First post here, Thanks in advance for your time. New to guns in general. Just picked up a 686 4 inch, Marlin .357, and Mossberg 500. Of course I will be adding other guns to my collection but I figured this was a good start for protection if civil unrest becomes a reality.

Im looking to buy three cases about 2000 rounds of .357, Im considering Hornady. For the Marlin the Leverevolution 140 gr FTX sounds like a winner. Im curious how this shoots out of the 686 4 inch.

My concearn is the short barrel wont allow the proper velocity and expansion of the bullet for maxium effect. I know it could be shot out of the 686 but would a better choice be the Critical Defense 125 grain FTX?

If needed would the Critical Defense 125 grain be effective in the Marlin at takeing down doe or small game at 100 yards?

Im thinking of getting 1000 rounds of the Leverevolution and 1000 rounds of the Critical Defense, Your thoughts would be appreciated. Thanks.

Edit: IF the Leverevolution shoots comparably to the Critical Defense in the 686 I would prefere to just buy 2000 rounds of it.

I've never shot either of these loads put of my carbine, or pistol. Hornady makes good ammo, and if you go to their web site and ask them your question, I'm sure they will respond and help you with your decision.

I like 140gr bullets out of my 357 firearms. 125 is a good weight for personal defence, but I feel it is a little too light for deer (it is going to be smoking fast out of your carbine, and might not penetrate enough for deer).

I like 158gr for my carbine, and it is a great choice for pistols as well.
For personal defence it might penetrate a little too much though.

For me I load a lighter than full power 158gr load for use in both pistol and carbine. I figure that it's going faster than a 38+p in my revolver and the extra barrel length in the carbine gives me enough power for short range shots on deer (<100 yards)

I don't know if you will ever find the perfect 1 load for both, having 2 different loads might be the way to go.

Thanks for the input. I decided to order 2 cases of the Leverevolution and one case of critical defense. I'll post how it works out.

Please do because I've had issues with Critical Defense shells expanding and getting stuck in the cylinder of my 4-inch 681. Although I like Hornady's Leverevolution and Critical Duty ammo, I've been leery of the Critical Defense ever since.