colt agent 38spl.

NOAH

got a colt agent ,made around 1983-84 2" 38spl. snubbie
can i use +p ammo or not[?]

thanks
noah

rufe-snow

I wouldn't except in personal protection situations. They are alloy frame revolvers dating to the early 80's. This was prior to +P ammo being on the market and widely used, i.e if they weren't manufactured for +P don't use except in emergencies.

Riomouse911

Agree, +P not a good idea in the older alloy frame guns...'specially a Colt where finding a good gunsmith for repairs is getting harder and harder to do.

I suggest that you look for something like a Standard Pressure 110 grain Critical Defense (Hornady) or the like for decent personal protection, with minimal recoil, and less stress on your Agent.

victorj19

I never thought about my 1st gen Colt detective not being able to handle +P loads.

Should I avoid +P loads to?

CS8161

quote:Originally posted by victorj19
I never thought about my 1st gen Colt detective not being able to handle +P loads.

Should I avoid +P loads to?


The Det Special is all steel, correct? I would still not feed it a steady diet of plus p loads, but they are certainly fine for carrying for self defense.

511pe

Because the gun isn't rated for +P your correct answer is no. The fallowing is for informational purposes only. I have personally used all lead .38 special+P rounds in an old alloy frame Colt Agent that was sold as a refurbishment. The store had acquired old retired service pistols form the local police department. There came to be a creation of a 158gn all lead semi-waddcutter hollow point(hope I spelled that right).38 special+P round specifically called the FBI round. Extensive tests revealed the 158gn all lead semi-waddcutter hollow point had expanded to about the size of a .45 in ballistics jelly. The test gun was a .38 snub-nose. If I remember correctly, +P ratings/markings might have came after this creation. Please understand that lead bullets are lubricated, so in theory produce less stress on the barrel. I personally wouldn't feel so confident with any jacketed +P rounds because although the jacket reduces the leading of the barrel bore it's much harder than Lead. A 2" barrel may be more forgiving because of the short barrel length. So in theory a lot can go wrong (except for an over pressurized load)with the ammo (such as a squib)and it may be safer than the same caliber in a longer barrel length. For self defense all lead hollow points would be the best for low pressure guns. Furthermore I believe a +P just uses a longer shell casing to create more case pressure and perhaps a little extra powder(please correct me if wrong). A reloader may not find them so desirable because a heaver grain bullet can be seated in such a way, closer to the chamber's end, and with a heavy crimp, it may lend it's self to accepting more powder within the safety margins. In my experiences longer case lengths may make the extraction more difficult especially in 6 shot revolvers. Be advised, if the Colt Agent brakes a part you might end up with a collectable or a parts gun. Kinda hard to find new replacement parts for that.

Anonymouse

quote:Originally posted by 511pe
Because the gun isn't rated for +P your correct answer is no. The fallowing is for informational purposes only. I have personally used all lead .38 special+P rounds in an old alloy frame Colt Agent that was sold as a refurbishment. The store had acquired old retired service pistols form the local police department. There came to be a creation of a 158gn all lead semi-waddcutter hollow point(hope I spelled that right).38 special+P round specifically called the FBI round. Extensive tests revealed the 158gn all lead semi-waddcutter hollow point had expanded to about the size of a .45 in ballistics jelly. The test gun was a .38 snub-nose. If I remember correctly, +P ratings/markings might have came after this creation. Please understand that lead bullets are lubricated, so in theory produce less stress on the barrel. I personally wouldn't feel so confident with any jacketed +P rounds because although the jacket reduces the leading of the barrel bore it's much harder than Lead. A 2" barrel may be more forgiving because of the short barrel length. So in theory a lot can go wrong (except for an over pressurized load)with the ammo (such as a squib)and it may be safer than the same caliber in a longer barrel length. For self defense all lead hollow points would be the best for low pressure guns. Furthermore I believe a +P just uses a longer shell casing to create more case pressure and perhaps a little extra powder(please correct me if wrong). A reloader may not find them so desirable because a heaver grain bullet can be seated in such a way, closer to the chamber's end, and with a heavy crimp, it may lend it's self to accepting more powder within the safety margins. In my experiences longer case lengths may make the extraction more difficult especially in 6 shot revolvers. Be advised, if the Colt Agent brakes a part you might end up with a collectable or a parts gun. Kinda hard to find new replacement parts for that.


Incorrect.