I have just aquired a very nice 6" barrelled 686 with a no dash serial number that I am super happy with. It's not my first S&W but one I purchased through a lot of thought and also because the deal was REALLY right!.
I am planning to use this one for USPSA Steel Challange shooting in the revolver class. I want to know if any of you have tried shooting .38 Super through your .357's. Mainly because I want to be able to use moon clips for quick reloading durring a match. I have read that it can be done without a hitch but I would like to hear from some that have actually done it.

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"Do You Feel Lucky?"

Some .357mag guns will chamber .38 Super, no telling if yours will until you try.
Regardless, your gun won't work with moonclips unless the cylinder is machined to accomodate them.

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Don't kiss smiling dogs!

If you get the cylinder machined to accept moon clips you should be able to shoot 6 different calibers. It should accept .357 Mag, 38 Special, 38 Super (9X23), 9mm Luger (9X19), 9mm Makarov (9X18) and 380 Auto (9X17). Accuracy with the various 9mm's may not be the greatest but it sure makes for options in a situation of limited ammo availability.

about a week ago i purchased a 686-1 6" ss and also the same day at the gun show i purchased some georgia arms 38 special ammo for it, i later the same day went to the indoor range shot it at 10 yards about a 1.5-2" group and also shot it all the way back 20-22yards about 3-3.5" group. i have not shot it with 357 ammo as of yet. i'm 53 years old, poor eyesight,and drink to much coffee, so i'm thrilled about the accuracy, and the potential of this 686

also someone told me that the 38 will leave a carbon deposits in the cylinder and the chamber area that would or could cause issues if not cleaned when you switch to the 357 rounds

I had the conversion done and enjoyed the being able to shoot all of the different rounds. I building a four inch just for the 9mm and 38 super, Plus I like shooting 38 short colt with moons along with 38 special, the 38 short colt is reloaded with the use of 9mm load information.

Its a good idea to clean the barrel and cylinder holes everytime you shoot your revolver. Then you won't have to worry about a carbon ring. If you don't clean, you may get carbon build up, lead and/or copper buildup and crud in the forcing cone, and a carbon ring in your cylinder holes. A clean revolver is a happy revolver.

9x18 Ultra yes, but not 9x18 Makarov. The Ultra uses a .355" bullet where the Mak uses a .361-363" bullet. I've fired a few rounds of .38 Super out of my 10" T/C Contender and Coonan Model B both in .357 Mag without issues.

CD

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De Oppresso Liber

I would not try 9x18 it is .365 dia.

Hey, Snowbandit, you left out .38 short Colt, .38 Long Colt, 9mm Browning Long, 9mm Steyr, and 9mm Bergmann-Bayard (Largo).
I've fired .38 Super in my Model 13-2, but extraction is like .45 ACP in an
M1917 w/o clips - one at a time via fingernail.

Larry

It takes more than machining the cylinder for moonclips to accomplish that because of the size and taper of some of those other cases. It has to be rechambered to 9x23 as well and once that is done you shouldn't shoot .38/.357 through it anymore as the cases will swell and split. Also, ignition isn't reliable because the primers don't stay centered since the cartridge has room to move in the larger chamber.

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Don't kiss smiling dogs!

Is it just me or does this all sound a little dangerous??

This whle approach has me thoroughly confused....and I'm a CRO. Let's look at the Steel CHallenge rules:

MAIN EVENT:
Open to any pistol firing 9mm/.38 Special or larger ammunition (see “ammunition”
above). This event has multiple categories as follows.
"OPEN REVOLVER”
Open Revolver has no restrictions for maximum rounds or use of optics.
“IRON SIGHT REVOLVER”
Iron Sight Revolvers may not use optics, however, 7 & 8 shot revolvers are permitted and
may load to full capacity. There are no barrel length or holster restrictions.
http://steelchallenge.com/wp-content...20dist2-17.pdf

The 6" barrel puts this gun in "Iron sight revolver" unless optic sights are added. Ordinary .38 Spl 120 power factor ammo meets the rules.
Why shoot .38 Super Ammo?? Higher vel? Only 750 fps required by the rules.
Fast reloads? There are five plates in a run, and only time counts; use your best run. If you have to reload, you are so screwed already on that run.


