smith and wesson mod 49-2 question

Dayman · Oct 5, 2014

Is this pistol suitable for .38 +p rounds.

Can't find a definitive answer with google search. Seems +p+ is a no go but nothing consistent for +p.

mark_b · Oct 5, 2014

If it was my gun, I would check with S&W and see what they say. In my opinion, I think they would be safe to use as defensive rounds, but I would not practice extensively with them. YMMV

Avtomat-Acolyte · Oct 12, 2014

http://www.thehighroad.org/archive/index.php/t-639412.html

Based on casual reading, +P .38 is fine.

Based on my own casual musings, what is the intended use of this gun? There are better choices for self-defense, particularly when you realize that the penetrative ability (distance; temporary wound cavity; permanent wound cavity; kinetic energy; et al) of a .38 special from a two inch barrel is so dismal, not to mention the very limited round count.

bigfutz · Oct 13, 2014

Oh, no. Here we go again. Can we have a dedicated thread for the effective caliber debate?

As for the OP, I am of the mindset that "probably be OK" doesn't fly when it comes to things that go bang. If it doesn't say +P, I would not personally use +P and surely would not advise another to do so. If it's that important to you, sell/trade and get a gun marked +P or better yet .357 Magnum. Or as AA would recommend, something that better suits your intended use.

Avtomat-Acolyte · Oct 13, 2014

bigfutz said:
Oh, no. Here we go again. Can we have a dedicated thread for the effective caliber debate?

As for the OP, I am of the mindset that "probably be OK" doesn't fly when it comes to things that go bang. If it doesn't say +P, I would not personally use +P and surely would not advise another to do so. If it's that important to you, sell/trade and get a gun marked +P or better yet .357 Magnum. Or as AA would recommend, something that better suits your intended use.

This is part of why I was asking. If it is to be a dedicated CCW gun then most people acknowledge the gun must be fired a lot, and fired regularly, to maintain a degree of muscle memory, reflexive shooting ability, etc. so that when you're in a spontaneous Life-Or-Death situation you can immediately react appropriately.

A gun that you don't know what kind of ammo you can use, or only shoot sparingly out of, is problematic for a whole host of other reasons beyond "use outside of factory specifications."

This is why all of my revolvers are .357 so I don't have to pay attention to the velocity ratings of the factory ammo I shoot.

Maybe swapping to a 2" .357 would alleviate the concerns if you're set on a revolver. The only reason I mentioned 9mm is that modern 9mm guns are much more forgiving with regards to +P or +P+ and 9mm ammunition loads from the factory have surpassed performance of .38, .40 and even .45 for the most part.

Dayman · Oct 13, 2014

The firearm in question is my fathers. I noticed that he was carrying ball ammo that probably is at least a decade old. I have some hornaday critical defense +p and was going to replace his ammo with the defensive ammo. I bet this pistol has only been carried a few times or even shot for that matter. He has a CCW but only carries when traveling. Thanks for all replies.

Avtomat-Acolyte · Oct 13, 2014

Dayman said:
The firearm in question is my fathers. I noticed that he was carrying ball ammo that probably is at least a decade old. I have some hornaday critical defense +p and was going to replace his ammo with the defensive ammo. I bet this pistol has only been carried a few times or even shot for that matter. He has a CCW but only carries when traveling. Thanks for all replies.

Sentiment trumps everything else.

From what I saw the gun should be good to go with +P.

You are a good son for checking the status of your father's gun and replacing his old ammo.

I periodically check on the pistol I gave my mother a few years back to ensure that it is unmolested, loaded, and ready to buy 911 time to show up and help her.