38+p spl ok to shoot in 686+ .357 mag?

686wheelgun

686wheelgun

Member
Joined
Jun 10, 2012
Messages
22
Reaction score
12
Location
Michigan, USA
This question may have been asked and answered elsewhere on this forum, but I was unable to find anything on point. My question is whether or not I can shoot 38+p spl ammo in my S&W 686 .357 mag. I'm sure it's okay to shoot on a limited basis, but I have 1,000 rounds of the stuff. It's no fun to shoot using my 38 spl snubbie so I'd like to use it up in my .357 mag. Your thoughts?
 
686, there's nothing on point because it's a given. Barring some kind of weird hand load, or hand load error, every .357 Magnum can handle any .38 Special, +P or not*. There are some folks who will tell you that routinely shooting .38 Special ammunition out of a .357 Magnum is some kind of a problem because of the jump between the chambers and the forcing cone/barrel but I never quite understood the problem so I don't worry about it. I load my home defense 686 with +P ammunition because I don't believe in using full house magnum ammunition indoors; too much noise, too much flash, too much penetration. +P is loud enough, etc.

So, yes, go right ahead, shoot it all up in your 686.

***GRJ***

PS:

*

I make the point about a hand load error because I blew up a Model 19 due to someone's hand load error. The gun would never have failed with normal +P ammunition.
 
The pressure developed by .38 +P ammunition is about 22K, more than .38 Special (17K), but well below the normal level for .357 Magnum (36K). However, using the shorter .38 Special case will leave a deposit in the cylinder which may make it hard to insert a .357 Magnum case, which is 1/10" longer. This deposit can be difficult to remove, or at least troublesome on a continuing basis.

.38 +P can be nearly as uncomfortable to shoot in a J frame as .357 Magnum, but the 686 is an heavy pistol even with a short barrel. Once upon a time, when revolvers were de rigour for slow fire target shooting, I ran thousands of rounds of .38 Special wadcutters through my Colt Trooper. I have not fired even one through my 686. When I carry it, I use .357 HP at or near full power. It's not a big deal.
 
As you can see, perfectly safe and more than 1000 rounds without a problem.

.38 Special > 17,000 PSI
.38 Special +P > 20,000 PSI
.357 Magnum > 35,000 PSI

I shoot .38 Special ammo in a M686 all the time as many others do.
 
.38/.357 bullet jump

Thanks, Hapworth, that was brief, well written and understandable, and made sense! My gun throats must all be okay - I never notice any significant accuracy problem using .38s in my .357s, which I do routinely.

Plus P, too, 686wheelgun - no problem!

***GRJ***
 
Last edited:
Welcome to this great forum. As you've already seen, there's lots of good info here.

The answer to your question can also be found in these links:

S&W 686

I particularly like this statement,

"Available in six and seven shot cylinders, the L-Frame has a strong, durable frame and barrel built for continuous Magnum® usage. As police officers and hunters will attest, this firearm is made to withstand heavy use."

S&W Revolver Manual

Tells you what ammunition can be used on page 9.
 
WELCOME TO THE FORUM, 686wheelgun. WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN SINCE YOUR JOIN DATE ? ? ? DON'T BE SO SHY. THE MEMBERS GAVE YOU ALL THE INFO THAT YOU NEED. YOU PICKED A FINE REVOLVER. YOU CAN SHOOT THAT 686 TO YOUR HEART'S CONTENT. YOU WON'T WEAR IT OUT, OR DAMAGE IT WITH ANY FACTORY LOAD ON THE SHELF. SHOOTING BUBBA'S RELOADS IS A DIFFERENT STORY. ENJOY YOURSELF, AND STAY SAFE…..
 
Last edited:
What a great forum this is! I can't get over the wealth of information that's here. Everyone here has been so helpful. Thank you again!
 
686wheelgun said:
This question may have been asked and answered elsewhere on this forum, but I was unable to find anything on point. My question is whether or not I can shoot 38+p spl ammo in my S&W 686 .357 mag. I'm sure it's okay to shoot on a limited basis, but I have 1,000 rounds of the stuff. It's no fun to shoot using my 38 spl snubbie so I'd like to use it up in my .357 mag. Your thoughts?
Click to expand...

In a otherwise factory original revolver chambered for the .357 Mag., you can with happy abandon shoot any .38 Special load that meets SAAMI standards. After you are finished, you will want to clean as normal giving attention to the firing residue that you will find in each of the charge holes of the cylinder. This will allow you to avoid any difficulties if later you want to shoot the revolver using magnum ammunition. Sincerely. brucev.
 