There is no catchall "revolver class" in the steel challenge.
The rules are:

Events/Match Structure:
Contestants compete within one or more “events” at a “match.”
Within each event, there are additional category awards available. Contestants may enter
each “event” several times, but only once in each “category.”

Suggest a reading of the categories will give a more realistic understanding of what the rules require.
Personally, I'd load that revolver with .38 special and shoot in "Iron Sighted Revolver" knowing that the 7 and 8 shot guns can afford more misses than I can.

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Science plus Art

I've shot 9x19, 9x21 and 38 super plus more than a dozen other calibers through this Medusa 686. The only inaccurate load that I have used is the .380.
Mark

Same here, The conversion is the way to go, been thinking about making a 38 super only, easy to load, fast loading the gun, can adjust load where it is full blown to where it will come out and hit the ground. Short and sweet round, I also love the 38 short colt.

First, let's take a look. Below on the left are two rounds of .38 Super ammo. In the middle two of .38 Spl. and on the right .357 Magnum.



My first question would be why a fella would want to shoot the .38 Super from a revolver chambered for the .357. Seems a long wobbly trip for that round to make in the cylinder even before it reaches the throat. Seeing as how S&W makes a revolver chambered for .38 Super that may be an easier route to go if one is committed to shooting the Super from a wheelgun.

Now other questions follow from that, you are aware, I assume that a little work to the rear of the cylinder will enable you to use moon clips with .38/.357 ammo if you want. That operation is a common one for smiths to perform.

Very often fellas who are new to competitive shooting get told that if they want to reach the top echelons they will get the fastest reloads with moonclips. So some, rather than getting skillfull with speedloaders and building up their skills and speed, will bypass speedloaders entirely and hack the rear of their cylinders and go for moonclips. Some shooters believe they get speed from tools rather than skills and never really can get fast enough that the new tool makes a difference. But go the route that attracts ya.

To put the above a different way with a Safariland speed loader (which holds the rounds rigid unlike the HKS speedloaders and is also shorter) a fella can get quite fast and smooth. Especially is the mouths of the chambers are chamfered. If you find that only tenths of a second separate you from the top five shooters than moon clips can help ya make that next step.

The shorter length of the .38 Super offers an advantage in fast reloading with a moonclip, as it is the same length as the .45acp. But a fella would do well to make a dedicated cylinder for it if that much speed will make a difference.

I have never been one to shoot rounds from a gun that the gun was not built for. I have trouble enough without inviting it.

tipoc

Yeah, I do it all the time, but don't recommend it for everyone. For currently manufactured factory ammo, only Winchester (both Silver Tip and FMJ) and Magtech will chamber in modern unaltered S&W revolvers. Other brands will not, such as Aguila, Armscor, UMC, Remington, Federal, CorBon, Fioochi, PMC, etc.

Or to put it another way...don't do it as it makes no sense and there is no need.

tipoc

Each to his own, I have the conversion for the 9mm and it shoots great. At 21 I started shooting PPC with the use of speed loaders. I had four years of fun, then two little boys that needed milk more than I needed ammo. My shooting when on but not big, now since the boys can pay for thier own milk I shoot alot with moons and they are two times faster than the speed loader - just ask Jerry . Shoot the 38 super if you need loaded ammo, if you reload look at the 38 short colt and use the 9mm load information for it.Then you can use moon clips for the short, special and the 357 .

Maybe not to you, but it makes good sense to me. I have over 1,500 rounds of factory .38 Super ammo, and the ability to use some of it if/when necessary as a fall back position in my S&W revolvers makes the revolvers and the ammo more valuable and functional.

Wait... You can get a Medusa conversion now? I have shot the Medusa, and desire one strongly but if it is an aftermarket conversion now that really has me intrigued.

As others have said, it is fairly simple.

I seldom shoot 38 Super through this 627 since I load up 9x23 Winchester for it instead. The unfluted cylinder is the one that shipped with the revolver.

I have found the exact same thing... I've never shot any Supers through a S&W .357 Magnum but have shot them through a Model 36 snubbie...and they work fine but the rims are not quite as thick as a .38 and as result the headspace is a "little" loose...

To solve the problem of shooting Supers in a revolver I found two 686-7s and have fun with them... I do however think that a snubbie in Super would be better than a .357 Magnum in terms of blast and recoil and with the straight walled case better than 9mm which will sometime back out of the cylinder on a +P load jamming things up...

