S&W 14-3 K-38 Target Masterpiece
Does anyone know for sure if you can fire 38 special plus p
in a S&W 14-3 also known as a K-38 Target Masterpiece made
in 1976, thanks in advance.
in a S&W 14-3 also known as a K-38 Target Masterpiece made
in 1976, thanks in advance.
0
-
I'm only sure that my S&W M14-3 is safe to fire with +P ammo, but I am sure that it is in good condition.
But, I don't do it, because the gun is at its best as a target gun, & high velocity loads eventually will lead to excessive wear. I find that WC & SWC bullets with target loads are most accurate, as well as pleasant to fire.
Neal0 -
S&W has said that all steel framed model numbered revolvers are "rated" for +P.
Plus P is a whopping 10%,increase in chamber pressure.
I think that the increase in wear and the increase in performance are both exaggerated.0 -
It will stand it for a while. +1 That ammo it will wear it out much sooner. Not really an issue if you only shoot a box of shells a decade but 10 boxes of ammo every week or two is different.
Regular 38 Special is enough. Find or load something that works good and shoot that at everything. It is way easier to master only one load IMHO.0 -
F7... Your Smith will handle +P ammo just fine. I have several model 14's and have fired lots of +P stuff with no signs of accelerated wear.
If your worried about wear, don't shoot the gun at all because all ammo will cause wear over time. It is true that accuracy is usually better with lower velocity "target" ammo. The model 19 .357 Magnum is a "K" frame gun.0 -
This topic comes up again and again.
In short, so long as the gun itself is in serviceable condition its perfectly safe to fire as much +P ammo as you like in any all steel Smith K frame revolver, including your model 14, regardless of whether or not the gun carries a "+P" marking.
As to the subject of increased wear, +P ammo is nominally loaded to 10% greater pressure than "standard" ammo. In theory that will accelerate wear and tear on your gun.
In practice some of the +P ammo on the market is loaded *NO* no hotter than "ordinary" .38s. . .the +P ammo just uses a higher grade "defense" grade bullet. Obviously, this ammo won't wear out your gun any faster than normal ammo.
In practice commercial .38+P ammo costs a lot more than target grade ammo, so most shooters only load it for actual defense and occasionally practice with it. . .using regular .38s 90% of the time. Again, you're not going to wear out your gun with occasional use of +P anmo.
And finally, .38 special is a low pressure black powder era round dating back to the late 19th century. 10% more power is just a marginal increase compared to the strength of modern (ie mid-late 20th century) guns.
All modern .38 Smith revolvers are built with the same heat treated steel frames and cylinders as the .357 magnum versions of these guns and .357 operates at *100%* more pressure than .38 special. There are some issues with K frames and wear due to .357 ammo. . .that's a different topic for a different thread. . .but the point is the guns themselves are WAY stronger than any .38+P ammo you're going to put into them.
Firing nothing but .38+P probably will wear out the gun a LITTLE faster, but service life of the gun is still probably going to be in the realm of tens of thousands of rounds. . .far more than 99% of individual shooters ever put through any gun in their lifetime.
So in practice, no, I don't think you need to worry about +P ammo, and I personally don't think twice about firing it from any of my guns (including J frame Smiths).
If you do run 15-25,000 +P rounds through your gun and wear it out, by that point you'll have spend multiple times as much money on ammo as on the gun. . .you can afford a new one!0 -
Thanks to all who answered. Now I know for sure 0 -
quote:Originally posted by Hawk Carse
S&W has said that all steel framed model numbered revolvers are "rated" for +P.
Plus P is a whopping 10%,increase in chamber pressure.
I think that the increase in wear and the increase in performance are both exaggerated.
I agree with that last bit 100%.
IMO, the most important difference with .38+P ammo isn't the pressure(/velocity) at all. . .its the premium defense grade soft or hollowpoint bullet. That's why you're paying for and why you want to carry this type of ammo.
Personally, I can't even tell the difference in recoil or noise between regular and +P ammo when firing it from a K Frame. But I sure as heck notice the difference with a .357 in there!
If you look at the "history" of 38 special +P, these types of overpressure rounds existed a long time before they were called "+P" or guns were specifically labelled for them. The latter, in particular, is a relatively recent development. The rounds themselves were designed to be fired in any functional .38 special revolver, and if a given gun isn't safe for .38+P, its marginal and probably not safe for "ordinary" .38 special, either.
Real world safety issues with +P ammo was using them in low-end turn of the century Spanish (Smith knockoff) revolvers. There has been some concern about using in the original aluminum framed Smith "airweight" guns from the 1950s and 60s, again, because those guns were marginal and subject to frame stretching from recoil. Both these types of guns are really marginal with even NORMAL .38 ammo, so .38+P really will wear them out faster, and/or pose increased safety risk.
Another issue with +P wasn't with .38+P, but rather with so-called "+P+" ammo. That ammo largely isn't available any more, was typically sold to law enforcement agencies only (though some inevitably "leaked" out to civilians") and really was loaded to quite a bit higher pressure than ordinary .38 or +P ammo. This ammo probably really would wear out your guns sooner, particulary alloy J-frame models. But that's not what we're talking about here.0
Please sign in to leave a comment.
Comments
7 comments