I recently purchased an older (94') SW642 from a friend. It is not specifically stamped 38spl. + P like the new 642's, but says 38spl. ctg. on the barrel. The manual does not reference being using +P's.

My friend says he was told it could handle +P and shot several boxs through it, although settled for match grade standard pressure wad cutters for a defensive load (as will I)

Questions:

1) Can one fire +P's through this gun safely and without damaging the firearm?

2) Did the several hundred +P's he fired damage the gun, and if so what would I look for?

He had perhaps 500 rounds total through the gun. The gun is of better fit and finish than the new 642's and is very tight, shoots well, and was in 99% condition.

Thanks in advance for any comments/advice

Don't think you've got a problem. Have an old Mod. 37 that's been arround the house for about 20years. Normally will practice with WC loads and just fire the 10 rounds that had been carried with the gun at the end of a session. Some of that has been +p (the 158gr. SWCHP loads) but most has been the old Federal Nyclad 125gr. load.

What to look for? Actually it's the same as shooting lots of non- +P (lets just call that -P ammo). Eventually the revolver gets a bit loose...the cylinder has more front-back play (end shake)...the forcing cone may show a bit of wear...but nothing drastically destructive.
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SOME of this comes from the 1930's (and on into the 1950's). SW madea big framed .38special called the Heavy Duty and ammo makers out hot 38/44 loads (in this case, the 44 part refered to the frame size of the gun). These loads would be about +P+ or ++P++ loads by today's staandards. In fact, in the 1950's Lyman handbook, some of the loads listed for use in these heavy 38's are above .357mag. listing to day. A couple of cylinderfulls of this load could well casue some grief...so the warnings back then were much more serious in nature.

The warnings for today's are serious too, but it's more about accelerated wear than some catastrophic failure.

For what its worth, I was reading an old article in Guns and Ammo magazine that had a feature story on .38 Specials. In it the author stated that after 1958 S&W switched to a stronger grade of steel in their revolvers and that revolvers made after 1958 can use +P ammo without any problems.