S&W 686 4 in. Barrel Stopping Power

[ColtPythonElite]

Sorry, but this is ridiculous, Have you read the guy's question????....
I'll sign off tonight, it is not about what You like in grips, sorry but...rude

Actually, I did read his question and was trying to assure him that he made a good choice with his choice of barrel lengths in my first post and was trying to assure him that he was leaving very little on the table by choosing a 4" over a 6"...Then, someone else brought up grips and the OP said he liked wood, but wondered about comfort. At that point, I linked up some wood grips that are known for their comfort and control...I figured all of this was on topic with the OP and his 686....Some of us were just making conversation with the OP in celebration of his purchase. Thanks for the critique, though.

 

[Fishslayer]

And yes, for you eagle eyes, there is a flyer under the trigger on the 6" gun...LOL.

Gesundheit!

 

[ArchAngelCD]

I'm 100% sure the .357 Magnum round will have more "stopping power" than a .38 Special will. You made a good choice and of course you can always shoot .38 Special ammo if you wish in your M686. If you can control full power .357 Magnum ammo and hit your target there isn't much in North America that will continue to pose a threat when hit. The 4" M686 is one of my favorite revolvers.

 

[bdb benzino]

357shooter,
How is showing him wood grips that he said he liked rude??

And to answer your question about 9mm+p, the kind gentleman was just relating that 357 out of a snub is roughly the same as 9mm+p out of an semi auto, after the loss of FPS due to the shorter barrel. He also asked about that.
As far as I can see the only rude one is yourself.

To the OP, you made a great choice. I have the exact same revolver and love it. My father carried it for many years as a state policeman.

 

[Brian Williams]

What is the stopping power of a 4" barreled 357 revolver?
Any thing from nil to knock 'em dead. You can shoot Speer plastic bullets in plastic cases powered by a large pistol primer all the way up to 200 grain LWC that looks like a AAA battery.
It is not the gun that provides the stopping power, it is the load that is put in the gun. The gun effects how that load performs but not it's stopping power.

 

[L-Frame]

Maybe someone already posted this and I missed it but with .357 mag. I always feel it needs saying. I'm a huge S&W 686 fan (most .357 revolvers actually) but everyone always gets so enamored by getting the MOST stopping power you can get. And yes, within reason, the 125 gr. .357 is that round. But, you have to make sure that you can shoot that round and deal with the recoil and blast. Many cannot shoot it without flinching and will not shoot it enough to get competent with it.

Also, while I own numerous .357's, I used Buffalo Bore's 158 gr. SWCHP +P as a home defense load because I can't imagine touching off a Federal 125 .357 indoors (and God forbid a hallway) without ear protection. People say that under stress you may not even hear the report, but it's also very possible you'd never hear anything ever again after that.

If I know I'm going to be outdoors (camping, hiking, etc.) I'll carry it hot, but if not, I think 1100 fps+ with a 158 gr. soft lead bullet makes me feel in no way underpowered.

So, after all that, yes, you got as fine a man-stopper as you can buy. Now just make sure that you actually want to use it because there are many very solid alternatives out there if you realize that it is a little much for you.

 

[pefz]

Jake,

I have the 686+ 4 inch for home defense with the stock rubber Hogue grips. After much research, I decided to use .38 special +P for defensive loads (Remington Golden Sabers). I've shot about 1000+ rounds of both .38 and .357 loads through the gun, of various types. While the .357 definitely has more punch from the 4 inch barrel, I'm more than confident the .38's will do the job if ever needed. I also have the .38 load for recoil management in case my wife needs to use the gun.

When you get the gun, go to a range and try various loads in both .357 and .38, and shoot what you feel you can shoot best with.

As for the stopping power debate, just asking the question is enough to start a thread that eventually devolves into secular warfare. Pick a load that you are comfortable, practice both point shooting and target shooting, and don't look back.

You'll enjoy that gun, by the way.

 

[Jake Benson]

I appreciate everyone's comments, and no one has offended me in any way. I did like the wood grips that were shown, and while it went a little astray from the original topic, I still found it of value.