The 686 will serve you fine. When I started at the PD in 1985 we all carried the 686 our practice ammo was 158 grain SWC and our duty ammo was Winchester silver tips 38 +P. I shoot several thousand 38 specials through my 686 and also a few 357 magnums that I bought on my own. I ended up buying one of the departments 686's later after we all went to the Glock 40 cal. I still shoot 38 and yes it is at times a pain to clean out the residue, so now I shoot a hundred or so 38's and the a few 357's. I still clean the cylinder and yes I found that a brass brush fits into cordless drill and it cleans out the cylinder residue nicely. Remember we shoot to reload or is it we reload to shoot , then we clean our guns and REPEAT because we CAN.... Be safe and enjoy your 686. Just my thoughts from the Big Sky Country.
 
The crud ring...

Your question has been answered more than adequately but let me include a warning about the dreaded 'crud ring'. .38 cases are shorter than .357, and when they fire they leave a crud ring in front of the case. No big deal, except when you shoot .38s and then try to load .357s, the cartridges wont go in all the way. The answer, a little brush clean up of the chambers.

I avoid this by hand loading .38 loads into .357 cases.
 
We shot reloaded ammo for years. The last twelve we most times shot duty half jacket + p+hollow points to clean the residue. Helped before the battery drill and brush came along.
 
westy39 said:
The 686 will serve you fine. When I started at the PD in 1985 we all carried the 686 our practice ammo was 158 grain SWC and our duty ammo was Winchester silver tips 38 +P. I shoot several thousand 38 specials through my 686 and also a few 357 magnums that I bought on my own. I ended up buying one of the departments 686's later after we all went to the Glock 40 cal. I still shoot 38 and yes it is at times a pain to clean out the residue, so now I shoot a hundred or so 38's and the a few 357's. I still clean the cylinder and yes I found that a brass brush fits into cordless drill and it cleans out the cylinder residue nicely. Remember we shoot to reload or is it we reload to shoot , then we clean our guns and REPEAT because we CAN.... Be safe and enjoy your 686. Just my thoughts from the Big Sky Country.
Click to expand...

Voted best answer! Keep the charge holes clean and that brass brush idea in a drill is Voted another best answer...wish I'd have thought of that. Jeez only been fixin' things for 40+ years. Yup the ol' 686's are in my opinion the hardest working,toughest guns ever. Other than a real bad grizzly bear or whale if they won't get the job done nuthin' else is better. With .38's they are a .22 , with .38+ P a .22 Mag , with .357's they are a .38SPL (especially like my 6"). My first S&W (pat on own back/darn lucky choice). The last one they'll pry etc. it "flies like a butterfly and stings like a bee."
 
Last edited:
Just to add to the comments here, I've found that the problem with the "crud ring" is not so much in loading/chambering 357 magnum, but rather in ejecting them.

If the gun is crudded up badly enough, the higher pressure 357 cases can fireform into the "crud" left and make them require a good "pop" on the ejector to initially get the case past this.

I've had guns that-with the same load-were a bear to eject until the chambers were clean. I've had well-used guns that never got a thorough chamber cleaning that required a LOT of time and effort to get the "crud ring" out.

BTW, an over-flaired 357 Magnum case is my tool of choice.
 
All you need to do is carry a few empty .357 Mag cases in your range bag which are chamfered. If you find a ring in the cylinders you can tap the empty cases into the holes and goodbye carbon ring...
 
The 38 spl crud ring issue is grossly exaggerated in my opinion. I
routinely shoot 38 spl cast bullet handloads in my 357 revolvers and
just swab the chambers afterwards with a snug patch wet with CLP
and have no problems with 357 loads.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

R
38 SPL HORNADY 110gr FTX +P
Replies
0
Views
450
RDub
R
R
38 SPL WINCHESTER Defence 125gr HP +P Review
Replies
3
Views
1K
Nevada Ed
Nevada Ed
R
38 SPL REMINGTON 110gr HTP SJHP +P Review
Replies
0
Views
674
RDub
R
R
38 SPL BUFFALO BORE 158gr LSWCHPgc +P
Replies
4
Views
593
rockquarry
R
R
38 SPL COR-BON 110gr DPX +P Review
Replies
2
Views
888
LVSteve
LVSteve

Latest posts

Back
Top