+p Ammunition In An Old Revolver
November 22nd, 2008 by Syd
It’s question I get a lot, “I have a 1930 vintage Colt Detective Special that I inherited from my grandfather, and I want to know if it’s OK to use +p ammo in it. The factory won’t tell me anything.” Hmmm… perhaps there’s a reason for that? The fact is that they probably don’t know for sure and are unwilling to take the legal risk of telling you that it is OK without any qualification. Metallurgy in this country during the early years of the Twentieth Century was good, but not as good as it is now, and there is little doubt that substandard batches of metal were used at times. Hardening techniques in firearms weren’t universally applied even as late as WWII. Consequently, it is impossible to say without qualification that it’s totally OK to use hot modern ammo in the elderly wheel gun.
To speak for a moment in the contrary direction, I have yet to run into a story in which someone blew up a gun by firing factory loaded regular +p in it, regardless of the gun’s age. The proof loads for S&W revolvers are said to be twice the normal charge. Once, by accident, I fired a .38 Special double charge in a Smith & Wesson Airweight Model 637. This gun was made prior to the +p ratings. This would have been 11.2 grains of Winchester 231 powder under a 125g bullet. While I felt like I had caught a major league pitcher’s fast ball without a glove, the gun held together and was not damaged in any way. (Kid’s don’t try this at home – as I said, this was an accident and I would not knowingly pull the trigger on a cartridge like that.) Guns are pretty sturdy most of the time, and normal +p is not that much hotter than standard pressure loads.
So, why is there such nervousness about recommending +p in old guns? Besides the metallurgy factors I mentioned earlier, there can be hidden corrosion, defects and even “metal fatigue” in very old guns that is not apparent to casual inspection. Consequently, neither I nor anyone else living in this litigious society will be willing to give you an unqualified green light to run the hottest modern ammo in a revolver that is seventy years old.
The only really worry-free solution to this problem is to retire the seventy-year-old warhorse to the safe and buy a modern snubby that is rated for +p so you don’t have to be guessing. If that is not an option, stick to standard pressure ammunition in your very old guns. Your hands and face will thank you for it.
Speaking of +P, I use some 185+P HP Golden Sabers in my XD-45 Tactical, not a problem at all, and to be honest with you, I Really like that extra 250 fps I get but the 230gr Golden Sabers hit harder I think, they get there a bit slower but damn, when they get there it’s a ton…
I have carried 357’s and 45’s all my life and I still prefer the 45 over all…
I had a smart ass tell me, many years ago, “That 45 is a great man stopper but the bullet just moves too slow…”
I told him, “Yeah, it’s only like 900 fps, tell ya what, I’ll give you 5 second head start before I shoot at you, take off and tell me how slow it is then…”
He didn’t even bother to respond, just hung his head and walked of muttering to himself, something about my mother I think… LMAO…
Another great post.
Particularly love that photo.
I fully agree with you,great post by the way, on the issue of +P ammo in older guns. The best thing is to retire it as a safe queen and use only normal charged ammo if you shoot it at the range.
Excellent Syd! Hope you don’t mind me using your photo and linking to your piece!
Thank you, and I love it when you give me a link. I have to admit, though, that the wonderful photo is by Oleg Volk.
My main input on “to +P or not to +P” question comes as a second hand story told to me by a veteran firearms trainer I used to learn from back in Colorado.
He related the tale of a revolver he now owns. A very nice classic Colt snub.
This revolver had belonged to someone else training with him who had come to a training session with it and +P ammo. He pooh-poohed the concerns expressed to him about the revolver not being +P rated.
During the training the Colt stopped firing. It would rotate the cylinder, open and close just fine, but the timing was ruined by frame stretch.
He had taken a revolver with some collector value and turned it into a paperweight.
It was turned over to the instructor who now uses it in his class room portions to illustrate the manual of arms for revolvers. It can do most if it’s old duties. Just not fire.
I’ve kept that in mind ever since. Sometimes listening to the mistakes of others can be enough to learn from.