New to Me S&W 36 no dash

[MphsTiger1981]

I previously had a Smith and Wesson model 642 that I really liked, but sold it about 9 months ago to help my wife buy something she wanted.  Really enjoyed shooting the J frame with my bunny fart reloads. Luckily for me, I found a replacement earlier this morning. This one is an older model 36. The blueing is a little dinged up, but the cylinder locks up tight and the trigger is smooth. Called S&W customer service, and they said it was made in1975, but they also said not to use +P ammo in this gun. The wood stocks appear to be original and in overall pretty good condition. The only .38 self defense ammo I currently have is some +P 125 grain Speer Gold Dot Hollow Points. Any of you revolver guys have any suggestions for carry ammo?  

 

 

Edited May 19, 2014 by MphsTiger1981

[Joe357]

Wadcutters in 38spl would do a lot of damage, if you ever had to shoot.

Jmho.... Edited May 19, 2014 by joe45

[Patton]

Strange that S&W advised to not use plus p ammo, the 36's normally hold up really well.

[gregintenn]

That is a fine carry gun! It'll shoot anything that'll fit in the chamber. Telling you not to shoot +p ammo in it is a CYA from Smith and Wesson. It might eventually work loose if you shoot a BUNCH or +p ammo, but it'll take more than my hands or wallet could stand.

 

A model 60 is a stainless version of the 36, and could be had chambered in 357 Magnum. +p 38 Special doesn't get close to 357 mag pressures.

 

The Gold Dots would be fine assuming they shoot to the point of aim.

[MphsTiger1981]

That is a fine carry gun! It'll shoot anything that'll fit in the chamber. Telling you not to shoot +p ammo in it is a CYA from Smith and Wesson. It might eventually work loose if you shoot a BUNCH or +p ammo, but it'll take more than my hands or wallet could stand.

 

A model 60 is a stainless version of the 36, and could be had chambered in 357 Magnum. +p 38 Special doesn't get close to 357 mag pressures.

 

The Gold Dots would be fine assuming they shoot to the point of aim.

 

 

Thank Greg.

 

Yeah, as soon as I said the first letter J from the serial number he quickly said, "no plus P ammo". I'm not going to feed it a steady diet of them, but I would like to see where the point of aim is just in case. I'm looking forward to heading to the range one day this week. 

[Patton]

FWIW, the .38spl ammo available when that gun was manufactured exceeds plus p levels made now. Just shoot a few of your Gold Dots and carry with confidence.

[enfield]

Strange that S&W advised to not use plus p ammo, the 36's normally hold up really well.

The frame was beefed up later in production to handle .357.  At that time, S&W started recommending +P .38 Special loads.  I can look up the date if you're interested.

 

158 grain standard pressure hollow point wadcutters should make a great load for this pistol.

Edited May 19, 2014 by enfield

[Patton]

In 1972 SAAMI dropped pressure specifications for the .38 Spl from 21,000 psi to 17,000 psi,  Pressures exceeding 17,000 psi were given plus p designation in 1972.

[Patton]

The frame was beefed up later in production to handle .357.  At that time, S&W started recommending +P .38 Special loads.  I can look up the date if you're interested.
 
158 grain standard pressure hollow point wadcutters should make a great load for this pistol.

Your date is 1996, a call to S&W a few years ago told me that nothing special was done to .38spl models after that date other than stamping the plus p. however two of my guns were not approved for plus p only because they were not stamped.

[enfield]

My 638-2 is not +P stamped, and I have an email from S&W stating that it's OK to shoot +P in it.  The Catalog agrees.

 

Quote from the Standard Catalog for Model 36:

 

"36-9 (August 1996): J magnum frame introduction: rated for 38 +P. . . . "

 

So beginning with model 36-9, the pistol is rated for +P.

[Patton]

You can call S&W and get a different answer from everyone.

[gregintenn]

In 1972 SAAMI dropped pressure specifications for the .38 Spl from 21,000 psi to 17,000 psi,  Pressures exceeding 17,000 psi were given plus p designation in 1972.

This!^

 

Smith and Wesson marketed 38 Special ammo in the 70's, with their company name on it,  that is waaaaaaaaay hotter than anything available today with the +p designation.

[gregintenn]

The frame was beefed up later in production to handle .357.  At that time, S&W started recommending +P .38 Special loads.  I can look up the date if you're interested.

 

158 grain standard pressure hollow point wadcutters should make a great load for this pistol.

The frame window was lengthened to accommodate the longer cylinder. I wasn't aware any other changes were made.

 

I do agree that the old wadcutters are hard to beat for a 38 Special.

 

It was found that the J frames were actually better able to handle 357 pressures than the K frames. Model 19s were prone to cracking in the forcing cone when fired with lightweight, high speed bullets. I am not aware of that problem in a J frame.

Edited May 20, 2014 by gregintenn

[Patton]

The frame window was lengthened to accommodate the longer cylinder. I wasn't aware any other changes were made.

I do agree that the old wadcutters are hard to beat for a 38 Special.

It was found that the J frames were actually better able to handle 357 pressures than the K frames. Model 19s were prone to cracking in the forcing cone when fired with lightweight, high speed bullets. I am not aware of that problem in a J frame.

J frames handle .357 a lot better than the K frames. The cylinder notches are also offset on the cylinder which makes them stronger.