I just picked up a mint S&W 13-2. I got it because it was $200 & I also want to become more proficient with revolvers as I do not shoot them much & did not currently own one. What's the skinny on shooting .357 through K frames. I have heard/read that they are hard on forcing cones. What sort of round count are we talking here?
Just avoid a steady diet of 110 & 125 grain magnums and youll be fine.
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This is what I've always been told.....thus, I treat my 19-4 like a 38 that can safely shoot 357's if wanted, but isn't actually a 357.Originally Posted by JodyH
I'd love to hear from some of the career LE guys on here on what you've seen having maintained armories of K-frames.
Yep. Using the .357 loads sparingly is also good for your hands and wallet.
BTW, 200 bucks is a steal. Especially if it's a three inch.
It's a 4" actually. He's got a mint 27-2 I'm gonna pick up next week.Yep. Using the .357 loads sparingly is also good for your hands and wallet.
BTW, 200 bucks is a steal. Especially if it's a three inch.
I used a S&W .357 for more than 25 years. The first 15 years or so, I used a Model 19. The last 10 years or so I used a 686. I presently have a md. 66 which has uncounted thousands of rounds of wadcutter through it but almost no .357. I have never been a round counter so the numbers are mostly guesses based on experience. After about a thousand rounds of .357 you will start to see some end shake and and head space open up. After about 5000 rounds of .357 you will probably have to have the K frame rebuilt to correct the problems. Some where in there you will also have some timing issues.
If you are an armorer, the end shake and and timing is easy to correct, but you will need at least a .357 range rod and I don,t know where to get one at this point in time. I have never had a forcing cone issue on my K frames, but have seen them split. I think this is most probably caused by shooting lead bullets and not removing the lead from the forcing cone before shooting the jacketed .357. One thing I forgot is that a forcing cone can be split when shooting .357 through the revolver when it is out of tine. Checking timing is the most common use of the range rod.
I have also had timing issues caused by excessive dry firing double action practice.
The only problem I have had with wadcutter is a timing issue and that was most likely caused by excessive dry firing double action.
Last edited by Simon; 05-13-2012 at 07:18 PM. Reason: left out material
Cool. Thanks for the info. I plan on shooting mostly .38 wadcutters & FMJ's. May try to smoke a whitetail w/.357's if the opportunity presents itself.
One point to remember is heat transfer. The Carbon steel K frames are more reliable with extended shooting due to stainless steel heating up faster. Most of the K-frame troubles boiled down to 125 grain JHPs screaming out of stainless steel K frames and heating up. This causing malfunctions as well as flame cutting the top frame and split forcing cones due to the cone being flattened at the bottom to fit K frames.
Your model 13 will last a lifetime as long as you limit those 125 grain BelchFire magnums to occasional use and qualifying. The heavier 158 grain .357 loads never caused those problems and would be a good option for a deer pistol while the average small game is easily taken with wadcutters.
NVM, FotoTomas already answered it. Reading is fundamental!
Foto or Simon: Did you ever notice other long term durability issues with stainless revolvers over carbon steel ones, like an increased tendency for timing issues, etc?
I remember hearing a few "seasoned shooters" complain that the stainless revolvers weren't as durable over the long haul as the carbon steel guns, and I always wondered if it was more old wive's tale than reality.
I never noticed any more problems with stainless steel than carbon steel, however the only stainless revolver that I have run long term was a Md. 66 That was used as a PPC gun and was used almost exclusively with wad cutters. I have seen stainless steel guns gall when run dry(that is small amounts of metal would pull out leaving tiny pits.) When properly lubed they run ok. the worst I have seen for this was a 1911 stainless frame with a carbon steel slide that had at least 50 rds through it without ever being lubed.
I have never had my hands on a stainless K frame that was shot a lot with full .357 loads. I shot 3 or four thousand rds of .357 through a Md 686 and never noticed any excessive wear. As to 125 grain loads in .357, I never used then for anything, I thought that was two light. Our issue rd in .357 was jacketed 158 gr hollow points. Later when I was allowed to, I used Winchester silvertip 145 grain loads.
When I was tuning actions for PPC guns almost no one was running stainless, so I didn,t have my hands on very many. As a firearms instructor, I did examine a lot of well used Md.19s and a lot of them were sent to the Dept. gunsmith for rebuild. These guns were the original runs from S&W during the 1950s for the federal gov. and were well used.
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