+P loads in Pre-war Colt Official Police
Will a pre-war Colt Official Police in .38 Special handle +P loads?
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Don't do it! I ruined a 1950's vintage S & W Model 37 by shooting a small number of Plus P's in it. These older revolvers weren't designed for Plus P's, just the standard velocity lead 158 grain round noses that were the standard .38 Special loads back in the day.
Oops! Sorry about that, senior moment. Official Police was the large frame Colt, got it mixed up with the Police Positive which was their small frame revolver. As long as your revolver is in time, and locks up tight. I believe limited firing of .38 Special Plus P loads won't hurt it.0 -
It never ceases to amaze me how many people want to either refinish, rebore, sporterize or blow the hell out of their collectible firearms. [:(]
No offense intended, honestly. It's just that guns are made for the ammunition of their time, not for what may be developed in the future.0 -
quote:Originally posted by Ellie1
Will a pre-war Colt Official Police in .38 Special handle +P loads?
What do you mean by "handle"?
If you mean, "will the gun blow up in my hand with one round of +P ammo?" so long as its otherwise functional and in good mechanical condition, I strongly doubt it. If the gun were that fragile, it wouldn't be safe with ordinary .38 special ammo either.
Remember, +P ammo is only loaded to about 10% higher pressure than ordinary ammo. Guns are supposed to be able to survive firings with "proof" loads that are 30% over standard pressure, and in absolute terms, 20,000 PSI of a .38+P load isn't all that high-pressure for a modern gun.
For example, the famous Smith .38-44s (which led to the development of the 357 magnum) were built on ordinary pre-war large frame revolvers, and went to pressures of 35000PSI, or even higher. Long before the term "+P" was coined and before ANY guns were labelled as "+P", ammo makes put out high velocity loads, that were the equivalent of modern +P rounds.
If you mean, "is there any chance that long-term use of numerous +P type loads will damage the gun?", then I'd say, yes there is some chance that it will. Colts are known for having somewhat fragile lockwork and a large number of high pressure rounds from an older gun may accelerate the sort of ordinary wear that you see on these guns. Eventually you may knock the gun out of time, develop end-shake, or other problems.
Personally speaking, I'd keep use of +P rounds to a bare minimum with a nice gun like that, but *if it were the only gun I had* I'd load +P rounds for defensive use, with the understanding that they are only going to get used in a life-or-death emergency and if the gun were to get ruined in the process, that's a small price to pay.
Note, that I don't expect that the gun *would* get ruined with a few cylinders or even boxes of .38+P rounds, but that's how I think about this particular issue.
On that 50s era model Smith 37, the truth is that the early vintage alloy-frame guns weren't really strong enough for *ordinary* .38 special ammo. Lots of them developed problems with frame stretching over time even with normal ammo. .38+P ammo just makes that already existing problem worse.0 -
Why even risk it? 0 -
IMHO buy a 357 magnum UNLESS you are hunting big game again IMHO a well placed shot on anything on 2 legs will kill quicker then a poorly placed shot with a S&W 500 . Practice and good marksmanship beats the heck out beating up a fine pistol not made for a steady diet of +P. 0 -
I can't see how anyone could compare his experience with a S&W Model 37 to that of a Colt Official Police. The two revolver are not even remotely similar.
I agree with beantownshootah. I would have no problem shooting +P loads from a prewar OP.0
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