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I thought this section would be best since my question is about relative power of the rounds and what the gun will take..

I have a 1951 Chief's Special snubbie.. checked serial # with S&W and they told me it's first year... and all the tells are there.. screw in the trigger guard, oval shaped butt, etc..

THis means it's original in design, before the +P and the reloaders and all the souped up rounds were in the market..

So my question is this:

can this original gun handle +P rounds? It's clean and perfect, hardly ever been used, stored well, properly oiled, no rust.. couldn't ask for a better gun.. it has original grips in small and large, and I just changed out for the large (wife had it for years, that tiny grip is too small for me!)

I absolutely do NOT want to risk this gun. I'm totally confident in it for standard .38 sp rounds, but I have no idea how much more it can take. I know that later models are certified for the more powerful ammo, but does anyone have any experience, positive or otherwise, with very old snubbies like this?

aside from having your hand torn up, I don't want to destroy the gun. Just curious if it could handle +P.

THanks!

Nope.

You have a great wheelgun there..... but the +P ammo is a definite no-no. +P is best for use only in an L-frame.... no J-frame at all, no early K-frame... in fact, I wouldn't use it in a recent K-frame, either.

If you want a small-frame wheelgun that will shoot rhino rollers, get a Ruger SP-101.... and sell me your S&W.

I concur with wwb, your in possession of a very fine little 38. However it was not designed to shoot +p ammo. If I were you I would just stick to the standard 38 LRN. Should get the job done.

Have a great day.

thanks folks.. I do agree it's a wonderful little gun.. for me, actually it's a BIG gun as all my other pistols are .22LR..

like most people these days, wife and I are evaluating personal protection and trying to arm as fast and as well as possible to beat the Big O to the punch, so to speak.. and she has bad wrists and shoulders and will probably stick with .22LR, but she's happy for me to carry the S&W..

one other question for experts.. I assume this gun does not have 'drop protection' and is at some small risk of discharging when dropped... am I right? Drop protection seems to be a fairly new innovation as far as I've read..

I hope it does, because it's only five rounds and an empty chamber for safety leaves me with four.

anyone? thanks for the help!

I believe all the S&W revolvers produced after WW II are "drop safe". It's easy to check... With the revolver unloaded (Duh!) hold the trigger back while easing the hammer down. With the trigger held back, look through the gap at the rear of the cylinder, and you should see the firing pin protrude from the frame. Let up on the trigger, and the firing pin should retract..... trying to push the hammer forward should not push the firing pin back out... in fact, the hammer should not move.

I have a S&W model 60 stainless steel. I bought it used in the late 60's and I don't know how old it is. Does anyone know if it can use .38+p ammo safely?

I, too, have a stainless steel model 60 I bought in the late 60's and I don't know how old mine is either. I did talk to a Mr. Jim Quirk who is (I think) a production manager at S&W and he said no to any .38+p ammo for the model 60 and also for the early model 10 I have. I hope that helps you decide.

I, too, have a stainless steel model 60 I bought in the late 60's and I don't know how old mine is either. I did talk to a Mr. Jim Quirk who is (I think) a production manager at S&W and he said no to any .38+p ammo for the model 60 and also for the early model 10 I have. I hope that helps you decide.