Lower recoil 357 mag range ammo for a 6" 686?

[scooter21]

Old guy with a bum shoulder. Found good slower 130 gr. 38 sp. loads, but need some factory FMJ or JSP 357 mag target ammo with reasonable kick in that 686. Price not important, low volume shooter.

Also, can I shoot mostly 38 sp. loads, occasional 357's, in a 686 without worrying about bore notching if I clean well?

Thanks in advance for your advice. Really glad I found this forum.

 

[bigwheelzip]

Lightest factory .357 I've tried are Winchester 110gr.
I think they were hollow points.

Sent from my motorola one 5G using Tapatalk

 

[Nevada Ed]

A factory Remington 110 JHP at around 1290fps in your 686 6" will have a power factor of 154,
a 125 JHP at 1244 will have the same power factor.

A158 lead .357 load at 1108fps will have a PF of 175.

A 158 XTP at 1340fps will have "Magnum" power factor of 211.

For minimum recoil the 38 special loads are the way to go, if needed.

My 686 6" does very well with a 158 lead wc in the 38 case, for all day shooting enjoyment.
The 38 spl 148 Lwc loads can be used but I save these for my light J frame practice.

Hope this helps.

 

[sourdough44]

If you don’t reload, the easy answer is 38 spcl loads. Yes, we all know about cleaning some after a good amount of rounds then going to 357 ammo. That cleaning requirement isn’t that big of a deal, depending on rounds fired.

The problem with factory 110-125 grain 357 loads, they’re loaded to upper end 357 mag levels. That’s unless you find ‘low recoil’(likely cost more) 357 factory loads.

As a reloader I can tame most anything, still have uses for 38 special loads in a 357 gun, even 41 special in a 41 mag gun.

 

[scooter21]

Great help, many thanks

I think most ranges here don't allow hollow points, but maybe I should give wadcutters a shot, if your 686 6" likes them all day. Do you know of any good 357 mag WC brands?

Thanks again

 

[scooter21]

To Nevada Ed re: Wadcutters

To NEVADA ED: my reply to you snuck below. Would something like Remington Performance Wheel Gun 158 gr. 357 Magnum WC be OK for me?

Thanks again

 

[StakeOut]

38spl in a 357mag cylinder has a bit more bullet jump to reach the forcing cone and adds a bit more fowling to the cylinder.
I load all my 158gr LSWC loads in 357mag cases.

I do the same in 44mag.I don't load in 44spl cases

 

[alwslate]

I’ve shot lots of light .38 spl cast bullets in my .357s. Never done anything more than swabbing the chambers after each firing and never had any problems.

 

[Paul in Nevada]

It's hard to beat a 158 LSWC loaded to 38Spl pressures in a 357 case. If reloading is not an option your choices will be limited.

If you are bothered by the carbon ring from firing 38's, get a 40 cal nylon brush and chuck it in a drill.

 

[STORMINORMAN]

How many boxes of 38 Specials to have any real effect on a 686?

I doubt that a normal cleaning after 100 rounds wouldn't easily remove any accumulated grime...

What is "bore notching"I know what it is in a V8, but in firearms...?

Cheers!

P.S. At $35 for a box of 50 the 125gr XTP in 38 Special from FREEDOM MUNITIONS just might be the best buy out there now!

Shouldn't leave much to be cleaned out later, either.

 

[Racer X]

It's hard to beat a 158 LSWC loaded to 38Spl pressures in a 357 case. If reloading is not an option your choices will be limited.

If you are bothered by the carbon ring from firing 38's, get a 40 cal nylon brush and chuck it in a drill.

When I get the dreaded carbon ring in a .22 LR chamber, I use a .243 nylon rifle brush with the cleaning rod chucked in a drill, and use one of the carbon cutting rimfire bore cleaners.

 

[scooter21]

The dreaded carbon ring

That's what my "bore notching" referred to. Sounds like I won't shoot enough to worry about it, and a slightly oversized nylon brush is a great idea.

Showing some ignorance here, but would low-velocity "Cowboy Action" ammo, like a Magtech 158 grain give me a good 357 mag option? Just want to shoot occasional lower-recoil 357's in between 38 special rounds.