Bob

OK my take: First, you can shot 38 Super [all USA brands] in any Ruger. Second, you can shot some brands of 38 super in some Colts and some S&W models. Never in ANY 38 period, it's a pressure thing, unless your just born stupid. Now for those who want to know why all Ruger's, it's because there cylinders are larger, see simple. If you reload as I do you must full size or the cartridge will not seat on the semi-rim, if you do reload 38 Super the RCBS dies will give you the right size for most 357's but I have run into some tight S&W's over the years, now why do it, good question, in my case just because I can and every re-loader knows it's easy to get a 38 Spec. to perform exactly as a 38 Super when shot from a 357, so pick your poison. Half a century shooting and still have all my parts, because I make sure I understand what I'm doing.

Bob,
I have a few model 940s that I have had opened up to 38 Super. Going to do a third one in 9x23.

The nice thing is that since the revolver head spaces on the moon clips it will fire 9mm or 38 Super interchangeably.

SAA

Can any of the Ti/Sc, 38+P revolvers be machines for moon clips,,

And chamber reamed for the 9MM/38Super ammo??

Or is the reaming best left to the SS cylinders.

tx

Not a problem.

If you search the Forum you will find a few threads from WC145. He had his 360 opened up to 9x23. I think Mark over at Pinnacle did his.

Concerning "carbon" buildup shooting 38s in a 357.

It's not the carbon you have to worry about, but erosion within the chambers (that erosion or flame cutting that occurs at the mouth of the 38 case) that results from shooting 38s in a 357. Excessive shooting of 38s in the longer 357 chamber can cause sticky extraction when a 357 is fired in a chamber that has been eroded by 38s. the case expands into the erosions within the last one tenth of an inch of the 357 case. This occurs when many thousands of 38 are fired within the chamber.In other words, it takes a whole bunch of 38s to cause this.

It usually doesn't effect the 357 but can if a lot of 38 shooting occurs.

That is the reason I fire only 38s in a 38 revolver, and only 357s in a 357 revolver. I'm just being safe with my 357s. My 38s get fired a whole lot more than my 357.

I have a charter arms 357. It is clearly not of the quality of a S&W.
I picked up a box of 38 super from sportsmans guide that said pistol and revolver ammunition. The cartridge is much smaller than my other ammo which made me ask a local gun shop if shooting it in my mag pug target would be a good idea. The extra pressure made it a bad idea. I went looking for actual experience shooting this out of a revolver and found this

.38 Super Auto in a .38 Spl +P revolver? - The Firing Line Forums

I will not be shooting this out of a charter arms revolver even though it chambers and ejects out of the cylinder.

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CA ban no sharp pencils ovr 3"

Very interesting subject matter with well versed contributions to the dialogue. Any more input on the reputable & experienced outfits to do conversion work?

There appears to be a wide variety of S&W's to shop:
J-Frame 5 Shot .38/.357
K-Frame 6 Shot .38/.357
L-Frame 581,681,586,686, 686 plus,.357's
696 5 Shot .44Spl
N-Frame 25/27/28, 57/657, 29, 629, & 625 LC.
X-Frame 500, & 460

http://www.pinnacle-guns.com/revolver.asp


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Late last year I found and bought a NIB revolver identical to yours. It has proven remarkably accurate with common 130 gr. FMJ .38 Special ammo. With 158 gr. handloads, on target results have been even better.

Many of us can identify with your vision issues. A pair of inexpensive 1x reading glasses will likely allow you to see the front sight very clearly. Using a 6 O'clock hold extremely consistent results can be obtained shooting targets.

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What a great thread. I never would have thought about any of this.

Thanks

I had a Model 686 4" barrel rechambered to 38 Super several years ago. The exterior diameter of most 38 Super ammo exceeds the diameter of .357 Magnum factory ammo. Therefore my chambers are bigger but I can still fire 357 ammo....but it puffs the brass noticeably. The cylinder is also milled for moonclips.

Here's my results in a nutshell. The revolver shoots poor groups with jacketed .38 Super ammo...but does much better with jacketed .357 bullets.

Net net...the conversion wasn't worth it....but I don't regret doing it!

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Bob.
SWCA 1821