Best for Home Defense-.357 mag or .38 spec ??

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MurrayNevada

New member
I have a S&W 686+ for home defense. Should I load it with .357 maqnum or .38 special? Can anyone suggest the best carthridge (manufacturer, type, weight, etc.)
 
I have 158gr .357 JHPs in it now. However, I do wonder myself if a 158gr lead semi-wadcutter would be easier on the ears and faster out of recoi...then again, that 686+ isn't my primary gun.
 
If you can handle the recoil and accurately shoot a .357, load it with 125gr. If not, use +P .38 special -- don't forget to take into account follow-up shots as the first bullet might not go where you want it to go.
 
The .357 is one of the great defensive cartridges and I use it whenever practicable. Personally, though, I'm concerned that a .357 will overpenetrate in a home environment--at least, the way my home is built. So I load my L-frame with Winchester 158-grain LSWCHP or Winchester 125-gr. STHP +P.

JMHO.
 
MurrayNevada,

A good question; your optimal answer is almost entirely dependent on the particular circumstances of your "home defense". However, one significant advantage of the excellent Smith 686 is its ability to use a very wide-variety of commonly available .38 Special and .357 magnum rounds.

More specifically since the .357 magnum (in any load) has quite high velocity, "carry through" may be a legitimate concern. For example, if you live in an apartment building and the walls are composed entirely of 2x4s and wallboard, a FMJ .357 magnum round may pose unacceptable "carry through" risk to innocents living in adjoining apartments. In this case a .38 Special round might be preferable due to its substantially lower velocity, although it certainly does not have the stopping power of the .357 magnum. On the other hand, if you live in a single family home with no immediately adjoining structures to worry about, a .357 magnum round (probably a hollow point) might be ideal.

There are a number of .357 magnum defensive rounds that are generally considered to provide excellent stopping power. My favorite is the 158 grain Federal Hydra-Shok.
 
I have found the Winchester USA brand 110 grain semi jacket hollow points have a fairly controllable recoil level out of a 2.5" 686


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johnnyb
A slow hit beats a fast miss.
 
Another issue is the noise produced by a .357, which greatly exceeds that of a .38. Indoors, without ear protection, it could do you real damage.
 
I put .38 special in mine for 2 reasons:

1. Carry throught if I miss I dont want to hit neighbors or children.

2. I think the .38 will be sufficient at close range.
 
others have already covered the "what you can handle aspect" other than that you would be wise to look into the writings of jim cirillo formerly of the nypd stakeout squad and now the firearms instructor for customs i believe. there have been many articles written by him that cover the problems they encountered with the .38 special. including empting the cylinder into a mans face at point blank range and not even seriously wounding him. admittedly they were carrying round nose lead ammo and that's not what you need when you actually want to stop someone. the .357 is a great round and i personally carry the 125 grain speer gold dot reduced recoil load in my smith 640 centenial. and seeing as that is my backup and offduty weapon i trust my life to that combination.
 
None of the above ... 12 gauge. ;)

All kidding aside, a shotgun might be the better tool in the long run, when it makes financial sense for you. Although some folks do prefer sidearms, I know.

[This message has been edited by Jeff Thomas (edited February 27, 2000).]
 
Stick with the lighter weight bullet. 125gr .357mag is a sweet cartridge. Some will say the Mag is too much and the .38+p is more suited due to the reduced recoil/flash/boom, but in a gun fight you won't even notice those things!

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Gun control is People Control
 
38 special, non +P.....
Here's my rationalization..
357 mag, full titlt boogie 125 gr JHP, out of a 4 inch barrel, has the biggest, brightest, loudest blast of any handgun that we would consider carrying for protection. (Could we agree that 41/44 mag is a bit much?) When we shoot these beasts at the range we have ear plugs, head sets and glasses on to protect the shooter from the "Blast". At home, in a house, the blast would be like a shock grenade going off. That blast translates into "Shock" and the last thing we want is for the person in control of the gun to be shocked. That shock could prevent the shooter from getting off a rapid second shot. The subconcious fear of that shock could cause the shooter to "flinch". The shock may actually daze the shooter and give the bad guy the upper hand if the shooter missed.
I would recommend Federal Nyclad 125 grain non +P 38 special for in home protection.
 
I think you'll find that outside on a concrete pad surrounded by plywood will be a hell of a lot louder than inside. Carpets, bedspreads and curtains will suck up a lot of decibels. And besides if you miss you can describe the BG by saying he's the one with out eyebrows.
 
For home defense I'd spend the money for a pre-fragmented ammo like Glaser or MagSafe. These bullets tend to penetrate into, but not through, the torso, but break up on wallboard or other like objects. They are good one shot stoppers, but by design are safer to the nearby and innocent. Both the 38 and 357 are effective, and since these loads use light bullets at high velocity, recoil is light.
 
In .357, for home defense, full power 110gr. JHP.

Or any one of the "medium velocity" 125gr. JHP loads. Specifically the Pro Load "tactical lite" for the low flash.
 
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