Double Tap Ammo for a 357 Magnum?

Which Double Tap bullets should I get?

  • 180 grain Double Tap bullets

    Votes: 9 45.0%

  • 200 grain Double Tap bullets

    Votes: 11 55.0%
  • Total voters
    20
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Lambdebois

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I'm going to pick some up for back woods protection as many of you suggested in a previous thread. The largest animal we have here in Colorado are black bears that average around 200lbs. While I know a lot of you feel a .357 is too small for a black bear attack...I am curious if your only handgun was a .357 magnum which bullets would you opt for? The 200 grain bullets @1200fps or the 180 grain ones @1300fps? The gun is a S&W 686 with a 4" barrel.
 
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Ordered from Douple Tap

Well I decided to order some 147 grain bullets for my 357 sig since it's the first I've seen bullets more than 125 grains. I also ordered a box of the 200 grain bullets for the .357 Magnum.
 
I suspect they'll both work. Both are hardcast lead with similar profiles. I'd use the 180 if I had to pick one, a little more speed and energy will help deal with the most likely threat, the dreaded two-legged rattlesnake.

If I could afford it and had the time, I'd score a box of each, see which shoots better in my gun :).
 
Was it a mistake to go with the 200 grain bullets @1200fps compared to a 180 grain bullet @1300 fps?
Click to expand...

No you will be fine...just practice enough to hit what you are aiming at...and the practice some more:D Seriously, the 200 will do what the 180 will, but you have to do your part. BTW, the 686 is a great choice as a wood revolver.
 
No, I would say I have a slight preference for the 180 and a little more speed, and would really prefer a 158gr hardcast with a Keith-style bullet and going even faster in a 357, for a woods-bumming round.

But any hardcast with a wide flat nose of 158gr or higher loaded reasonably hot will work in the 357 - and by "work" I mean kill any threat in the lower 48 short of a freak rampaging moose or the occasional Griz - and even with those, if you place your shots.......
 
I know the tread is old, but I got a 4 inch 686 plus and shot some 200 grain out of it today. I'm wondering if anyone has shot a steady load of 200 grain out of their 686 and how it held up.
 
Ummm, yeah. Ridiculously old thread and barely to your topic. Not a huge deal EXCEPT, you hurt your ability to get answers because many (most?) will hit reply to answer the original question. Some won't read yours at all.

To your question...
WHICH 200gr ammo? Fire breathing Double Tap?

All else being the same... 200 grain ammo is not going to be any different so far as your revolver can tell, all else (pressure) being equal. If anything... 200gr is better for your 686 than 110/125gr.
 
A .357 magnum loaded with anything is not what I would carry for black bear protection. I would want a .41 at minimum, and preferably a .44 or .45 Colt loaded to .45 Colt Magnum in the proper gun (read: Ruger).
 
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As Sevens (and DaleA in a report) pointed out, this thread was very old and yet not allowed to die a peaceful death! The resurrecting post by mikesal34744 may have been slightly on topic for the original question if and only if the 200 grain bullet he is wondering about is the Double Tap 200 grain bullet. But it certainly didn't address anything about the back woods question.

We'll leave this open for a while, but we do need to hear from mikesal34744 as to which ammo he is asking about.


[Update 2/14/16]
Since mikesal34744 left the very minute he posted and never returned, we can assume he had no real interest in this old topic - closed.
 
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