Practice ammo for S&W M686 Plus

[Axel Yup]

For self-defense, I load Triton Quik-Shok .357 mag 125 gr. cartridges in my S&W M686 Plus.

For range practice, I have been shooting PMC cartridges. Both 125 gr. JHP and 158 gr. JSP. My problem is that I have had several light strikes with both of the PMC cartridges. They will fire when I load them a second time. I have shot 200+ rounds of the Triton QS rounds without any problem at all.

Are PMC cartridges known to have hard primers? Can anyone recommend an inexpensive .357 magnum round for practice that won't have this problem? I would like a round that would have a similar point of impact as the Triton QS.

Axel

 

[Don Morgan]

Alex I suggest that what you use in your firearm for defense is what you practice with all the time. There are no inexpensive ways to clone your favorite defensive ammunition. BUT, if you are set that you want to shoot another brand of ammunition at a less cost than Triton Ammunition then I suggest that you buy several brands of ammunition and shoot them all, then make your decision as to which one will be the most consistant with the best accuracy.

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Society is safer when the criminal does not know who is armed

 

[Alfadog]

PMC=Pretty Much Crap. My favorite practice load for the .357 is the Winchester white box USA load 110 gr. JHP. The muzzle flash is terrible but what do you want for $12/box. For serious purposes, I use either the Federal 125 gr. JHP or the Winchester 145 gr. Silvertip HP. Both are widely available and only cost about $20 per box of 50.

 

[volky]

My 686 shoots PMC magnum rounds best. Never had any trouble with other brands either.But each gun is different. For example, my 9mm shoots 12 in groups with any brand of FMJ. Put some cast lead rounds in it and it drops to 4 in. Go figure.