K frame owners, bring your sticks

[HALL,AUSTIN]

Looking for answers as to what a model13 smith and wesson (I'm assuming alll K frames are the same really) is capable of shooting a steady diet of. I'd prefer personal experience from owners, smiths, and armorers. Please no "Well my brother's friend's dad's buddy said" kind of stuff. I know this horse has been beaten to death already, but I've got no real definitive answer on this one. If you own one what do you feed it? I know .357 isn't what it used to be velocity wise, and I've been told to steer clear of the super fast 125gr stuff. Also since you're already here, what holster do you recommend? I look foward to your replies.

[BigJimP]

I have a variety of S&W K frames...model 19's and 66's..( 2 1/2" and 4" mostly )...and they all have many thousands of rounds thru them in .357 Mag...and all with a 158gr bullet...which is the traditional .357 mag load.

I've never had an issue in the forcing cones in any of them...

When I carry a K frame...I use a Kramer leather, IWB holster, with a forward FBI tilt..( I use Kramer leather for everything ...I have their holsters for L and N frame S&W revolers, 1911's ...Sig 226's and Sig 239's. They make a great product.

[Will_G]

I have a Model 13-3 and use 158-grain ammo in it, whether .38 or .357. I actually like "cowboy" .357 ammo that is 158 grain and figured my Model 13-3 should last forever (at least longer than me) on that diet. But for woods carry I would certainly have no problem with regular .357.

[CajunBass]

It's funny. I don't know how may 357's I've owned over the years. S&W, Colt, Ruger, Taurus. I never shot anything 38 Special in them. Not because I didn't think they'd take it, I just didn't see any sense in shooting expensive, hard kicking, noise making 357 ammo, to punch a hole in a piece of paper or to make a gong go "clang." (Same thing with the 44 Magnum, but to a lesser extent. Pretty much nothing but 44 Special type loads.)

The fact that I always seem to have a bucket full of 38 brass around probably influenced that also.

My favorite holster, back when I did carry a K-frame sized revolver out and about in the field was a simple Smith & Wesson belt holster with a conventional restraining strap that I ot out of a "box O' holsters" at a gun store somewhere years ago.. I forget the model number now. Either that or a plain Uncle Mikes Sidekick.

[old bear]

Hull, Austin, I don’t believe there is a definitive answer to your question, there are to many variables.

I do though have a 3” model 65, which is the stainless version of the model 13. The following is the ammo I generally shot in it: Underwood brand 158Gr. 38 special +P ammo rated at 1,200 FPS. and 550 foot pounds of energy. .357 Magnum reloads composed of 158Gr. LSWC ahead of 13.5Gr’s of 2400. This is also rated at 1,200 with 550 foot pounds of energy. Finally, the Georgia Arms 158Gr. SWC which is rated at 1200 FPS.

None of these are brutal rounds to shoot, on either the gun or shooter, and should perform well if ever needed. As I see no need to stress either myself of my revolvers by shooting ultra-hot ammo, I’m pleased with these choices.

I understand that a carbon build up in the forcing cone area is believed to be part of the cause of split barrels. So, a proper cleaning is essential after each range trip.

As for holsters, again there is no one size fits all answer. Sadly, it is a matter of trial and error, to find what works best for you. All I can suggest is buy the best holster and belt you can afford.

Hope this helps.

[SaxonPig]

Shoot whatever factory or sensibly loaded ammo you want. Keep it clean, especially the forcing cone. A theory is that carbon deposits in cone become hot spots that lead to cracking.

[tipoc]

Brian Pearce has done a number of articles on this over the years in Handloader Magazine and you can google his name and .357 Magnum and turn up several of those. I mention him and that magazine because they are a source for reliable information. They will help if what you read here is not what you're looking for.

Keep the gun clean. Don't allow lead or copper fouling to build up in the barrel in the area of the forcing cone. I'll repeat what others have said.

The issues with the K frame were that they were built for duty carry by police officers in mind. This was when officers trained with 38 Spl. and carried .357 on duty. The issues came when you reversed that and did not keep the guns clean. This caused heat and pressures to build up and crack forcing cones.

The other issue was when folks thought that a light weight carry piece was a good platform for hog hunting loads better suited for a levergun. Or that all 125 gr. bullets had to go 1400 fps from a 4" barrel all the time. The guns could go out of time sooner than an N frame or a Ruger would.

You can shoot anything you want out of them just be mindful of their role. They will last longer than the shooter if treated proper.

There are other .357s that can better take a beating and abuse.

tipoc

[g.willikers]

If you are going to use yours to the extreme, whatever that might be,
Buy at least two and alternate between them so they last last longer.
Seriously.
Probably won't be actually necessary, but if it will help you worry less, why pass up a legitimate reason to buy more guns.
See how simple life can be?