 

[Dave Lively]

Showing some ignorance here, but would low-velocity "Cowboy Action" ammo, like a Magtech 158 grain give me a good 357 mag option? Just want to shoot occasional lower-recoil 357's in between 38 special rounds.

I have no experience with that particular load. But in general anything labeled "Cowboy Action" is going to be very mild. Probably as mild as the 38 Special rounds and perhaps milder. They will also be loaded with lead bullets which means they will be a lot smokier than jacketed rounds.

I don't compete in cowboy action matches but shoot a lot of cowboy ammo in my 44 Magnum as an alternative to 44 Specials. Leaves the gun dirtier than normal but it cleans up easily.

What I really like shooting in my S&W 69 is ammo that splits the difference between 44 Special and 44 Magnum. My favorite ammo for that comes from Georgia Arms. They have a similar load in 357. Not owning a 357 at this time I have never tried it. But they claim it drives a plated 158 grain bullet to 1100 which is too strong to be a 38 Special +P but weaker than full power 357 Magnum ammo. It might be worth a try. Its even in stock at this time:

.357 Magnum 158gr Plated Semi-Wadcutter - Georgia Arms

 

[joe44va]

If you can find Remington Golden Saber (GS357MA) cartridges, they were light 357 mag loads. 125 gn JHP at a reduced velocity. Definitely a hard find but probably what you are looking for.

 

[Nevada Ed]

To NEVADA ED: my reply to you snuck below. Would something like Remington Performance Wheel Gun 158 gr. 357 Magnum WC be OK for me?

Thanks again

I do not buy 158 lead .357 long case ammo........... I reload them (less $$ )
Trail Boss at....... 788fps .......... X-Lite
IMR4227 at........ 976fps
HS-6 at............. 1108fps ......... pf175
Unique at........... 1320fps

If you can find light .357 loads at a 175 Power factor or less, you
might be able to handle the recoil in a 686 6" revolver.

Just depends on your muscle strength and health issues.

With ammo as it is today, for light .357 recoil ammo, if you can find it is....

Rem or Win 110 JHP at 1295fps............ or a long shot at even lighter
recoil ammo if you can find "Cowboy" type 158 lead ammo at only 800fps.

Hope you get lucky.

 

[tops]

In a past life I shot a bunch of .22 shorts. It's unreal the people that that told me the shorts would cut a groove in the chamber in front of the case and LR cases would then be difficult to extract. Some people have carried that thinking over to .38 Specials in a .357M chamber.
Instead of cutting a groove the shorter cases build up a carbon ring that can be cleaned out. Larry

 

[ericherte]

CCI Blazer 158 grain 357 ammo listed at 1150 fps might work.

 

[Suburbanite]

Lightest factory .357 I've tried are Winchester 110gr.
I think they were hollow points.

Sent from my motorola one 5G using Tapatalk

Ditto on the Winchester White Box 110 grain load being low recoil. But the giant muzzle flash may distract you from realizing how low the recoil really is.

The CCI Blazer 158 grain load may be a good option if you can find it.

As a hand load I find 6 grains of unique in a .357 case and a 158 grain LSWC to be and excellent medium recoiling load. It will give you .45 auto/.38+P+ energy levels.

For an inexpensive .38+P load, keep and eye out for Winchester or Remington 125 grain loads if they show up on store shelves later this year. In 2019 I could find the Winchester on sale for $25/50 and the Remington for $39/100 at local big box sporting goods stores.

 

[kaaskop49]

CCI Blazer 158 grain 357 ammo listed at 1150 fps might work.

^^^what he said. I go through these cartridges like they were M&Ms. Some people dislike this round due to its relatively low velocity: +P territory. I adore it because I do not have to sweat cleaning the chambers after firing .38s. And no, nothing works for me in this area.

Kaaskop49
Shields #5103

 

[LVSteve]

CCI Blazer 158 grain 357 ammo listed at 1150 fps might work.

Is that the aluminum cased stuff? I used to shoot that as a warm up before breaking out the 125 gr Remington JHP flamethrower stuff. This was also in a 686 with a 6" barrel.