I have a mid 80's stainless Ruger Police Service Six that was my old service revolver. I've been told that it can handle 38/44 level loads. Once I watched an officer shoot a large, whitetail buck who was paralyzed in his back half by a car right between the eyes with a 110 grain +P+ hollow point. it obviously didn't penetrate, because he just blinked and shook his head. I started carrying 6 hard cast 358156 rounds loaded with 5.5 grains of Unique in my briefcase after that. They would punch through and instantly kill a wounded deer. I love my .38 Specials.
Ron
A Service Six is a brute strong revolver. Not only can it take 38/44 level loads, it can handle full .357 magnum pressures... And I'm not talking about today's .357 pressures, I'm talking about the original 1935 pressures. Trying to kill a Service Six would be an exercise in futility. At Davis, we used to do re-chambers of Service Sixes, S&W .38 Special K frames, and Colt medium frames from .38 Special to .357 magnum.
