I posted this in self defense area, so there's a longer thread there if anyone's interested. Looking for feedback on home defense ammo for my new 686plus, which is a .357 but for a variety of reasons, am leaning toward the .38 sp + p, narrowed down to the following-

- Remington 158g LSWCHP
- Speer gold dot (not sure whether 135 or 125g)
- Corbon 125g JHP

And, wondering about how much my having a 4 inch barrel impacts my choice. Much thanks

I would and do use the FBI Load.

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Freedom is never free!!
SWCA #3437

Buffalo Bore- Heavy 158g LSWCHP +p in .38
Remington 125g golden saber .357 which is medium velocity.

The 4" .357 is a good balance between enough barrel length for good velocity/expansion and good handling. If this will be potentially used indoors, .38 +P or lighter .357 loads will be plenty effective (and loud) if you practice enough. The Speer .38 Gold Dot as you mentioned, the .357 Short Barrel and other similar loads that expand well should work.

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Alan
SWCA LM 2023, SWHF 220

For HD the +P .38 Special makes sense. The Rem. 158 gr. LSWCHP would be fine. If you want to use a lighter bullet, my preference would be for the 135 gr. GD. If you prefer Corbon, the 125 gr. JHP may be all they offer. I'd be most inclined to use the Rem. 158 gr. load.

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<><

38 spl inside the home are easier on the ears and eyes and faster on follow up shots if needed.

The standard Remington 38 158gr FBI load and both Speer 125 or 135gr Jhp loads in your 4" barrel will work just fine. You can opt to try the 357 mag speer 135 GD,since it is not that much more than the 38 loading if you feel like a little more energy is needed.

Shoot a box at 10 feet to see which are the best for you and your gun since they may pattern differently with the different bullet weight and velositys.........

For several decades the 158gr LSWCHP FBI load has been proven to be an affective load. I am sure the other loads you mentiontioned would also be effective. Shot placement is probably more effective than the bullet. The military worldwide uses a FMJ 9mm and considers it adequate.

In the confines of a home I would and do use Buffalo Bore (Heavy) 158 grain LSWCHP-GC +P 38 Special. .357 is a bit too much inside a home IMHO.

Winchester PDX1 in all my SD guns except the shotgun, which gets #1 Buck.

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Is this heaven? No, it's Iowa.

Hornady 158gr XTP's! That was easy!

I load my ,357's with Double Tap's 125 Grn JHP @ 1600 fps. Why not get the most out of it?

Any .38 Special load is rather anemic. If your going .38 it matters little what you use. Though I suppose considering trying to make the best of it I'd choose the FBI load. Of course it is also goi g to penetrate walls more than a lighter bullet.

Emory

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Hard To Kill

A .357 could also go through several walls. For me it's the .38+P

I too use Winchester PDX1. The 9mm +P is a good balance between accuracy, power, and expansion/ballistics.

However for my revolver I use Critical Duty JHP's.

I keep my 686 loaded with .38 +P, Remington Golden Saber, JHP, 125 Grain. I've been very pleased with accuracy and expansion results. They never fail to mushroom. Good luck trying to find a box... seems like most places have been out of stock lately.

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Ephesians 6 (Armor of God)

The best ammo for you comes after determining how your house is set up. As it was mentioned above, penetrating into rooms where there are family members you're try to protect kind of defeats the purpose. If that isn't a concern then any ammo will work. If penetrating sheetrock is a concern I would use something that expands quickly and loses energy quickly.

I had the data from a Guns and Ammo mag around here somewhere. They did a test of this about 10 years ago to see how sheets of sheetrock/drywall each round would penetrate. It was pretty eye opening and that's why I thought I saved it. Oh well, I must have tossed all those old articles I saved.

I found some info on a site called Box o truth. Nothing in there about 38/357 but enough info to give you an idea about the stopping resistance of sheetrock. Lots of info all over the site.

The Box O' Truth #1 - The Original Box O' Truth - Page 1

Why are there so many shooters pushing Buffalo Bore FBI Load ammo over the Remington, Winchester or Federal FBI ammo?

Buffalo Bore, $26.66/20 rounds
Remington, $26.95/50 rounds (R38S12)
Federal, $19.95/50 rounds (38G)

The Remington and Federal ammo is time tested and proven. Why spend more on 20 rounds that you can buy 50 rounds for?

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Freedom is never free!!
SWCA #3437

Absolutely---Rem. 158 gr. LSWCHP

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John

I use Remington 158 gr LHP. You cannot go wrong with the FBI load.