S&W 686 3 inch ammo suggestions

[philly3458]

What ammo for home defense do you suggest in this revolver.

 

[Hapworth]

You have an embarrassment of riches when it comes to home defense ammunition for that model: .38 Special; .38 Special +P; .357 Magnum; short barrel optimized and regular in either caliber.

Expect the endless and unwinnable battle between .38 and .357 adherents to come up. In brief: the pro .38 crowd feel that a well-made defensive (read: hollow point) round in .38 (especially +P) provides enough stopping power in a more controllable platform (less recoil, flash and concussion) with less risk of extreme overpenetration; the pro .357 crowd prefer the heavier hit and downplay recoil, penetration and flash-bang issues.

You should shoot several defensive rounds of both from multiple quality manufacturers, find what you (and your gun) like and go with that.

Speer's Gold Dot line is generally considered excellent; posts terrific numbers and has an enviable record on the street. They make several versions of .38 and .357. You technically have a short barreled weapon, but it's a long short barrel and I'd relegate the short barrel versions of Gold Dot to 2-1/2" or less snubbies, and stick with the standard configurations for your 686.

CorBon's DPX line is another strong contender. Also posts terrific numbers and has an excellent reputation. Again, .38 and .357 options here.

Buffalo Bore has a loyal following, though a few detractors feel that the excellent numbers it gets aren't (yet) backed up with street shootings evidence. Buffalo Bore, too, offers short barrel as well as full house loads for .38 and .357.

This barely scratches the surface, but as an intro, these are the three ammo makers I look to (after much research) for defensive rounds.

And if I had to pick only one for you, in your specific weapon, for the exclusive purpose of home defense, I'd opt for Speer Gold Dot .38 Special +P 125 grain (non short barrel), which tells you where I stand on the .38 v .357 debate.

 

[Nico Testosteros]

I've opted for Speer Gold Dot short barrel .38 special ammo in my .357.

But there are plenty other rounds to fill that cylinder with.

 

[philly3458]

Thanks for the feedback. This is very helpful.

 

[APS]

I would also pick the Speer Gold Dot 135gr +P 38 load.

 

[philly3458]

What do you think of the Speer gold dot 357 short barrel? Seems like a shootable 357.

 

[APS]

I have not shot it yet. I would be interested if the muzzle blast and recoil were not much more than the .38 load. Both loads should penetrate deeply enough to strike a vital structure. The rest is up to how fast and accurately you can put the rounds in the right place, and how much the bad guy doesn't want to be shot.

 

[murphydog]

What do you think of the Speer gold dot 357 short barrel? Seems like a shootable 357.

It is rated at about 1050 fps, so about 100-150 fps faster than the .38 version. Should work well.

 

[philly3458]

Any other suggestions

 

[Hapworth]

Any other suggestions

What are you looking for in a defense round?

 

[philly3458]

Good penetration, don't want to blow my hearing out if had to discharge in the house

 

[murphydog]

Any gunfire in a closed space may potentially damage your hearing, but bigger/faster rounds probably more so. If you've fired or been near a full .357 from a short barrel in an indoor range, even with plugs and muffs, you'd know why.

Some people have electronic hearing protectors ready for this purpose, but I'm not sure that is a practical solution.

 

[Hapworth]

Good penetration, don't want to blow my hearing out if had to discharge in the house

Have you considered a suppressed firearm? Some shooters are going that way out of legitimate concern for hearing damage.

Otherwise, stick with .38 Special +P; any of the rounds mentioned in this thread will meet your stated needs. If you want more suggestions, consider Hornady's Critical Duty or Custom lines.

 

[Stu Honea]

145 gr.Winchester Silvertip.That'll do your eardrums in with one shot indoors.After that it's painless
They're all loud,and they'll all be louder in an enclosed space.Use it as an outdoors carry gun,and invest in a suppressed 9mm to save your hearing.Initial cost is tough,but you'll only need one.

 

[philly3458]

Was thinking the speer gold dot 357 short barrell would be OK given it's under 1000 fps. I have shot a 9mm 110 gr plus p in a bedroom with no hearing protection and while loud didn't do any residual damage.

 

[philly3458]

Anyone have a point if view on the gold dot short barrel 357 135 gr?

