Durability of older Colt .357 Magnums

[tominboise]

What loads were you shooting to take out the 586?

I don't remember exactly but I shot a lot of Federal 158gr JHP factory ammo and and also full bore reloads of 158gr JHP over WW296. Never mild loads or 38 specials back then.

 

[dfish1247]

My king cobra is still trucking along just fine, nothing but 296, 2400, and 158 jhp through it on the stressful side of loads. Of course bullseye and unique for the wrist savers. The gallery loads require gas checked rn or swc, no gas checks, horrid accuracy as in hitting a barn door at 25 yards is a gamble.

Never tried lighter than 158gr anything, no reason for me to do so.

 

[Old Dog]

I bought a new Colt Trooper MKIII 6" in 1979. I shot it a bunch, mostly with factory 357 Mag ammo. It had some MIM parts, like the trigger, and I ended up breaking a couple of triggers in the pistol during the time I had it.

Colt used sintered steel, not modern MIM in the trigger, and the later Mk V went to investment castings. The Trooper was quite the Trooper, if one shot it using mostly .38 SPL.