Will my Model 586 L-Frame in .357 handle the 180 gr. hard cast
rounds ok? What about the smaller K-Frame? Would not be a
"steady diet" in either gun. Looking for a load for the back country in Colorado without moving up to my Super Blackhawk.

The L frame will handle any SAAMI spec 357 magnum load. The K frame will, too. The issue that K frames had was with the light weight 125 grain load.

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Proud anachronism

EVERY S&W model that the factory calls a 357 Magnum is strong enough to fire ANY SAAMI spec 357 Magnum ammunition ever produced.

Your revolver will handle as much 357 ammo as you can shoot. .

You won't shoot enough 357 to worry about wearing out the revolver, unless you are remarkably tolerant of both recoil and muzzle blast. The 357 is notorious for both.

This question gets asked in lots of ways:

The answer is that the revolver will take more 357 ammo than you, or anyone, will shoot in it.

Enjoy the revolver.

Don't get hung up about shooting it!!

You won't hurt it by shooting it.

Folks with little experience worry about these things: folks with more experience look for revolvers like yours as bargains.

I can't count the number of 357's I've seen for sale with low round count.

Not a good choice for most folks unless they understand that 357 revolvers aren't very good sd weapons for most folks unless they are pretty experienced handgun shooters.

There is nothing in Colorado you need more than a 45 acp to deal with.

Don't get hung up on magnums:

Unnecessary for the task.

It's recommended that the K frames not be subjected to continuous heavy loads as they will shake loose sooner.

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"He was kinda funny lookin'"

The 586 is a fine weapon. That said, why 180 grain rounds?

I would think the old tried and true 158 gr jacketed soft point would take care of anything you will run across in the back country.

2 or 4 legged.

The K frame is downright uncomfortable to shoot with magnum loads. More suited to the .38 special cartridge. But the police clamored for a magnum version for stopping power. And the lighter carry weight of the K frame.

Magnums, a L frame or better yet the N frame if you can carry it all day.

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Take your time..quickly.

Because I can find hard cast in 180 gr. but so far can't find them in the 158 gr. Double Tap does a 158 gr. hard cast in .38 special but I don't see it for .357. I would rather have the 158 gr but I want a hard cast bullet. If you, or anyone else knows of a source for 158 gr. hard cast in .357 Magnum I would appreciate the info.

Penn Bullets and Missouri Bullets and host of others. Today I'd be thinkng about coated bullets over conventional lube.

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"He was kinda funny lookin'"

The 586 will handle any SAAMI-spec ammo with aplomb.
It is a stout gun.

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What would Jim Cirillo do?

I infer that he is talking about loaded ammo, off the shelf.

I found 180 gr flat nose gas check DoubleTap Hunter in stock on Midway.

I love Buffalo Bore and Underwood 180 hard cast. Shoot it all the time in my 686-4 with no issues. Smith feels the L frame is stout enough for 44 magnum, as in my model 69 so any 357 ammo will not be a problem.

The 180's I can find locally, it's the 158 gr. hard cast I seem to be having trouble finding. I can find 158 gr. LSWC but they are not hard cast. Double Tap offers the 158 hard cast in .38 Special but I have not seen them in .357. Don't know why I want to try the 180s, just do.

I would be more concerned with the cylinders holding more than 6 rounds. Then it's not the frame but the cylinder wall thickness that becomes marginal. The six shooters certainly appear stout enough for anything.

If anything the 7 shot cylinders are just as strong if not stronger, having the cylinder notches over the beefier parts of the cylinder instead of directly over the round where the metal is the thinnest. Really though it's a non-issue, a 686 or 586 in 6 or 7 round configuration will shoot more factory ammo without an issue than you could go through in your lifetime.

My 6" 586 and my 2.5" 686+ are both a joy to shoot with magnum loads but I don't bother most of the time. It's nice to know that I can - but with lighter loads, oh, dear, joy turns into unimaginable delight! If I meander into the bear woods with one of those I'd stoke it up with full house magnums; otherwise, I won't bother and, besides, that's why I have a Model 27.

Okay, I didn't mean to start a bear thread......

***GRJ***

The 586 / 686 was built around the 357. It's cylinder is longer than the model 27 / 28 and can even chamber the 173 grain Keith bullet crimped in the crimp groove. The cylinder on the N frame guns is heavier and with double action shooting the momentum of the heavier cylinder can beat up the cylinder stop. The K frames have been known to shoot loose with a diet of full power 357's and they also have problems with the forcing cone cracking. A pinned and recessed model 27 with a checkered top strap looks nicer, and a K frame is a nicer weight to carry, but the L frame is most likely the ultimate 357. I just wish it didn't have that full lugged barrel.

But the new 66 should work in a K frame...oh wait..

SSR.......

I wish my 686-4 had the half lug like the SSR or my new 69, it balances so well in my hand.

You might look at Buffalo Bore's heavy .38-44 class load. I think it uses a cast bullet. It's right at .357 performance.

A Montana game warden killed a grizzly with his M-66 using some sort of 158 grain JHP bullet. He shot it in the heart after it got him down. An outdoor editor witnessed this and wrote it up, but omitted the exact ammo type.