Re: Need a little advice on barrels
Well, first off enough dry firing can do the same thing to any revolver. Years back (5 decades), .357 magnum was regularly loaded to maximum pressures as it was commonly chambered in large framed guns. With the advent of medium framed .357 magnums, these loads did cause rapid wear of the gun. With the common use of these lighter framed guns by police departments, the ammunition manufacturers began to load .357 mag ammo at lower pressures. This is where we stand today in ammo choices except for rare exceptions such as Buffalo Bore,and some huning loads by Federal, Remngton, and Winchester. Regular use of commonly available .357 mag ammo will cause more rapid wear than .38 Spls but not enough to matter in your gun.
"Full powered" loads do have a difference in energy levels but that is not what you asked. Higher pressures within the same cartridge and bullet weight can lead to higher velocities which would give the cartridge more energy or "power". This is not a cast in stone rule, depending on powder and bullet type you can end up with a load that has high pressures and lower velocities than other loads with the same bullet. "Power" is dependent on projectile weight and velocity, not PSI though PSI may be a factor in velocity.
I think the questions you meant to ask would have been, "Would shooting .357 magnum ammunition cause undue wear in my Ruger Security Six?" and "What velocities can I expect from the various loads in my gun?" The answer to the first has been answered and the last varies depending on bullet weight, type, and use and can be found in the catalogs of the various ammo manufacturers, most of whch are online. Look for those that use a vented 4" test barrel, that info should be found somewhere on the same line as the velocity and energy listings.