[Jim Watson]

Not a problem to me. The K frame can stand more magnums than I can.

[tipoc]

What do I feed it?

I match the loads to it's purpose which is mostly defensive, and to my capabilities with the piece, if being carried. So any 158 gr. load that does between 1,000-1100 fps. Or with a lighter bullet up to 1200 fps. I'm most accurate at a distance, at speed with these loads. Bullets much faster (fire breathing) or much heavier, tend to slow me down or produce too many wild shots at speed.

tipoc

[kraigwy]

I like 357s, and have shot hundreds of thousands of 357 rounds since I was issued my first 357 when I got into LE in 1974.

I want a gun designed for 357s not one that was designed for 38s that can occasionally shoot 357s.

I tired that. I have shot loose both a Model 19 and Model 13. My issue service revolver was a Model 28, I've shot the crap out of it and its still tight.

I've tried other revolvers but always came back to the M-28, not only can it handle a heavy diet of 357s, the weight makes it easier to shoot.

You can get use to the weight, I did, carrying in on my belt for 20 years. I like the 4 inch version. I tried carrying my 6.5 in Model 27, but that extra 2.5 inches was just too much setting in a patrol car for 10 hours a night.

I don't like shooting 38s out of my 357s. I hate cleaning the ring in the cylinder left by 38s that hangs up fired 357 cases. I want a super clean cylinder that allows the empties to fall out when reloading.

I use a 38 revolver for 38s and a 357 revolver for 357s.

[Dave T]

What are the "sticks" referred to in the title? Still trying to figure what the OP is talking about.

Dave

[HALL,AUSTIN]

The sticks are to beat this "dead horse". We use that term on TFL for something that has been discussed to the point that all angles have been covered, and is no longer a viable topic to debate.

[Real Gun]

If you are going to shoot many hundreds or even thousands of full power 357 Magnum, you need a gun designed for that like an N-frame, maybe a 627. If you are going to shoot only milder reloads or 38 Special, nothing to worry about, seems to me. Also, for 357 Magnum, if you stick to 158 gr bullets or Speer Short Barrel and the like, somewhere between 125 and 158 gr, you and the gun should be better off.

[chaim]

I have a 3" S&W 65LS. I love that gun. I have shoot quite a bit of pretty much everything out of it. I stopped counting a bit over 10 years ago, and it was over 10K rounds. I haven't shot it much in the past few years though since it is out of time and needs to see a gunsmith to fix that. It has caused it to spit lead (being out of time, the chambers aren't totally in line with the barrel/forcing cone when it fires, so the bullet hits the forcing cone in such a way that it shaves some lead or copper jacket off the bullet). This is a problem because when it spits back in my face it stings and is sometimes bad enough to draw a little blood. I really do need to get it to a smith to fix it so I can start shooting it again. I love that gun. Though, in the future, I plan to shoot mostly .38spl out of it and to limit it to 158gr magnums (the faster 125gr are supposedly what may crack a forcing cone). I plan to eventually buy a 3" S&W 686 Plus for more extended magnum use.

As for a holster, I don't really have one for it (I used to occasionally use a cheap Uncle Mikes). I have a nice Black Hills Leather carved BH24 and a Galco Summer Comfort IWB for my 625MG. I plan to get a Simply Rugged Pancake with IWB leather straps for use as both an IWB and OWB holster for my future 686Plus, and maybe one for my current 65LS.

[jetinteriorguy]

Model 28's are tanks for .357. I accidentally overloaded some 158 gr bullets by 5gr of Titegroup with no damage. Thanks to my stupid bifocals I didn't notice the 5gr poise was a notch further than it should have been. I no longer use this scale and double check with a digital when working up loads or setting my powder measure.

[Arizona Fusilier]

I have a 3" Model 13, which I confess has not seen that much range time, even though I have had it for over 20 years. When I do take it out from behind the seat of the truck and put a few rounds down range, I feed it the standard diet of 145gr Winchester Silvertip.

How's​ that for dating my stockpile?

As far as holsters, I was lucky enough to score one​ at a gun show, wanna say Nevada Gunleather or something like that. Also got a custom made kydex ITWB holster made a couple years ago; really good solution for us "odd" barrel-length guys.

[Arizona Fusilier]

Duplicate post

[Wheelgun]

Originally Posted by Arizona Fusilier

I have a 3" Model 13, ...<snip>...When I do take it out from behind the seat of the truck and put a few rounds down range, I feed it the standard diet of 145gr Winchester Silvertip.

How's​ that for dating my stockpile?

I still have 145gr Silvertips in some speed strips (as well as at least a box). That was my preferred load back when I carried my 3" Model 65.