group...i have a 4 in 681 i plan on using for home defence i live in an older apartment building old real plaster walls im looking for a .357 load that is safe to keep my 681 loaded with and not having to worry about missed shots flying into someone elses unit (i know dont miss) thanks for everyones help ..GO BROWNS

I would suggest you load it with .38 Special +P ammo to prevent going through the walls. The new SD .38 Special ammo available will do a very good job at stopping a BG. Try the .38 Special +P rounds available from DoubleTap. They are reported to travel over 1100 fps from a 4" barrel.

My suggestions would be:

1. Glaser or Magsafe pre-fragmented.

2. 357mag 110gr JHP.

3. 38 SPL 158gr LSWC+P.

In your situation I would go for the Glasers or Magsafes.

Bill

There's no free lunch. Anything that won't wind up in the neighbor's apartment will have spotty performance on perps. Use what you would on the street.

Any little chunk of lead/metal flying at 800 FPS + will easily go through two 4" spaced sheets of apartment grade sheetrock, so a .38 + P (or even a standard .38) will not prevent the problem you ponder. With the spacing of studs, it's also unlikely you'll strike a nice piece of lumber to stop the round.

Up your physical security systems to reduce the chances of an encounter and practice enough so that your shots will find their mark. If you kill the neighbor kid trying to save your own hide you'll probably think about jumping off a bridge the rest of your life.

The reason I suggested the .38 Special +P rounds was for more control. I figure if you get a better shot off you are less likely to miss and have to worry about a stray bullet.

Glaser or Magsafe like Sabre said.

quote:

Originally posted by flop-shank:
There's no free lunch. Anything that won't wind up in the neighbor's apartment will have spotty performance on perps. Use what you would on the street.

Agreed. The Shot-loaded rounds are similar to birdshot from a shotgun. Nasty looking wounds that don't go deep. I'd stick with something that will retain it's weight and penetrate to vital organs, like a Gold Dot.

Any round that penetrates satisfactorily in humans will also penetrate walls.

http://www.theboxotruth.com/docs/bot4.htm

With an adequate knowledge of human anatomy and accurate shot placement, a .22LR will meet your requirements. You do sort of have to know what you're doing and be able to control your adrenalin flow, however. You can get .22 semiautos that hold ten-round magazines and will support lasergrips and tactical flashlights, red-dot sights, etc. But you really do have to be able to put a bullet exactly where it should go. That, I think, would be better than chipmunk-killer shotshells.

quote:

Originally posted by ruru:
group...i have a 4 in 681 i plan on using for home defence i live in an older apartment building old real plaster walls im looking for a .357 load that is safe to keep my 681 loaded with and not having to worry about missed shots flying into someone elses unit (i know dont miss)

Just a little something for thought. What happens if the bad guy is hiding behind a wall and shooting at you through a doorway? Sometimes you want bullets to go through walls. It is unlikely that any of us will ever have to defend our homes from intruders, but if that should ever happen, there is no way we can know ahead of time how it will play out.

I'd say get a good light weight . 38 spl. hollow point round. I live in the country, so I use heavier magnum rounds in my .357s, or in the unlikely event I'm using a .38, Plus - P loads.

Unlike most folks, I've had the opportunity to actually test penetration of handgun bullets through drywall and other building materials. Anyone who says that a .38 Special +P load with most any bullet won't penetrate through several layers of drywall simply hasn't tried it. I have. First time I ever tested handgun bullets in building materials, I put a Cor-Bon 115gr. JHP from a Browning Hi-Power (1425fps., chronographed) through two layers of wood siding, with SIX layers of 1/2" drywall in between. Zero expansion, full penetration, still trucking along after it left the building. That same bullet expands ferociously and partially fragments in water or tissue simulant, but plugs and acts like hardball in wallboard. A 158gr. .38+P will do the same, or more, from a 4" barrel or longer. I've done it. For your purposes, if you are worried about overpenetration, your best bets are: 1.Don't miss and be sure to make torso shots; 2.Use a .223 carbine; 3. Use a shotgun with #2 or #4 shot. If the 681 is your only option, frangibles like Mag-Safe or Glaser are options, but their limitations should be recognized.

38-44HD45 makes a good point and reminds me of the "Box of Truth"!

For those of you who haven't heard of this site, you might enjoy checking this out...

http://www.theboxotruth.com/docs/theboxotruth.htm

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't believe there is ANY round that won't go through drywall inside of buildings. I tested some Aguila Colibri .22 loads (20 gr. bullet, no powder, primer propelled) in a Taurus 62 Carbine in my house for penetration and from 15 feet it penetrated a layer of dry wall, through some insulation, and through another sheet of dry wall.

Even loads in a .32 Long will get into the neighbors living room.

An air rifle will whip drywall's ass. The stuff is crap. It's too bad they even make houses out of it.

In residences with thin walls, such as drywall, why not use the .38 lead wadcutter load?
Police detectives used it in their 2" snubbies years ago, before jacketed hollowpoints came on the scene. It's still a good load in the little snubbies, for close-range work.
The 148 gr. wadcutter has a lot going for it in your situation: low recoil, a large flat end to transfer energy to an assailant, and reduced penetration in walls because of its relatively low velocity (about 725 fps).
It may be hard to find in some areas. I've noticed over the past 10 years or so that it's apparently losing popularity. But it's still made by the major manufacturers.
It doesn't take much to penetrate drywall. As has been noted, a good BB gun can do it. The 148 gr. lead wadcutter will do it, and penetrate a second wall to boot, but its velocity will be severely reduced after doing so --- not so with the regular and +P loads.