Guys,

I'm anxiously waiting for my 686 to get here and I'm wondering what brand and what size bullet you put use in your 686. I'm mostly going to be target shooting, but would also like suggestions on home defense ammo.

Thanks,
Ryan Z.

I cannot afford to shoot my two 581s if I had to shoot nothing but factory ammo. I shoot handloads, either 158gr, cast boolits sized .358 with GC, or Remington 158 gr JSP, both with 2400 powder. Since I have owned my pistols I have never shot a factory round through either one.

Research Nerd, thanks for opening what I'm sure will be a LARGE can of worms. Now let me get my .02$ in first.

As I live in a urban area and have a common wall with one neighbor for home defense I load all of my .357 Magnum revolvers with Federal 147Gr. +P+ ammo, with speed strips loaded with .357 magnum ammo at the ready.

For any out of the house self-defense I carry reloads which are 158Gr. LSWC's, ahead of 14.5 grains of 2400 powder; this is fairly close to the Original load developed by Elmer Keith and Phil Sharp.

I believe the 158Gr. bullet Offers the best all around Performance in the .357 magnum round, a fair amount of mass at a fairly fast speed. Even though it should be safe to do so in your 686, I see no need to use the ultra high performance ultra light bullets.

Whatever you shoot in it I hope you enjoy your new 686.

Since acquiring a pre-War Heavy Duty a few years ago and experimenting with and hand loading a 38/44 round I have come to prefer it to either the 38 Special or the full blown 357 Magnum. A 158g bullet (Berry's plated flat points for practice) at 1150 fps from a 4" barrel is knocking on the door of 357 Mag performance and out does any and all factory +P loads except one. That one factory round is my carry ammo, the Buffalo Bore 38 Special +P 158g SWCHP-GC. It duplicates the old 38/44s performance and I'm as confident in it as I'm likely to be about any 36 caliber round.

As always, YMMV.

Dave

__________________
RSVN '69-'71
PCSD (Ret)

Old Bear,

Sorry, just trying to pick the minds of the guys here that have a lot more experience than i do.

I cast a 160g and a 175g from Lyman moulds and a 180g RD.

Two loads really, one @ 900fps and the other 1200+. The 180g is for a Marlin 1894.

I have wadcutter moulds and lightweight SWC moulds, but over time I have come to appreciate heavier bullets.

Congrats on your new 686 which one did you get?

I just bought my second 686 a 3 inch model to go with my 6 inch.

As for bullets I reload my own for 38spl 125 gr berrys with 4 gr Bullseye that is for target. HD is 158gr Speer gold dot. I live in a single family brick so don't really have to worry about over penetration. My 686 is back up to my 12 ga Mossberg.

For personal defense I have 158 gr Speer gold dot and for practice I use 38 special rounds with lead bullets weighing 158 grain. I would never actually use the 686 for personal defense unless it was a really dire situation as I use a Sig P228 9mm for carry and I have two Sig P226's one in 40 S&W and the other in 9mm for home defense.

Being a Vietnam combat vet I prefer a reliable semi auto with as much capacity as I can get for home defense.

He didn't mean anything by it! No worries...

__________________
RIP Shipmate

Same here, I reload and exclusively use 158 grain bullets in my 586.

__________________
Regards,
Guy-Harold Smith II

Factory rounds are pricey - $.50 or more. I buy factory Gold Dots or Hydra-Shock rounds for self defense, and load my own for practice. Hornady XTP 158 grain bullets are widely available, and relatively inexpensive ($18/100). I use 2400 powder, and I advise you to work up loads from the minimum, whatever you choose. (14.5 grains of 2400 is HOT!. I'm not there yet).

I have about 3000 158 grain hard cast semi-wadcutters on hand, which cost about a dime each. I will eventually work up a load that will be on the hot side without leading.

One of the many nice things about revolvers - you don't have to chase the brass, and it lasts a LONG time. I carry plastic Zip-Loc bags for empties. Another nice thing is that they make you feel like a really good shot, without half trying.

I have a 4" and 3" 686. The 3" was on my hip in the Cascades earlier this month.

Try many different types. shooting 38's will save you $. It doesn't take much power to punch a hole in paper. Try some full wadcutters. Everything else is background noise.

The only purpose I have for "magnum" loads is hunting and I use .44s for that, so my 66s and 686s only see target-level ammo - either hollow-base wadcutters in the 66s or 158-grain lead semi-wadcutters in the 686s. Full-power .357 ammo only delivers what is considered the minimum amount of energy to consistently and humanely dispatch deer and that is at the muzzle, not downrange. To me, they are target guns so I don't shoot magnum loads in them and I don't carry them in the field. I don't live in an area with a high crime rate (yet, anyway) so human targets are not a concern.

