Is this light recoil, plinking ammo?

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In a 6" barrel 686, that's going to feel quite mild. That may not be for young new shooters yet if they've shot a higher velocity .22LR the differences aren't overly dramatic. It would be a step up for them in perceived ignition and recoil.
 
vincyr said:
Used those exact loads for my CCW class, because they were cheap, and I needed to shoot several hundred rounds. Recoil wasn't bad, accuracy was. Target ammo it most definitely is not. I got about a 10-12 inch group at 5 yards. The same gun will ring a 8 inch gong @ 50yds with 158 gr LHPs ("FBI" load) consistently.
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I'd never buy it again(UMC 130 grain 38 spl) if my revolvers were shooting 10-12" groups at five yards. With a new to me 3" fixed sight DAO Speed Six 38 spl I had three holes touching each other inside a 1 1/2" x 2" bull the other day on the second cylinder. The other three weren't far out. I'm not saying it's great stuff but it has had it's place for me. I'm not sure I could see an 8" gong at 50 yds anymore. Time to start trying some quality ammo at the range I guess. Maybe I'm not as bad as I thought.:)
 
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Aim1 said:
So how do you use that ballistics chart to tell what is a nice, low recoil load?

Is it FPS, like 700 FPS means it's a low recoil load?
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Aim1, recoil is determined by 4 things.

1. Weight of bullet.
2. Velocity of bullet.
3. Gunpowder charge weight.
4. Weight of gun.

You can plug those numbers into a calculator to give you the recoil force in ft. lbs., like the one at this link:
http://kwk.us/recoil.html

It is possible for heavier bullets to have less recoil than light bullets if the heavy bullets are going slow enough.
 
fxvr5 said:
Aim1, recoil is determined by 4 things.

1. Weight of bullet.
2. Velocity of bullet.
3. Gunpowder charge weight.
4. Weight of gun.

You can plug those numbers into a calculator to give you the recoil force in ft. lbs., like the one at this link:
http://kwk.us/recoil.html

It is possible for heavier bullets to have less recoil than light bullets if the heavy bullets are going slow enough.
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I'd add to that stock design. Some handgun stocks have less perceived recoil than others but this seems to be very much a personal thing.
Less perceived recoil for one may not be for another, hence all the different designs available. Stocks that don't fit your hand are going to hurt more.
 
.38 Special said:
I was trying to convey the idea that a heavier bullet would recoil more, unless the velocity was greatly reduced. And conversely that a lighter bullet would recoil less, unless the velocity was greaty increased.

Of course, I may simply be misunderstanding you, as I am more-or-less waist deep in martinis at the moment.
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I really liked your explanation. Extra information is not always useless or superfluous. Specifying at "the same velocity" and "for the same bullet weight" is very helpful for someone trying to understand the relationship of recoil to velocity and bullet weight, even if those phrases are not necessary to construct a TRUE statement.
 
OP -

Take a look at your 686. Take note of the large , full length underlug. That long barrel and rather massive underlug are there to tame full load .357 magnum ammunition.
Again - any standard (non- +P) .38 special load will be quite manageable - pleasant I would say - when discharged from that elegant cannon.
 
mcb said:
RN in a revolver has never been know as an accurate round. It can be decent but never what WC or SWC seem to achieve in most cases. But it does reload faster and smoother. Go shoot an IDPA or USPSA match with semi-wad cutters in your speedloaders or moonclips and its a nightmare compared to round nose bullets.
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Really? I don't think I have ever heard that. I use several loads with LRNs in .38 and .44 Special with very good results. The only thing I really don't care for is the small ragged holes, as compared with the clean punch of a wadcutter.
 
.38 Special said:
Really? I don't think I have ever heard that. I use several loads with LRNs in .38 and .44 Special with very good results. The only thing I really don't care for is the small ragged holes, as compared with the clean punch of a wadcutter.
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I am not saying you can't get good results with them but in general SWC are deemed by many as a more accurate bullets than a round nose. I use RN exclusively but I am a practical pistol gamer and the reloads are as important as the accuracy and I get decent accuracy from RN.
 
