[Aaryq]

Howdy, folks.
Is the Herigage Mfg .357 revolver +P rated or is it limited to standard ammo?

[The Bushmaster]

They don't rate .357 magnums for +P. There just isn't such a thing as +P for .357 magnums...They just are...

Now if you are talking about .38 Special +P. That's a different story. A .38 Special has to be rated for +P before you can shoot +P in them. Most modern revolvers of today [if of good quality and of good brand] are rated for +P. Older revolvers and "cheapos" are not. If you mean can you shoot .38 Special +P in a .357 magnum...Hell yes...

[Jim March]

If a particular gun is rated for 357 yet is harmed by any amount of 38+P under 200,000 rounds or so, it's a piece of junk (see note below for exception).

The ONLY 357s that might fit that bill are maybe the alloy version of the EAA Windicator (soft metal).

The Heritage centerfires are made by Pietta, which means a pretty good rep. And as it's basically an SAA-ish gun in terms of dimensions, we know the cylinder has enough "beef" for 44Spl and 45LC, which means in mid-bore like a 357 there's a LOT of cylinder metal.

It'll eat any number of 38 or 38+P no sweat. About the only thing that MIGHT hurt it in large doses are the hottest 125gr jacketed full-house 357s, esp. the flavors that exceed 1,450fps or about 600ft/lbs energy. Doubletap and Buffalo Bore sell loads doing 1,600fps and close to 800ft/lbs. I would shoot moderate amounts of this in an Italian SAA but I wouldn't want to exceed 500 to 1,000/yr and I'd keep it below that if possible...but that's being VERY conservative on my part.

That's the type of load that will be harshest on any 357 gun. Heavier bullet weights with the same net energy will still be milder on the gun than the hottest 125s due to how fast the bullet hits the forcing cone (front of cylinder constriction) and throat (back of barrel, another constriction). The 125s start moving quicker when they reach those points. Hardcast will also always be mellower on the gun than jacketed in any bullet weight for the same energy.

Note: some 357 guns are harmed by 38s, but that's because they're DAs with heavy cylinders and firing them FAST hurts the gun. The gun isn't being harmed by the bullet's power, but rather stopping and starting the heavy cylinder quickly. The cylinder and frame aren't harmed in this situation, rather the "action parts" that start and stop the cylinder get beat up. The S&W N-Frames were infamous for this; the new 8-shot 357s are better at rapid fire than the classics in part because cylinder weight is reduced and they beefed up some metal in the action. This issue won't affect an SA revolver unless you fan it, and that's bigtime bad news in any caliber unless the gun is specifically beefed up for that purpose. See Bob Munden's gunsmithing page if you're even thinking of going there.