Ed

I got the 686, 4". I've shot both the 4" and 6" and love both of them. This is my first revolver after doing a lot of research and shooting many, so I'm looking forward to it. My wife has a .38 special revolver that is a fantastic shooter, this is what really turned me on to a revolver.

Ryan Z.

I like Buffalo-Barnes Lead free heavy .357 125 gr. Very deep HP's.
I'm the only one on my floor so after leaving a MASSIVE hole, over penetration isn't an issue.

__________________
27-2, 66-1, 640 Pro, 10-5

OP:
158gr LSWC over unique for .38 levels.
158gr LSWC over 2400 for magnum loads.

I only buy factory ammo for the brass. But if my 686 was a SD gun, then I would use factory loads, most likely in the .38 or .38+P range if needed.

I shoot mainly .38s thru my 686. I use usually Federal or Winchester FMJ for target. I keep Hornady hollow points loaded for home defense.

Yeah, I'm thinking Remington or Federal is a good place to start. The price of the ammo is something I'll have to get used to. Unfortunately the range I shoot at doesn't allow reloads, might have to find a new place to shoot. I'm thinking 158 grain is the max size for now. After reading all the posts, doesn't make sense to shoot more than that.

Thanks for all the great info guys,

Ryan Z.

For factory loads used at the range/target shooting, etc., I use Winchester .38 Special 130 gr. FMJ's. Occasionally I will use Federal 158 gr. RNL .38 Specials when I can find them for sale. For serious HD/SD, I use the Remington 125 gr. pedal point JHP's. If I am out and about in the woods/fields, I load up with 158 gr. JHP's produced by Remington (which I prefer), Winchester or Fiocchi.

For HD you might consider the nature of how the dwelling is constructed, any potential risk from a round penetrating through multiple walls, etc. Also consider the amount of muzzle blast/noise that will attend to firing any round in a small room. The effects of muzzle flash/blast are worth considering since it is possible one might have to fire more than a single round in a SD/HD incident.

Do not overthink the muzzle blast/flash issue. I know of one gentleman who caught a man in his kitchen one night about 2 a.m. He emptied six .357 Mag. rounds into the man and then reloaded and dumped six more rounds into the man as he lay of the floor. It was a mess. I don't know what brand of ammo he used or the bullet weight/style, etc. At that distance, I don't think it would have made any difference if he'd been using a .38 S&W w/ blackpower ammo. Happily for him, he was not charged with anything. Happened in New Orleans about a block behind the bus station on Canal St. in the early 1980's. Things might go differently now a days.

__________________
<><

Since you don't reload I would suggest any of the standard .38 Special target loads with 148 grain wadcutters as target ammunition, or the .38 Special with lead 158 grain SWC's or round noses as a general all around load. You can order these in larger quantities from several different maufacturers at prices cheaper than factory loads from the Big Three, and get ammunition you can use in your wife's revolver as well. Guys on the board can tell you who are the best for quality and price. Post this in the Ammo Forum and you will get lot's of suggestions.

For home defense there are really no bad .357 loads other then the heavy (over 170 grain) hunting loads. The time-tested 125 grain jacketed hollow point is a proven stopper, and of course any of the better .38 +P rounds will be fine in your gun.

The best HD ammo is the one that you can afford lots of practice with. There is no need to spend $1 or more per round for ammo you can't be familiar with, and no bullet is good enough to make up for missing the target.

I have a 4" 686 and on the street I carry handloaded 158 grain hollowpoints, and 125's in my 3" Model 65.

Indoors the .38 and .357 guns are loaded with my home cooked "FBI Load", a Speer 158 grain SWC-HP loaded to 1000 fps. My wife's Model 66 is loaded with the factory Winchester 110 Silvertip standard pressure load, just because she likes the very mild recoil, and this bullet always expands even in my 2" guns. Sadly, I have never found this bullet as a reloading component.

The Remington 38R12S is the better (and affordable) factory version of the FBI Load, and though I have never used it, the Buffalo Bore version seems popular. There is at least one YouTube video of this load showing poor expansion, but in your 4" gun that should not be a problem.

I have a 686+ 3".

I have adored Speer Gold Dots for many years and I run 158gr through it. A very satisfying and stout round to fire. A shame that shooting many gets very expensive

My go to practice round is Atlanta Arms 125gr JHPs.

They are very clean burning, mild, accurate and cheap!! My local range sells them for 17 bucks per 50.

My 3rd favourite is PMC Bronze 158gr.

Not an owner of a 686 but In my 386 I shoot my own reloads 148 WC'c
and 158 SWC's
For SD I usually stuff it with some nyclads or 158 hp's both 38spl and factory fodder for the SD