Thanks for the help guys.

I ended up going with this stuff because it was local at Fleet Farm and I didn't have to pay for shipping.

I did get lead which people on here said is more messy initially but easier to clean up. I hope I chose well. It's 158grains at 775 fps so I hope I that's light recoil.

20200225_161126.jpg

Screenshot_20200225-160743_Chrome.jpg
 
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I have used that very product , you will be fine. Your gun will get pretty dirty pretty fast ; I believe the cause is the lube used on the lead bullet. The resultant film of dirt cleans easily - best to clean after each session rather than let it build up.

Have fun.
 
Aim1 said:
Thanks for the help guys.

I ended up going with this stuff because it was local at Fleet Farm and I didn't have to pay for shipping.

I did get lead which people on here said is more messy initially but easier to clean up. I hope I chose well. It's 158grains at 775 fps so I hope I that's light recoil.
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That is a full power 38 Special load. If you try it and want something with less recoil, try wadcutter ammo next.
 
fxvr5 said:
That is a full power 38 Special load. If you try it and want something with less recoil, try wadcutter ammo next.
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O, I thought because it was under 850 FPS it was a lower powered load.
 
Aim1 said:
O, I thought because it was under 850 FPS it was a lower powered load.
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Nominal specs for a 158 grain bullet in 38 Special is 775 fps from a 4" barrel (Federal, Remington, Winchester).
 
Maybe it was asked, but I have not seen it as I type this.

What gun are you shooting?? The gun plays a sognificant part in felt recoil.

Small lighweight guns will " kick" harder than s full size heavy barrel gun.
 
Aim1 said:
I ended up going with this stuff because it was local at Fleet Farm and I didn't have to pay for shipping.
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A few years ago I was issued a S&W 64-5 and got that same ammo. The 64 is a lighter revolver than your 686 and the recoil was very mild for me. I don't think you will have any trouble with recoil out of that ammo.

mcb said:
Unless the OP is using an air-weight snub-nose revolver isn't all 38 Special sort of mild?
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Based on my limited experience with revolvers that was my thought as well.
 
The .38 Special "standard" load was a 158 LRN at 860 fps. This goes all the way back to 1899 and black powder. Factories today may well have settled on 750 fps as a mild load safe for even the worst of guns chambered for the cartridge, but it is a mild load, by traditional standards. Fired in a 6" 686, it will pleasant for all but the most recoil-sensitive.
 
.38 Special said:
The .38 Special "standard" load was a 158 LRN at 860 fps. This goes all the way back to 1899 and black powder. Factories today may well have settled on 750 fps as a mild load safe for even the worst of guns chambered for the cartridge . . .
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Those old 158 LRN loads were based on a 6" barrel. Current catalogs, with the lower speeds, use a 4" barrel.
 
fxvr5 said:
Those old 158 LRN loads were based on a 6" barrel.
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No sir, they weren't. I've studied the matter pretty thoroughly. From a 6" barrel the standard load was close to 950 fps.

<edit> Bearing in mind that SAAMI has made several changes to "standard" pressures in the cartridge over the years...
 
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.38 Special said:
No sir, they weren't. I've studied the matter pretty thoroughly. From a 6" barrel the standard load was close to 950 fps.

<edit> Bearing in mind that SAAMI has made several changes to "standard" pressures in the cartridge over the years...
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Do you have a resource (Manufacturer and year) with that information?

I have a 1954 Winchester Law enforcement catalog that lists the 38 Special 158 grains at 870 fps, 845 fps from a 6" barrel. It also lists 38 Special 150 grain bullets at 1100 fps from a 5" barrel, though I suspect these were for the 38/44 Heavy duty guns.

A 1936 Remington catalog list their 158s at 860 from a 6" barrel, and their 38/44 S&W special at 1125 fps from a 6" barrel.

A 1925 Western catalog lists their 158 lead at 825 fps from a 6" barrel.

I have a few other years of old catalogs if you can tell me which ones to look in. Thanks.
 
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