Lobo1...The +P are designated 38 Special Brass for PYTHONS only. Thus the +P. You need to send them to me and I will take care of them for you. Your Smith and Wesson will likely need a "powder puff" load. No bias here....just saying
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38 spcl / 30 +P case question,,,,,,,
- Thread starter Lobo1
- Start date
Exactly!
the brass should be the same strength regardless of if marked Plus p or not, same with NATO stamped 9 MM brass. its a designation placed on the ammo by the manufacture to denote the extra pressure of those rounds, nothing else.
Now some brass (specialized) for competition is thicker and stronger but you don't find that in factory ammo designed for all weapons in that caliber.
I've loaded thousands of rounds of .38 Special, and I've yet to see one the deviated from the standard dimensions. You can find plenty of +p and +p+ loads that are in standard marked .38 Special brass.
BTW, every time you read or hear someone say "+p will blow your gun up, (right before you put your eye out)", today's +p load is a 1970's standard .38 Special load.
BTW, every time you read or hear someone say "+p will blow your gun up, (right before you put your eye out)", today's +p load is a 1970's standard .38 Special load.
Yep, that's my understanding as well.
Older guns and some light weight guns don't recommend higher pressure loads so the factory marks the case to identify them as such.
Same with 9mm +P.
There are several reasons that loading recommendations have backed off from older loadings.
one the powder is of a different configuration and like most things the chemist have fiddled with them to improve performance, also many of the powders now used to reload were not even in existence when the 38 Spl evolved (remember this was originally a black power cartridge), and also testing instrument have came a long way and now get much better measurements and more uniform readings.
and of course liability, its one thing to be sued but then its likely a lot worse to lose a few fingers or hand/eyes trying to push the envelope.
there are pressure standards for 38 Spl, 38 Spl plus P, there are no standards for 38 Spl plus p plus, other than its above Plus P and below rupture test pressures (hopefully)
one the powder is of a different configuration and like most things the chemist have fiddled with them to improve performance, also many of the powders now used to reload were not even in existence when the 38 Spl evolved (remember this was originally a black power cartridge), and also testing instrument have came a long way and now get much better measurements and more uniform readings.
and of course liability, its one thing to be sued but then its likely a lot worse to lose a few fingers or hand/eyes trying to push the envelope.
there are pressure standards for 38 Spl, 38 Spl plus P, there are no standards for 38 Spl plus p plus, other than its above Plus P and below rupture test pressures (hopefully)
In 1983 my job allowed me to sweep up the TN hwy patrol firing range and I still have probably 1000+ once fired 38, 38+p, and 357 cases. Iv'e reloaded 1000's of those 38 and 38+p cases, most to +p charges, but many to +p+ and never had a problem. I did restrict the +p+ loads to the nickle cases only, not for any strength advantage but for identification purpose and 357 revolvers only. I do not ever remember loading or even seeing a steel 38 case, but I'm sure they exist.
