Speer Short Barrel in 686 4 inch

[28gauge]

I would like to use Speer's short barrel 135 gr .357 mag in my 4 inch 686 as a low recoil .357 load. Are there any problems with this and does anyone have any data on these loads through a 4 inch barrel; everything I see seems to be from a 2 inch barrel?

 

[28gauge]

I would like to use Speer's short barrel 135 gr .357 mag in my 4 inch 686 as a low recoil .357 load. Are there any problems with this and does anyone have any data on these loads through a 4 inch barrel; everything I see seems to be from a 2 inch barrel?

 

[Andy Taylor]

I read somewhere that they were designed for 4" and shorter barrels, although I can't remember where I read this. My guess would be that they would be good for your intended purpose.
I would also look at Buffalo Bore tactical short barrel .357 loads. They have three different bullet weights, 125, 140, and 158.

 

[flop-shank]

I have no doubt that SB .357 will wok well in a 4" gun. It is excellent in a 1 7/8" gun. 2"+ will give it even more power. It may penetrate a little more, or less from the longer barrel, but I just don't see it doing anything but working well. I'm guessing that it will have much less muzzle blast than hot 125 gr. loads.

 

[James57]

I have a model 13 with a 4" barrel. I use the 135gr. Gold Dot as my carry and "social work" load. It is very accurate out of my revolver and expands about as well as you could expect. I hope I never have to use it in earnest but I have no doubt that it will perform if I do. James

 

[28gauge]

james57:
The 135 gr Gold Dot you are referring to is the short barrel .357?

 

[Andy Taylor]

Currently the 135gr bullet is only used in the short barrel loading.

 

[Hoptob]

I discussed this with Speer tech support awhile back and they recommended to keep 135 gr. bullet under 1000 fps. They said this bullet has expansion envelop between mid-700 and 1000 fps; if accelerated to 1100 fps it will over-expand (fold petals back) and penetrate to 20-25" in bare gelatin due to reduced frontal area.

Mr. Camp mentioned it in one of his articles that he was planning to test Speer SB load from longer barrels. Will be interesting to see his results when available.

Mike

 

[James57]

28gauge, yes it is the "SB" or short barrel factory ammo by Speer. It is the 23917. Sorry I didn't put the description in on my previous post. James

 

[Hoptob]

OKFC,

This is about #4014. Note that #4009 is 110 gr. bullet.

Mike

 

[OKFC05]

Originally posted by Hoptob:
OKFC,

This is about #4014. Note that #4009 is 110 gr. bullet.

Mike

Yes, thanks. The 135gr bullets I bought from Speer and handloaded some time ago don't match the current part numbers. Looks like they are now using the same 135gr bullet for .38 and .357?
So I pulled my previous comments since I have never tried the current part number and am unsure of the difference.

 

[flop-shank]

OKF, I don't think that Speer has ever used different bullets in the SB .38 and .357 loads. If you think about it, their velocitys aren't that different. Maybe they redesigned the bullet and gave it a different part number?

 

[ArchAngelCD]

Originally posted by 28gauge:
I would like to use Speer's short barrel 135 gr .357 mag in my 4 inch 686 as a low recoil .357 load. Are there any problems with this and does anyone have any data on these loads through a 4 inch barrel; everything I see seems to be from a 2 inch barrel?

Yes, the SB .357 Magnum Speer round will work well in a 4" barrel. The SB .38 Special will work well in a 4" barrel. IMO they are great choices for mid-range ammo in their caliber. I know for sure the NYC Police Department is using the .38 Special +P round for anyone who is still carrying a 4" Service Revolver.

 

[Hoptob]

Tony,

I think there may be a difference between using Speer 38spl+P and 357MAG loads in a 4-incher. I chronographed Speer 38spl +P in a 4" GP100 and it clocked 1010 fps. That speed is right at the outer edge of the bullet's envelop, i.e. perfectly fine for SD. Their 357MAG load is warmer -- it clocks 1000 fps in a 2" revolver. That should put it around 1100-1150 fps in a 4-incher and may cause the bullet to over-expand which would not be desirable.

Mike

 

[flop-shank]

Since the performance of SB .357 has been questioned in two different threads, I may hit the Perma-Gel with it from my 4" 586. I make no promises, but keep your eyes peeled.

 

[Hoptob]

That would be great, flop. Honestly, I find it hard to believe that running 135 gr. bullet at 1100 fps will cause it to behave as if it was a wadcutter... Speer says that it will and it's possible -- just sounds like too much change. I look forward to your Perma-Gel results.

Mike

 

[flop-shank]

The test results are in my Perma-Gel thread.

 

[28gauge]

Thanks for the test and report Flop. It looks like no indications of a problem at 4 inch barrel velocities.

 

[flop-shank]

You are most welcome!