Greetings fellow members. After owning nothing but semi auto handguns for the past decade. I purchased a new to me S&W 686 Performance Center 2.5in snubbie. What are the experienced members here recommend for 357 magnum loads for target/range ammo? For self defense?

I reload most everything, which allows the range from 38 spcl to max 357 loads. With that 2.5” barrel I’d be in the lighter side for casual use. Some say 38 spcl loads are a little scarce now, sgammo has some.

https://www.sgammo.com/catalog...sale/38-special-ammo

I’m sure your gun can handle anything, even for most carry, 38 +p is often enough for me. Another option for reloaders are 357 loads at the start level, which is a good bit above the 38 +p.

That’s my M.O., the next may enjoy ‘max flash’.

I love .357 revolvers.

I usually load for mine as it's much cheaper.

I load 125gr-158gr bullets in .357 cases at 38sp pressures just to conserve powder and keep it manageable.

I can make the gun rattle my teeth if I wish, but I see no reason for beating it up outside of using it for defense or dispatching a predator.

Congrats on the revolver purchase!

My most favorite over-the-counter defensive .357 load (when it can be found) is Winchester’s “white box” 110-grain JHP.

That said and as others have noted, .38 Special +P JHPs fill the bill nicely and may be, at times, easier to obtain.

For the range, I’m shooting a lot of standard-pressure .38 Specials, anything I can find from 130-grain FMJ to 158-grain RNL. I’ve had success finding these online at Target Sports USA, Federal ammo’s site, and Georgia Arms. I’ve also come across a handful of individuals selling on trusted Forums like this one that I’ve bought from.

And, indeed - I do wish I’d taken-up reloading haha…

I also like to use .38 Special ammo. in mine with some .357 added every so often. In a small barrel recoil will be hefty with full load .357 rounds but .38 would be perfect and .38 JHP rounds for self defense are a good option.

Shoot whatever you can find. I don't mean that to sound flip.

If you haven't shot a revolver much before, you are going to have to invest some time in getting DA shooting down.

DA shooting is kind of a feel thing. It takes a bit of practice but can be done very well when you get the hang of it.

Also reloading. Get yourself some speedloaders or speedstrips and practice reloading using them.

Also this takes practice. Also this takes rounds down range and putting those rounds down range is more important in the beginning than any particular round.

That being said, I'd recommend shooting mostly .38s as they are typically cheaper and will allow you to practice more without getting fatigued by .357 recoil.

I tend to favor anything in the 158gr.range. SWC for range work and SWCHP for social interventions.

I guess I should have got into reloading. Best I can find online is .74 a round that for 357 158gr sjwc can’t find any 38 special online. Dealer I purchased gun at has plenty of 9mm as low as .35 per round. But no 357 or 38. This is torture. Upon dry firing this gun around my house for several days. I absolutely love this trigger. It’s smoother than all my da/sa Sigs. I guess I’m paying whatever the market is priced at.

For carry purposes, I use .38 Specail Speer Gold Dot 135 JHP's in my J frame Smith m-60 with a 3" bbl. The .38 spl brass ejects easier from my .357 magnum...shorter brass = less hang up on the grips/ejector star etc. Speer's Gold Dot 135's were designed for snub nose use to enhance expansion at lower velocities. Too, they allow quicker 2nd shots due to the reduced recoil.

For range/practice use, I load wadcutters ahead of 3.5 - 4.0 grains of Bullseye in magnum brass for ~ 800 fps from my 3" bbl. It's a good load with plenty of smack and superb accuracy. I use magnum brass for practice to avoid the bullet lube/lead particle build up inherent with .38 special loads in magnum chambers.

I cast my own wadcutters (Lyman 358091, a button nose WC). I also cast Lyman's 358156 GC, a LSWC, from straight wheel weight alloy, and size to 0.358" for all my Smith and Ruger .357's. Hornady crimp on gas checks, which I anneal to eliminate spring back while sizing, are my choice.

For hunting, with longer bbl'd .357's, I like Lyman's 358156 gc, a LSWC that will do for deer out to 50 yds or so with 1200 fps muzzle velocities. The gas check eliminates any barrel/forcing cone leading tendencies. And the LSWC shape cuts a good hole in virtually anything it hits. Were I to pick a handload for carry purposes, this would be my choice. I stick with factory loads for CC use however.

Best regards, and good luck with your new pistola...BTW, those loads listed above are well within normal pressures for any .357. Rod

Congrats on a very cool new gun! I love a short barreled revolver...they're a very practical, hard-hitting gun. If you get a chance, please share some photos!

Good news is stuff is starting to reappear on shelves, so you should be able to find something, but you're probably going to have to take what you can get, at least for now.

My personal favorite snubby load is the 135gr Speer Gold Dot short barrel. It makes right around 1100fps out of my snubbies, with minimal blast and recoil is quite manageable. They also sell (or use to sell) the bullets as components, so I was able to load up a similar load for practice, or these days carry if it comes to that. I prefer notmto carry reloads, but sometimes you've gotta do what you've gotta do.