 

[Glenn H]

Federal .38 Hydrashock

Consider the .38+p Hydrashock from Federal. In that size much of the extra energy from a .357 will go as flash instead of energy to the bullet. The +p splits the difference between the full house .357 and the stock .38. Hydrashock has a good track record and I'd go with a lighter bullet, the 110 gr.

That being said any purpose made defensive round from the majors is going to be an effective round if you place the shots well. Heck, for that matter one going off in a house is liable to make any unwelcome visitor haul out of Dodge even if you don't connect with the first round.

I doubt that a center hit with any defensive round would pass through with a 3 inch barrel. Just not enough energy in a pistol. FMJ OTOH might just punch through.

As said elsewhere, what you can effectively control and hit with is the right choice.

 

[Neumann]

I use Gold Dot 125 or 158 grain for SD ammunition. If I ever need it for self-defense, blast and flame will be someone else's problem. The 686 is a heavy gun, even with a 3" barrel. Mine has a boot grip, and I can shoot it all day. The heaviest load I've used is 180 grain hard cast (Buffalo Bore).

It helps to start the range session with a 3" 629. The 686 is like a popgun after that.

 

[Texas Star]

I've loaded with Federal's 129 grain Plus P Hydra-Shok, and the factory PR man had it chronographed for me by an engineer. (I'm a gun writer and this was for an article. He was very helpful.)

In a M-36 snub, it clocked 836 FPS, and from a three-inch barrelled M-36, well over 900 FPS.

The Speer NON short bbl. 125 grain JHP .38 round has clocked well over 900 FPS in three-inch guns, and I load this in my M-60-4, although I have a box of the 135 grain Short Bbl., and may switch to that. But the first is so accurate in this gun that I'm impressed to the point that I haven't changed yet. Home ddefense aside, I want to be able to hit a snake in the head at danger ranges.

I have also relied on the lead 158 grain Plus P HP ammo from Winchester, Federal, and Remington. Be aware that there is some Federal 38G ammo floating around that wasn't properly crimped. The normal version is okay and very accurate in my guns. I especially like this in longer barrels.

The lead load was issued by Dallas, Miami, Chicago, the FBI, etc. and established a very good record on the street, but usually in four-inch barrels. Still, there were some snubby shootings where it did very well. My brother found it to put down a large dog with a shoulder shot from a M-60 snub, but the angle of the shot didn't get it into the vital organs. The bullet was fired from above, down into a shoulder as the dog lunged for him. It did drop, then ran back to its owner's home. I'm sorry to say that it lived. Had he put that bullet into the body lengthwise or crosswise, into the heart, etc., I think we'd have one less dog problem. Still, a snub .38 is not the optimum answer for dealing with large dogs.

I talked with a Speer rep who told me that NYCPD issues the Short Barrel 135 grain round in ALL their remaining .38's and that it has performed extremely well. But I don't know how many shootings are involved.

You might want to check the thread here on this type of load and read Wayne Dobbs's comments. He was a detective with a suburban dept. near Dallas and got to hear comments on how local shootings went. Most involved four-inch barrels, of course. He posted that the lead HP round performed very well, although it was eclipsed by the 145 grain .357 Silvertiip, which he said did EXTREMELY well. I believe that was how he phrased it. But you don't want to be firing that .357 ammo indoors, for hearing reasons and because it might endanger persons in the next room.

I think you can choose any of these loads and if you place your shots well, you'll probably stop your intruder.

I do not use lighter bullets than 125 grains in .38 or ,357, as i want ample penetration. But the old Treasury Plus P Plus 110 grain round worked, too, from feedback that I've seen. However, light bullets may not penetrate well, and they don't shoot to the sights, if your gun has fixed sights or is dialed-in for nomal ammo for other purposes.

Your three-inch gun performs more like a four-inch than like a snub, so you have an ammo edge over a snub.

Pressed for a single answer, I'd tell you to choose the Speer Short Barrel or their 125 grain normal Plus P and see which you shoot best and to use that. Remember, placement is more important than the exact bullet used. But I think the track record of those rounds gives confidence. It is hard to get reports of actual shootings unless one is in LE, but those have enough background with large agencies that I trust them.

 

[philly3458]

Thanks all