rossi .38 ammo?

[Guest agt.dealer]

i know its a dumb question but im NO revolver guy!!picked up a rossi interarms m88 stainless made in brazil .38 spl,is the spl same as +p?should i shoot .38,.38spl,.38spl+p?????!

[Guest bkelm18]

.38 is .38 special. +P simply means it is loaded to a higher pressure to achieve a higher velocity. If your gun is +p rated, then you can shoot standard or +p ammo. Most guns nowadays are +p rated.

[Guest agt.dealer]

thats what spooked me,no +p.the web sight said all are +p as marked?mine is a older i think?03 95 under grips.thought +p was alittle longer but thats the .357. thanks

[JWKilgore]

How old is it? I have an older stainless steel Rossi, "Made in Brasil", and happen to have the manual. Specifically says, "Do NOT use +P ammunition in Rossi revolvers chambered for .38 Special!". In BOLD type, complete with an explanation point. But I know that newer Rossi revolvers are rated for +P, and I know I shot a box of +P before I found the manual in my dad's gun cabinet.

[Moped]

I would not use +P in it. I have a Colt Agent, which is also not rated for +P, and I'm quite happy with standard pressure Federal 125 gr. Nyclads.

[JAB]

It is my understanding (don't have a chrono to test it, myself) that +P, especially from a snubbie, really only nets about an extra 100 fps, if that. I hope someone will correct me if I am wrong. In the old days with older bullet construction, given snubbie velocities, that 100 fps or so could be the difference in whether or not the bullet expanded. With newer bullet construction I am not sure how big a deal that slight increase in velocity would be. That said, I carry +P in my 642 because I figure that, with as short a barrel as it has, every little bit helps. If I wasn't sure if it was +P rated or not, however, I'd find a good, well constructed standard pressure load and carry with confidence.

[Moped]

It's not the FPS I worry about, but the pressure increase necessary for that extra 100 FPS. Still, if you want to shoot a cylinder or two on occasion, I don't it would do a lot of damage, but definitely not a steady diet of it. My Agent loves the Nyclads though. When I bought the pistol off a Postal Inspector, that was the load he recommended. I've tried others, but in the accuracy department, the Nyclads win hands down and it's a standard pressure load, so I'll stick with it.

[ttocswob]

See my post in the +P Ammo thread & follow the link - interesting perspective on +p .38 Special.

(I was reading both threads and really meant to post it here.)

[JAB]

It's not the FPS I worry about, but the pressure increase necessary for that extra 100 FPS.

That is kind of the point I was getting at although, looking back at my post, I am afraid I failed at making that clear. Basically, I was saying that - with modern bullet designs - I can see someone questioning whether or not the extra recoil/chamber pressure is worth using .38+P just for a rather slight increase in velocity even in a handgun that is +P rated. I wouldn't consider it to be worth taking the chance if I weren't sure the revolver was +P rated.