A heavier bullet at low velocity is what does the job, not just the velocity so either the standard pressure 158 gr 357 magnum or a standard pressure 230 gr .45 should do the job just fine.


overpowered ammo like +p is a surefired way to destroy a gun regarless of the construction of the frame and probably would wreck the hell out of your hand and one of those wonderframe .357 magnums they make nowadays so dont use that for god sakes.

if your looking for a good .45 or a .357 for carry go for a colt alloy framed commander or the old model 19 but only use 158 gr bullets in it.

and if your still worried about it just use hollowpoints or semi wadcutters or something close to the semi's with the .45, basically anything but pure ball ammo and actually they used to say everything falls to ball with the .45 but I think thats probably what also led to the failure to stops with the 9mm and .38 special that I've read about from the past.

as for stopping power wise, either would do the job but I'm weary of anything under a 147 gr period or anything that's about the same diameter as a 9mm like the .38 special or the .357.

but thats probably more this stopping power BS wars wearing me down more than anything else, along with the actual factual report of the .38 failing to stop some mean mother hubber on drugs that was coming after the cop Elmer Keith was hanging around with in his book Six Guns


and I'm very weary of the 686, never liked the looks of it, I dont trust it and will never trust it after learning thats the one that locked up on my father in 82' or 83 with the first 6 rounds out of a brand new gun he put through it at a range.

I'd go for a 27, 19 or the stainless variants of them the 627 and the 66 over it instead of that one anyday.