Question on S&W 19

[MasS&W]

Let me un-muddy the water a bit. It has nothing to do with the pressures, but everything to do with bullet weight and velocity. A light bullet does not bridge the gap between the chamber and the forcing cone enough to prevent gas blow by and hardening of the forcing cone. Compounding this, the light bullets moving at high speed hit the bottom of the cone disproportionately from the top, due to recoil and the bullets inertia. Keep your bullet weights above 158 grains, and your loads within safe limits. Preferably, use 160+ bullets (I find they like heavy bullets better, anyhow). Never, ever, ever, use 110 gr, or 125 gr, as these are NOTORIOUS for ending your guns life very, very quickly. Save those for N and L frames, those forcing cones won't ever crack, come hell or high water.

[Jim]

Very well explained, thank you, Sir!

[MasS&W]

I'm the proud owner of a model 13, did some intense-ish research when my friend told me about this. Thank you

[Crash_Corrigan]

I shoot a lot. I am older than dirt and I no longer enjoy recoil at all. Even with an N frame Smith in 41 Magnum I keep the loadings light. The steel or paper targets do not know the difference.

I shoot a mild 45 Colt loading in my Ruger BH. Ditto on .44 Special loadings for both my Charter Arms Bulldog 2.5" tubed revolter and my Ruger Bisley BH with the 5.5" tube.

I shoot my 1911 with as light a loading as I can get away with. Ditto on my 9 MM loadings.

As far as loadings for my Smith 586 w/6" tube I also keep the loadings light.

I have factory loaded rounds ready for all the above for carry use but I do not shoot them very often.

If I want pain then I shoot my buddy's 500 Smith Magnum with the 450 gr slugs. One cylinder full is enuf for me.

[FergusonTO35]

I think the K-frame and .38 Special +P are pistol perfection exemplified. If you plan to shoot a lot of magnums of any sort you would probably be better off getting a larger gun designed for them from the ground up.

[rromeo]

Do .38 Special 125 gr +p loads affect K frames in the same manner?

[MasS&W]

To my knowledge, I have never heard of anyone managing to bust up a .38 K frame with non-magnum loads. Keep it under 18.5K PSI, and I doubt you will hurt anything.

[rromeo]

Thanks. I have a 65 and I shoot the high end of +p. I don't currently load anything but 158s, but it would be nice to broaden my horizon.

[km101]

With my model 19's I have fed them a steady diet of .38 ammo in std. and +P, and .357 ammo loaded to the same specs. But I try to use nothing lighter than 140 gr. bullets either cast or jacketed. I use facory 158 gr JHP for "serious social work". Stay AWAY from the 110 and 125 gr. jacketed bullets and you Mdl 19 will have a long and happy life! Mine have been going strong for 30+ years on this fodder.
The Mdl 19 Combat Magnum is one of the finest revolvers ever made! Treat it right and it will outlast you!

[9.3X62AL]

About 7-8 years back, my old agency had to switch out the long-used 110 grain JHP +P 38 Specials, because Winchester quit selling them. The back-stop was the Remington 125 grain JHP +P, and it remains the issue 38 Special load at present.

I called a staffer at the Academy in response to a question asked above concerning stress induced by these loads. He told me that to date none of the agency or personally-owned 38 Special revolvers currently in use (over 400) have shown any ammo-related issues involving the Rem 125 +Ps. The majority of the revolvers are J-frame S&Ws, BTW.

[fecmech]

I shoot a lot. I am older than dirt and I no longer enjoy recoil at all.

Hey, I resemble that remark! Any more all I want is a bullet with enough energy to move the steel around a bit to show the hits. I would not worry about a "K" frame with any level of .38 spl loading.