stainless steel .357 j-frame lifespan?

[Lee D]

I own a couple j-frames, but for the past year+ the only one i find myself carrying is my 3" Pro Series 60 I bought a little over 2 years ago.

what I'm concerned with is what the lifespan of this pistol is going to be if I feed it a steady diet of full power .357s. I prefer to practice with my carry load (Critical Defense), and I reload more .357s than .38s, so my question for you all is this...should I back off a bit and shoot more +P .38 specials to save this revolver from unnecessary wear and tear, or should it hold up if I continue to put 150-200rds thru it per month?

thank you in advance for advice

[aguila327]

I think that a steady monthly diet of 200 rounds of full house .357mag loads is a sure way to shorten the lifespan of your J-frame, not to mention your wrist and hand.

I'm 50 now and I regret (somewhat) all the 357mag and 44mag rounds I put down range in the name of realistic training.

Stick with .38spl for practice. Just stick a few surprise full house loads in during the day. You'd be surprised how little impact it will have on your skill level.

[Lee D]

thanks for the advice. ive been keeping tabs on the "break my j-frame" thread and it sparked my curiosity... an alloy revolver rated for .38 +P vs a stainless steel .357 revolver. from now on I will stick to .38s for practice (with a few .357s mixed in for good measure) and .357s for carry. again, much appreciated....Lee

[Lee D]

im in luck, digging thru my ammo last night I found 10 boxes of 129 gr +P .38 hydra-shoks, so I shot 50 rounds thru my 60 today and I was very happy with the results. fist sized groups at 12 yards and after adjusting the rear sight its was putting them where I was aiming(im an average handgun shooter at best, so i was pleased). the revolver is still as tight as the day i bought it, so i will follow the advice i was given and despite being stamped .357 magnum, i think i will feed it .38s from now on. i also found several old boxes of wadcutters and i think i will be using them for practice. im very fond of this gun (despite that internal lock) and have no desire to shorten its lifespan. it looks like i wont be reloading any more .357s for it and will save the stuff i do have for my Blackhawk.

thanks again for the advice, and i apologize for what some might think was a silly thread.
Lee

[SteveS]

Buy a spare J frame!!

[williejc]

Steve gave good advice: get a spare. 200 rds per month of full house 357 loads would accelerate wear on all but the largest revolver frames, and even on these big ones flame cutting of the barrel throat would develop. Heat treating and metallurgy are much more advanced now than in decades past so the shooter has some leeway.

Besides frame stretching, hot loads also bring about cylinder end shake
and yoke end shake. Smaller parts like the hand and cylinder stop wear because heavy recoil causes them to move violently within their range of motion. Same goes for the hammer and trigger. In the '80s, Smith altered N frame design to lessen this type wear and then applied their findings to the other frames series.

On your J frame, open the cylinder and look where the barrel joins the frame. Notice how thin the "bottom" area is.