home defense load 6" 686

[mr_future]

Hi,

Long time reader first time poster. I've been reading up on home defense ammo for my 6" 686. LSWCHP +P seems to be the most popular choice. I like 158 grain.

My question is, with a 6" barrel would LSWCHP standard (ie. not +P) be effective? I want the HP to expand, but don't want velocity to be any higher than it has to be since I live in a population-dense area. Thanks for your considerations.

 

[Irn-Bru]

Good shot placement it should be plenty good.

 

[Waywatcher]

I've never seen LSWCHP in standard pressure, except Buffalo Bore.

I would use a subsonic load (try to get ~1050fps from your 6" barrel) to save your hearing. All regular 158 LSWCHP +P will be subsonic with the sole possible exception of Buffalo Bore.

The 6" tube will probably generate enough velocity to use loads that would otherwise be considered sub-par, so I would shop for a good deal!

 

[Shark Bait]

A standard .357 load would be fine for home defense. Personally, I like Speer Gold Dot. You might consider some brands of frangible ammunition if you're in an area where you are concerned about over penetration.

Frangible Ammo for Self-Defense? | Shooting Illustrated

 

[ISCS Yoda]

I use a 686+ for home defense, along with some other revolvers. I consider any +P more than adequate, I actually consider almost any normal .38 Special to be adequate, and unless you live on a farm with no neighbors I never recommend full house .357 Magnum. It's too loud, it's too powerful, and it's the last thing you want to discover went through your wall to your neighbor's house.

 

[6518John]

Federal 38 Special +P+ - 147 gr Hydra-Shok JHP or Speer Gold Dot.

 

[Vanilla Gorilla]

I'm carrying the 125 Speer Gold Dot in my 4 inch 686. If you already have the 158 LSWC-HP, I wouldn't worry about too much else. From that 6 inch tube, I'd bet you'll be just fine, and don't have to worry about lack of velocity causing little or no expansion, as the snubby guns might present with that load.

 

[one eye joe]

WELCOME TO THE FORUM, mr future. LOOK AT THE YOUTUBE VIDEO TESTS OF THAT BUFFLO BORE YOU ARE CONSIDERING. OUT OF A 2" REVOLVER IT IS VERY DISAPPOINTING. IT OVER PENETRATES, BARELY EXPANDS, AND THE CAVITY FILLS UP WITH FABRIC---NOT IMPRESSIVE AT ALL.

I WOULD SUGGEST THE SPEER, .38SPL+P GOLD DOT, 135 GRAIN, SWCJHP. ITS A BONDED BULLET THAT WILL NOT SEPARATE FROM THE JACKET. IT PENETRATES TO AN APPROPRIATE DISTANCE, RETAINS 99.9% OF ITS WEIGHT, EXPANDS PERFECTLY, AND DOES NOT COLLECT FABRIC IN ITS CAVITY. IT HAS VERY CONSISTENT VELOCITY (SHOULD APPROACH 900 FPS OUT OF YOUR BARREL) AND IS LOW FLASH, TO AVOID YOU BEING BLINDED BY YOUR OWN SHOT…..

CHECK OUT THE YOUTUBE VIDEO TESTS OF BOTH AMMOS, AND COMPARE. BASED ON MY EXHAUSTIVE SURVEY OF THE AVAILABLE TESTS, THE GOLD DOT 135 GR +P IS THE VERY BEST SD/HD .38SPL AMMO ON THE MARKET TODAY………

NATURALLY, THIS IS JUST ONE OLD GEEZER'S OPINIION…..

 

[HarryD]

I had asked a similar question a couple of weeks ago and after hearing all the answers I ordered a box of 38+P Gold Dot 135 grain to replace the 357 magnums that I had been keeping it loaded with.

 

[Bob1943]

I use Hornady Critical Defense .38 SPCL+P, 110gr FTX

 

[S&W Fan]

My favorite magnum round is the 145gr Silvertip when I stuff either the 4" or 2.5" 686s with magnums. Those are what I use when I'm out in the mountains. For the home I agree with those that use .38 Gold Dots.

 

[Swabby]

In addition to the Speer Gold Dot, I would also recommend taking a look at the Winchester Bonded PDX1 in 38 Special +P. It's a 130gr JHP clocked at 950 fps out of a 4" bbl. I think they have recently changed the name to "Winchester Defender". The stock# is S38PDB. It would also be a suitable defense round for your situation. Most places get about $27 for a box of 20 rnds, however. It's good ammo, but it's not cheap.