Like others have said, if you're new to revolvers, you're gonna want to practice as much as you can. .38spcl ammo will work just fine in your gun, just make sure you clean the cylinder well after shootingntomprrvent a carbon ring building up in there. The .38 cases are shorter than .357s, and if you let that ring buold up you'll have problems chambering the .357s down the road. A brass "tornado" style brush works really well for cleaning the smooth walls of the chambers, but you need to find a .40 or .45 brush, as the .357 ones are sized for the barrel, not the chamber. Avoid the steel tornado brushes...they're overly stiff and could potentially cause damage to your extractor.

Finally, if you've ever considered reloading, .38/.357 is a great place to start. It's an easy cartridge to load for, the fact that you're shooting it out of a gun designed for magnums gives you some safety margin as you work into it, and the cost of factory ammo in those calibers will result in a quick return on investment for your reloading gear. Just be aware that once you start reloading, it'll turn into a hobby all its own!

ETA: I knew I remembered a thread on this lately. Check out this thread...Fritz posted an ammoseek link that might help you out, and there might be other suggestions as well if you keep watching:

https://sigforum.com/eve/forum...0601935/m/5690027094

One quick suggestion re shooting a lot of 38 special in a 357. Make sure you clean the cylinder well before trying to fire 357 rounds. The shorter 38 cases will allow a ring of carbon and lead to build up inside the cylinder which if not removed will bind the longer 357 cases.

I mostly shoot 38 in mine at the range. I stocked up on 158 grain lead RN a while back so that is what I have been using. For a self defense load I prefer 158 grain Speer Gold Dots in 357, the 125 grain loads are fine as well.

Edit--Looks like I type slow, 92fstech beat me to the punch!

Welcome to the Wheelgun World.

I've been shooting revolvers since the seventies with a large number of them being .357 Mag. My preference for SD is Federal 125gr JHP. Very good track record. Other good 125gr JHP choices like Gold Dot and Golden Sabre available nowadays. Ayoob likes all three, based on their proven track record on the street.

Absolutely NO NEED to use .357 Mag for practice. Occasionally, yes to maintain the feel. With good fundamentals, a shooter should be able to shoot full-house and mid-range practice ammo (reloads) pretty much the same. Example:

Years ago I was carrying and shooting a Ruger SP101 3" .357 Mag. Carried it to the range and forgot to put in reloads. ZERO difference in group, although the noise was quite different!

Enjoy...

For self defense, the old standard 125 grain hollow point (any of the premium ammo-makers make an excellent HP bullet) is hard to beat.

I also suggest that you consider reloading. You'll save a ton of money. I load up a plated bullet at less than full .357 power (but more than .38 power) for a range and practice load. The factories don't offer anything like that.

^^^^ What he said! And the muzzle flash is impressive.

I'm a fan of the "Treasury load" 158gr SWCHP (+P) if you roll with .38 in your 686.

Since you have a 2.5 686, you might look at Speer Gold Dot 125gr Short Barrel "Personal Protection" (#23917GD) in .357.

Suggestion number one for me is always the same, stop calling it a wheel gun.

quote:

Originally posted by jhe888:
For self defense, the old standard 125 grain hollow point (any of the premium ammo-makers make an excellent HP bullet) is hard to beat.

I also suggest that you consider reloading. You'll save a ton of money. I load up a plated bullet at less than full .357 power (but more than .38 power) for a range and practice load. The factories don't offer anything like that.

What he said: Very good advice.

quote:

Originally posted by YooperSigs:
^^^^ What he said! And the muzzle flash is impressive.

You should see it in a shorty J frame! And feel it in a scandium/aluminum/titanium model. It is more excitement than many people care for.


They are manageable in a K frame or bigger.

quote:

Originally posted by YooperSigs:
^^^^ What he said! And the muzzle flash is impressive.

Don't know about the other brands, but the Federal 125gr JHP's don't have a flash problem. I've used them for decades and tested in pitch black conditions...no extreme muzzle flash. Even with my Ruger SP101 3" with Magna-Porting. It's the superb flame retardant powder they use.

In contrast, I saw a friend shoot a 6" .357 Mag with factory low-end ammo on the indoor range with all the lights on. Incredible ball of flame at the muzzle. Definitely not a flame retardant powder.

To summarize, not all .357 Mag loads are the same in regards to muzzle flash. Whatever you use, it should be tested in dark or low-light conditions to determine what flash characteristics it has.

Thank you for the replies so far. I’m having a comical time trying to buy accessories. I ordered 2 holsters from different holster makers. Delivery times, 2.5 months and 4 months respectively. New wood grips 3-4 weeks. Another belt 2-3 weeks. Speed loaders the cool aluminum ones by 5 star firearms 4-6 weeks. Ammo. Ordered yesterday will arrive in 5 days. The only freakin thing anyone has in stock is cleaning supplies!! I gotta say. This freakin gun is ugly with black rubber grips. S&W is sending me a pair of oem wood grips when they are available again on them. The customer service lady was awesome. She agreed that black rubber grips are ugly. Especially on a performance center gun.