125gr. 357 in a Colt Lawman

[burrhead]

I bought a very nice Colt Lawman yesterday ($280 BTW) and I'm considering putting it into the carry rotation. I know about the concerns of using .357mag 125gr. cartridges in S&W K frames but what about the Colt J frames? Any concerns about splitting the forcing cone? TIA

 

[dfariswheel]

No, given that the hot 125 grain loads will eventually erode and damage any forcing cone.

The Colt rear barrel is much thicker then the S&W "K" frame and about the only time you see a cracked Colt cones is in guns that some fool has been shooting ridiculous over-loads in.

Buy a Lewis Lead Remover kit and use the forcing cone cleaning head to keep the carbon fouling cleaned off. Even if you shoot nothing but jacketed ammo, carbon and bullet metal will foul the cone, and that promotes cracking.

 

[ColtPythonElite]

I doubt if you will ever want to shoot enough 125gr to cause any damage/wear.

 

[returningfire]

What length barrel on your Lawman?

 

[SaxonPig]

"No, given that the hot 125 grain loads will eventually erode and damage any forcing cone."

Really? How long does this take? My 43 year old 19-3 has never been used with anything but 125 JHP Magnum loads and is still just fine.

 

[earlthegoat2]

There is some myth and some truth to the 125 grain 357 mag loads cracking forcing cones. The myth is that "any" 125 gr loads will crack a forcing cone on a K frame or (insert 357 revolver of choice here)

The truth (and maybe a little more myth) is that the examples of cracked forcing cones on K frames or any other 357 revolver from the days that this was becoming a concern were from very high pressure 357 rounds that happened to be in 125 grain weight. The 357 Super Vel ammo is what comes to mind most often. This is what caused rapid cone wear. Not just any old 125 gr 357 ammo.

Just as Saxon Pig is quick to mention about modern factory 38 +P ammo not being a hot load, so it is true also with modern 357 Mag ammo compared to a few factory loading of yesteryear.

 

[SaxonPig]

I have spent some time looking into the cracked forcing cone issue and here's what I have found.

1. It mainly affects the 19-5 S&Ws. It does occur with other guns but most of the damaged guns prove to be 19-5s. This is the first 19 with the crush fit barrel and no pin. Coincidence? I don't know.

2. A police armorer reported that he saw 19s fail using 158 grain 357 ammo and even one that cracked using 38 Special target loads. This suggests it is not the 125 JHP ammo (or even Magnum loads) at all but is in fact a problem with the guns.

3. One gunsmith noted that the damaged K frames he saw all had filthy forcing cones from lots of shooting with no cleaning. He said that he never saw a cracked cone on a clean gun. He theorized that carbon build up caused hot spots that over-stressed the metal leading to the cracking.

Conclusions:

I would be concerned with a 19-5. Any other gun and not so much.

Keep the forcing cone clean. Do not allow carbon deposits to build up in this area.

 

[The Lone Haranguer]

The Colt doesn't have its barrel cut away to allow the cylinder to close. And there are several loadings of 125-grain .357s, not all of them with the thunderclap-like blast and fireball. I don't think I would be overly concerned.