 

[mr_future]

One Eye Joe, I'm liking Speer Gold Dot 135 gr. One thing I'm wondering is - for practice ammo, should I find a similar load to get consistency with sight zeroing? This was the closest thing I could find and is a good value:

Speer Lawman .38 Special 135 Grain TMJ 53757 Ammo - 50 Rounds Per Box

 

[one eye joe]

One Eye Joe, I'm liking Speer Gold Dot 135 gr. One thing I'm wondering is - for practice ammo, should I find a similar load to get consistency with sight zeroing? This was the closest thing I could find and is a good value:

Speer Lawman .38 Special 135 Grain TMJ 53757 Ammo - 50 Rounds Per Box

THIS WOULD BE A VERY GOOD PLAN, mr future. THE POI OF SIMILARLY WEIGHTED BULLETS SHOULD VARY VERY LITTLE, IF AT ALL, AT SD/HD RANGE--WHICH IS USUALLY THOUGHT OF AS 7-10 YARDS. I WOULD ZERO THE GUN PERFECTLY WITH THE GOLD DOTS. THEN I WOULD SEE WHAT DIFFERENCE, IF ANY AT ALL, THERE IS IN POI WITH YOUR PRACTICE AMMO. THE ONLY DIFFERENCE MIGHT BE VERTICALLY, AS WINDAGE SHOULD BE THE SAME. IT APPEARS THAT BOTH ROUNDS TRAVEL AT SIMILAR VELOCITIES, SO I DOUBT THAT THERE WILL BE ANY MEANINGFUL DIFFERENCE ON A HUMAN TORSO SIZED TARGET AT SD/HD RANGE. CENTER MASS IS CENTER MASS, AND DEAD IS DEAD………

IN FACT, I'M GOING TO BUY SOME OF THIS SPEER LAWMAN TO PRACTICE WITH MYSELF. THANKS FOR THE LINK mr future. ONE OF THE WONDERFUL THINGS ABOUT THIS FORUM IS THAT AN OLD GEEZER CAN ALWAYS LEARN SOMETHING FROM A NEWBIE. THERE IS JUST SUCH AN AMAZING EXCHANGE OF INFORMATION HERE, AND NONE OF US KNOWS EVERYTHING---LEAST OF ALL ME……..

 

[rwsmith]

I load my own

I have 6" 686 and in the house I don't want the full blast or over-penetration. Bullet choice is as important as velocity for penetration. I load a very low end .357 load. We are musicians and I don't want to overdo the blast. In the house is close range and we are in a mostly warm climate so super ammo shouldn't be necessary. I like Speer Gold Dot bullets but haven't been able to get any. The Hornady XTP bullets are designed to work around 900 fps on up, so my load gives me about 1000 fps.

I'd go with the 140 grain or bigger Gold Dots because the 135s are for 'short barrels' which a 6" barrel is not.

The Speer Gold Dots are similar in principle to the hollow base wadcutter bullet turned around backwards. Big cavity for expansion. That's why I like them the best. But you have to use what's available.

If you don't want to load your own the .38 +Ps that companies like Cor Bon, Buffalo Bore and some others make are really good out of a .357.

 

[Win75]

I use Hornady Critical Defense .38 SPCL+P, 110gr FTX

I use the same ammo. Also in my wife's 442.

 

[one eye joe]

THIS WOULD BE A VERY GOOD PLAN, mr future. THE POI OF SIMILARLY WEIGHTED BULLETS SHOULD VARY VERY LITTLE, IF AT ALL, AT SD/HD RANGE--WHICH IS USUALLY THOUGHT OF AS 7-10 YARDS. I WOULD ZERO THE GUN PERFECTLY WITH THE GOLD DOTS. THEN I WOULD SEE WHAT DIFFERENCE, IF ANY AT ALL, THERE IS IN POI WITH YOUR PRACTICE AMMO. THE ONLY DIFFERENCE MIGHT BE VERTICALLY, AS WINDAGE SHOULD BE THE SAME. IT APPEARS THAT BOTH ROUNDS TRAVEL AT SIMILAR VELOCITIES, SO I DOUBT THAT THERE WILL BE ANY MEANINGFUL DIFFERENCE ON A HUMAN TORSO SIZED TARGET AT SD/HD RANGE. CENTER MASS IS CENTER MASS, AND DEAD IS DEAD………

IN FACT, I'M GOING TO BUY SOME OF THIS SPEER LAWMAN TO PRACTICE WITH MYSELF. THANKS FOR THE LINK mr future. ONE OF THE WONDERFUL THINGS ABOUT THIS FORUM IS THAT AN OLD GEEZER CAN ALWAYS LEARN SOMETHING FROM A NEWBIE. THERE IS JUST SUCH AN AMAZING EXCHANGE OF INFORMATION HERE, AND NONE OF US KNOWS EVERYTHING---LEAST OF ALL ME……..

HEY mr future, I WENT ON LINE TO SEARCH FOR THE LAWMAN AMMO. THE ONLY SOURCE SEEMS TO BE FROM THE LINK THAT YOU SO GRACIOUSLY PROVIDED, SO I ORDERED 2 BOXES. THE SHIPPING COST AS MUCH AS A BOX OF AMMO. S&H IS GETTING OUTRAGEOUS--FROM ALL OF THE SUPPLIERS, NOT JUST THIS ONE. ITS THE PRICE WE PAY FOR SHOPPING W/O LEAVING THE ARMCHAIR. IN ANY EVENT, I WANTED TO THANK YOU FOR THE LINK. I LOOK FOWARD TO EXPERIMENTING WITH THIS STUFF OUT OF MY SNUBBIES……...