Will My Old S&W 64 handle +p Ammo?

[Crazy88Fingers]

Hey everyone,
My grandfather recently gave me his old S&W model 64 on an extended loan. It was his police revolver and, according to S&W, was manufactured in '73-'74 (has the old pinned barrel).

I was wondering if the gun would be able to handle .38+p rounds. From what I understand it was manufactured before +p rounds were even available. But the new model 64s are rated to fire +p ammo. So is the design any different? It's a stainless gun, and still locks up tight, so I'd like to believe that it would hold up just fine. But I figured I should consult the panel before I take any risks with this lovely revolver. Thanks in advance.

 

[Stumper]

You may receive a myriad of answers but for whatever it is worth there are NO sound steel .38 spl S&W revolvers made post WWII in which I would have the slightest hesitation firing +P rated ammo.

 

[Buzzcook]

Yes it will handle +p ammo. But considering that .38 special has been putting holes in things for over a century it seems like a waste of money.

 

[Mosin44az]

I wouldn't worry about + P. The K-Frames started having issues with hot .357 Magnum ammo, but I've never heard of issues with any .38 load in the K-Frame.

 

[Crazy88Fingers]

Well thanks for the input everyone. Buzzcook, I don't plan on making a habit of shooting +p at the range. But it would be nice to have a box around the house.

Also, as luck would have it, I just happened to come across this little bit of info in the manual for the S&W 22a (a semi-auto)...

“Plus-P” (+P) ammunition generates pressures in excess of the
pressures associated with standard ammunition. Such pressures
may affect the wear characteristics or exceed the margin of safe-
ty built into some revolvers and could therefore be DANGER-
OUS. This ammunition should not be used in Smith &Wesson
medium (K frame) revolvers manufactured prior to 1958. Such
pre-1958 medium (K-frame) revolvers can be identified by the
absence of a model number stamped inside the yoke cut of the
frame. (i.e., the area of the frame exposed when the cylinder is in
the open position.)

So I suppose that's a pretty good indication that the ammo is safe to use.

 

[Stainz]

All of the 64's are inherently +P rated. My example - a 64-8 from a couple of years ago - actually has it roll-imprinted on the left side of the barrel: ".38 Special +P". With any older S&W, a call to a customer service guy at S&W, 1-800-331-0852, with your model and serial numbers will yield the best answer.

A great 'standard pressure' round is the simple 148gr LWC - the full wadcutters that cut a .357" hole. Mild recoil and effective.

Stainz

 

[Glenn Dee]

It's said that a steady diet of +p will cause loostening of the revolver. I have a Model 10 of the same vintage and I've been putting +p through it for the past 20 years.... since my dept switched to it. No noticeable wear.

And I'll have you know that a gun manufactured in 1973 is NOT old...lol
Seriously.... Enjoy the gun shoot whatever you want. I'd advise that if your going to load with +p for self defense... practice with it also. Maybe not 100's of rounds...but 6 or 12 through it every trip to the range.

 

[sandbag]

+P in S&W's

38 Special +P isn't really that hot,except maybe for the Corbon or Buffalo Bore ammo,which is.
I have fired it in all my S&W 38's except the Model 12.I would most definitely not fire anything but standard pressure in that aluminum framed revolver.

 

[Crazy88Fingers]

Well the gentleman from S&W customer service said the gun would handle some +p ammo, but it isn't highly recommended. He didn't sound too confident with that answer, so I thought I should double check. Either way, a trip to the range seems to be in order.

Oh, and "old" is a very subjective term.

 

[Tom Servo]

And I'll have you know that a gun manufactured in 1973 is NOT old...lol

Shhh! Maybe the value of my Bangor Puntas will go up if they're considered antiques!

Well the gentleman from S&W customer service said the gun would handle some +p ammo, but it isn't highly recommended. He didn't sound too confident with that answer

He's probably reading from a script. I've seen warnings in the manuals of .357 Smiths warning against the use of .38 +P.

It comes down to the lawyers. Many companies warn against using +P ammunition, as well as warning against shooting reloads. Why? Because otherwise, somewhere, some yokel is going to load up something at 60,000psi and break the gun. A disclaimer about +P ammunition in general allows the manufacturer to avoid some exposure to liability in such a case.

That said, I've been shooting pretty hot stuff (some of which is pretty over spec) in my K-Frames for years with no ill effects. I doubt anything factory-loaded could cause problems.

 

[Tamara]

It's not like +P ammo is going to grenade the gun or anything.

Will it make the gun wear out faster than standard pressure ammo? Yes.

Are you likely to shoot enough ammunition of any type through it to wear the gun out? Doubtful.

Shoot it and fret not; the gun is rated to handle SAAMI-spec .38 Special +P loads.

 

[roaddog28]

Hi, I wish the +P debate would go away sometimes. Any S&W K frame 38 special or 357 magnum made after 1957 will handle +P ammo. Even the M&P pre-10s will handle todays +P ammo as long as the revolver was made after around 1930. And here is the reason why. +P ammo is not really +P anymore. Todays +P is really what used to be standard pressure ammo back in the 1940 to 1950 period. For example todays legendary "FBI" round by Winchester, Remington and Federal is ready a standard 38 special round compared to what was used back in the early years. The velocity of these rounds is between 850 to 900 FPS in a standard 4 inch barrel S&W model 10/64. These type of velocities were basically standard in the earlier years when revolvers were carried by police officers. I think the old 158gr lead round nose was averaging close to 800 fps which now would be almost a +P round.
Bottom line, just about every ammo maker now has downgraded their ammo. A +P round is really not +P anymore. Their are exceptions. Buffalo Bores 158gr +P LSWCHP. The velocities are over 1100 fps in a 4 inch revolver. Corbon makes some lighter gr ammo that will get over 1200 fps. The higher velocity of the corbon makes up for the lighter grain to achive the same results.
So, don't worry about shooting +P ammo in your model 64. The revolver can handle it assuming that it is in good condition. Heck I shoot todays +P ammo is a 1955 S&W M+P pre-10 4 inch. I have no excessive wear and the revolver locks up tight.

Good luck,
Howard