.
Anyway, we found a fellow selling an older model 38. Looks to be in reasonable shape. My question is- it does not say rated for +p. The seller states, basically, that anyone can tell you that these are stout guns and can shoot +p in limited numbers with no problems. #1 Certainly cant prove how many "limited numbers" it has shot already. #2 I don't think I would risk personal injury on hearsay. Anyone know the validity of his claim, and would you trust it? Thanks for your input Bob |
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Earlier Smith airweights were not rated for +p ammo. There may not even have been +p ammo when they came out. That said, many have shot plus p in them. No, the gun won't go off like a greande in your hand. It will cause additional wear and tear on the gun. At what point does this wear and tear become an issue? Well, that's the tough one. I certainly can't give you a magic number of rounds that the gun will take. On this particular gun, look for the usual signs that you would on any used gun. Cylinder lock up tight? Any cylinder end play? Flame cutting on the top strap (some is considered normal, not a deal killer by itself). How well does the crane fit in the frame? Does the gun seem loose over all? If its been abused it should be fairly obvious. One good thing about J frames in general is they don't get shot as much as their larger cousins. Most used ones are still pretty tight.
All that being said, I personally would not shoot plus p in an older j frame airweight. |
| I remember in the old days about several old timer gun writers who shot stout reloads out of their J frames. John Taffin comes to mind. They didn't advocate it but said that on the rare occasion when it was called for it was not going to hand grenade the pistol just make it loosey goosey over time. How much time? Who knows. Considering bullet technology I would not think a standard load would be that much of a handicap over a +p in that platform. |
| unless you have the free ammo train pulling up to your house daily you will never shoot enough +P in a J frame to hurt it. I don't even carry +P in my +P rated guns. in the snubbies the extra pressure does not translate to enough velocity gain out of the short barrel to make the extra recoil and wear and tear on the gun worth it. |
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Quoted:
unless you have the free ammo train pulling up to your house daily you will never shoot enough +P in a J frame to hurt it. I don't even carry +P in my +P rated guns. in the snubbies the extra pressure does not translate to enough velocity gain out of the short barrel to make the extra recoil and wear and tear on the gun worth it. Forgive me, but that seems kinda sorta contradictory, IMO. 
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