I believe I met my match...

[OldSchool]

Full power .357 loads should only be fired in L frame and N frame guns. I have fired them in a K frame and it hurt. I can't even begin to imagine how harsh and painful a ..357/158 would be - - - absolutely unfathomable out of a J frame. A scandium J frame is punishing enough with 125 gr .38 Spl +P. I'm too old and arthritic to get into a "who's the manliest man contest." I earned a lifetime man card when I was in the 82nd Airborne Division.

Well here's a vote for a SS K-frame Taurus (which was our first HG) with 158gr 357mag. Both of us use that combination and haven't come away with any pain, and with acceptable accuracy at ten yards. I suspect it does have to do with the frame material.

[WildBill]

TAM - Thanks for your revealing and entertaining story. This is one reason I advocate buying a .357 Mag revolver and shooting +P .38 Special rounds. The extra weight of the .357 Mag revolver makes the recoil less punishing. The additional strength of the .357 Mag revolver is also less punishing on the cylinder and frame.

[terryg]

That was awesome!! Thank you for sharing.

[Excaliber]

Glad you enjoyed my pain.

Yeah, I shot 158 grain loads from my old 642 before, and I thought it was unpleasant; but it wasn't leaving me wondering if I had lost all control over my faculties. No, a 158 grain .357 load out of a scandium J-frame is suitable only for the shooting gallery at an S&M bordello. I can see it now: "Lick my boots, worm, or I'll make you shoot the snubbie!" "No mistress, NO! I'll be good!"

It may make you feel a little better to remember that heavy bullets in very light snubbies aren't a good idea anyway because of the tendency of the projectiles to back out of the cartridges under recoil and tie up the cylinder in a way that's not easily resolved during a gunfight.

Your man card is still intact. You're just adjusting your cartridge choices for greater reliability.

[MoJo]

Full power .357 loads should only be fired in L frame and N frame guns. I have fired them in a K frame and it hurt. I can't even begin to imagine how harsh and painful a ..357/158 would be - - - absolutely unfathomable out of a J frame. A scandium J frame is punishing enough with 125 gr .38 Spl +P. I'm too old and arthritic to get into a "who's the manliest man contest." I earned a lifetime man card when I was in the 82nd Airborne Division.

You go boy! That's one of the best lines I've heard in a while. Can I use it if my son challenges me to repeat my stupidity of yesterday?

Only if you were in the 82nd. Other wise fill in with place/activity of your own.

[cheezit]

there are a few full house 128gr rounds out there too.
I have a full frame 6" Tam that if we ever meet somewere your more then welcom to give it a try. the down side to a revolver that big is holding it after a ferw rounds the things a tank :)

[rdcrags]

A scandium J frame is punishing enough with 125 gr .38 Spl +P.

Amen. I've confessed before how much even that hurts my hand after 5 shots. It tries to cut the web while it stings.

[esxmarkc]

That's a funny story TAM. I do enjoy your writing style. Please don't bruise your typing hand with that thing!

[DONT TREAD ON ME]

I'm hoping to see part 2 on YouTube - you know you want to

[bnc]

Firing a few cylinders of +P outof my LCR was plenty as far as I was concerned. I can imagine the brutality of .357, and in a gun with less plush grips too. Standard pressure .38 are what I go with in the snubby.


Now make with the youtube.

[Greybeard]

I had been carrying S&W's "lightest and brightest" 11-ounce model 342 in 38+P for a couple of years when they introduced the 12-ounce model 340 in .357. Thinking I had to have the "latest and greatest", I ordered one. While waiting on it to come in, another member was at the range who already had one. When I asked him if he had fired full-house 357s out of it he replied "Oh yes!" Me: "What's it like?" Him: "You played baseball didn't ya? Do you remember what it's like to hit a baseball in cold weather and break the bat?" So ya, TAM, you really musta been wanting to stay ahead of the son to do that to yaself 5 times in a row.

[The Annoyed Man]

Firing a few cylinders of +P outof my LCR was plenty as far as I was concerned. I can imagine the brutality of .357, and in a gun with less plush grips too. Standard pressure .38 are what I go with in the snubby.


Now make with the youtube.

There is no way on God's green earth that I am going to schedule a second session of attempting to disarticulate the bones of my hand just so I can get it on video! See what I wrote above about my son's t-shirt monkey. I'm a slow learner, but I'm not that slow!

[MoJo]

Firing a few cylinders of +P outof my LCR was plenty as far as I was concerned. I can imagine the brutality of .357, and in a gun with less plush grips too. Standard pressure .38 are what I go with in the snubby.


Now make with the youtube.

There is no way on God's green earth that I am going to schedule a second session of attempting to disarticulate the bones of my hand just so I can get it on video! See what I wrote above about my son's t-shirt monkey. I'm a slow learner, but I'm not that slow!

TAM your response to this request is - - - TA DAAAAAA! - - - "I earned my permanent man card when I shot 5 rounds of full house .357/158 gr through my scandium J frame."