Please define "full house" .357 Mag load

[xopher88x]

I'm new, as of yesterday, to the .357 Magnum. I found a mint 686-5 4" for a good price and snagged it.

I read all the time about "full house" loads, especially in the context of small or scandium framed guns. Two characteristics my new 686 certainly does not have.

So what defines a "full house" load?

Can anyone give me a factory-made example? Sadly, I don't reload (yet) and I don't want to insult my new friend with anything less than a full power load.

 

[handgunner356]

A few manufacturers made "medium velocity" or reduced recoil magnum rounds at one time. With most of LE going with the .40S&W the selection of .357 has somewhat dropped off. Also some of the personal defense .357 is loaded down slightly from the max loadings they used. Full house loads would be your 125gr@1450fps or 158gr@1250fps rounds. A steady diet of 125gr loads were the ones that were hard on the K-Frames.

 

[xopher88x]

Thanks hg356. My 686 is an L-frame, right? Is there anything I should avoid putting in the cylinder? 110gr or anything like that? I've read some things about cracked forcing cones but not with regard to the 686. It seems to be built like a tank. Thanks again for your info.

 

[roaddog28]

Hi and welcome. you will enjoy your 686. The 357 125 gr "full house" is availiable from Federal, Winchester, Remington, Buffalo Bore and others. Basically, the 125 gr full house travels faster at 1500 fps to 1600 fps than a 158 gr round in a 4 inch barrel revolver. Back in the days when LE used a revolver this round was developed as a improvement to the 158 gr round. Experts in the industry claims this 125 gr round is the best manstropper still availiable. This includes all the rounds availiable for semi-autos. Whether this is true are not anymore is unclear. From my experience in my 357s the round has a lot of blast and recoil. I only have full size revolvers. Plus this round is much harder on a revolver than the heavier grain rounds. Any revolver that has seen a lot of this round can if not taken care of and cleaned on a regular basis wear the forcing cone out sooner. In your 686 you will be ok but there have been reports on various forums of this round causing problems even with heavier frame revolvers.
Bottom line: The round is a great SD round. But in my opinion I would not shoot the round all the time. Too me the heavier grain rounds are better for the range and most shooting situations.

Here is part of a post that explains the affects of the lighter grain full house 357s.
The lighter bullet causes a few things to happen.

1: It accelerates faster in the cylinder, striking the forcing cone MUCH harder than the 158gr bullet.
2: The shorter 125gr bullet leaves the case before a 158gr bullet, causing more unburned powder to fly forward and combust in the throat and barrel. This causes flamecutting on the topstrap and peening of the forcing cone. Again, very bad.
3: The recoil impulse of the 125gr loads are much sharper and severe than a comparable 158gr load, so it batters the gun HARD.
4: To be honest, the 125gr load is the most common out there, but it is not the best load. It is light and fast and while it expands violently, it tends to underpenetrate. The 158gr expands and has enough momentum to smash through and hit vitals.

There is more infomation on the net but the above paragraph I feel explains the round well.

Good luck and show us some pictures of your 686.
Howard

 

[Vulcan Bob]

Well it was a horrible sit-com on tv, sorry I couldent help myself there! Handgunner356 nailed it, some of the slang used can be rather confuseing at times. You will have no trouble with any factory loads with your 686, the L frame was developed to remedy the trouble the K frames where haveing with some 357 mag loads (read full house 125gr loads) that led to the dreaded split forceing cone. I was a bit slow to the L frame party but I am comeing to really like my two 586's. Enjoy your new revolver!