Just bought a 686 plus w/3" barrel. I have lots of 38 special ammo but wanted some .357 mag HPs. Anyone use the Winchester 357 Magnum PDX1 125 gr Bonded JHP? I have a eye on some and was just looking for opinions. I already have a good supply of Speer 135 gr. 357's for short barrels. Bought a lot of the Speer when you could buy them in 50 rd. boxes. Just thinking of stashing away a little more .357s.

I like Winchester ammo, but like the Speer short barrel stuff better.
In today's environment you can't necessarily purchase what you want,
but have to buy what you can get.

With a 3" tube you will not be shooting targets past 50 yards with that weapon, unless you are a very good shooter.............

so any and all .357 ammo will do if you can find it for 0-25 yards target work.

Try some heavy 158 gr. loads too, if possible to see if you revolver likes light or heavy bullets, if you can find them.

The 686 is a great weapon, enjoy.

I carry the Speer short barrel 135 gn rounds. Punches very small groups with manageable recoil at 10 yards. 686+ 3'

__________________
Foster Positivity.

Even in the best of times it was tough to find, but you might want to keep an eye out for some Winchester 145gr Silvertips. They established a pretty good reputation. Unfortunately, I've never tried it because when I had a .357 Magnum revolver and would look for Silvertips I could never find it. Then after I sold the gun I would see the ammo pop up for sale every now and then. Typical. *sigh*

Buffalo Bore makes some "low-recoil" .357 loads that may be worth consideration. I think they also make a 140gr JHP load that mimics the Silvertips I mentioned.

The one .357 Magnum load I did try, and really liked, was WWB 110gr SJHP. I believe the velocity was rated at 1295fps, so definitely not a full-power load. Low recoil. May not be a first choice defensive load, but it's ballistics put it in the same neighborhood as 9mm 115gr +P or +P+, so not a slouch. IIRC, it was the load used by the US Marshals Service back when they issued the 3" Ruger GP100 before switching to Glocks. Inexpensive (well, before our current situation) and available in 50-round boxes. Biggest downside is that it does produce a nice fireball at the muzzle, which is cool when shooting at the range but may be a hindrance in a low-light defensive shooting.

Just my opinion.

My only experience with the PDX / Ranger ammo is in .45 acp, where it works well. From what I have heard, the entire Winchester PDX1 / Ranger / Ranger T line (direct decedents of the infamous Black Talon bullet) has an excellent performance record in law enforcement use.

A sleeper people have forgotten about is the Remington 125 grain SJHP .357 mag load. It's a screamer, and was "the" load back in the day LEO carried revolvers. Most studies during the revolver era of police use showed it the #1 effective handgun load in use. Its still available, and not over priced like some of the new state of the art handgun ammo.

Larry

Don't count the w/w 110gr load out.

My 38 snub nose 110 JHP does 996 with 244 ft/lbs ME.
My 3" 9mm 115 Gold Dot does 1160 with 343 ft/lbs.

That 110 357 Magnum load at 1295 has 409 ft/lbs of energy.

We all know the 9mm 115 +P load is a winner......
so a load going 1295 fps should work quite well, I would think, for a "Light load".

I have a 686+ 3" and if you like yours as much as I do mine you should be very happy. In the current market, I believe any quality JHP you can find will work fine. I'm pretty sure at self-defense distances neither the S&W or the intended target are going to care much. It'll be more about what you and your new revolver can place well. As far as the PDX1 bullet design goes, I have always liked it in rimless loadings, but haven't shot any in revolver cartridges.

__________________
M&PC FS BG Shield+ 642 686+

The L-frame S&W 357 Magnum revolvers are built to handle any 357 Magnum ammo that is within SAAMI pressure limits. I will say that with barrels of less than 4 inches, full power loads can be a real handful. I prefer either 38 Special +P, 38 Special +P Short Barrel, or 357 Magnum Short Barrel ammo. It works well and is more controllable than full power 125 grain loads. As an alternative, the 110 grain JHP 357 Magnum ammo is good and is not as abusive to the wrists as full power 125 grain ammo.

__________________
VCDL, GOA, NRA

yup - yes sir...this is indeed an accurate statement.
In my case , I struggle to keep anything on paper w full power loads.

and yes...the 686 ...my gosh its alot of fun

I'm getting 1370fps with 158xtp out of my 4in 686 using N105. And +1217fps out of my 2.625in 627PC.

BTW, Both my 686ND and 627PC are nearly identical weights loaded... less than 0.4oz lighter for my 627PC loaded with 8rd. Gotta love that.

My 686 has a 6" barrel, and I handload for it, and I don't use it for self protection.

But if I did use a three-inch 686, I think I'd go with 158 grain +P .38 loads.

With the magnum stuff, you won't get that much more boogie, but you will get a lot more flash and blast. If I had to use .357 loads, I'd get something like the Remington 110 grain, which is not loaded as hot as the 125s.