S&W 686 ammo question for target shooting.

[Darkincin]

Hi-

The other day I posted a topic for advice for a new range gun. I went with the S&W 686P, awesome gun... fits in my hands prefect. Little bit on the heavy side, but I think it's a good buy. My question now is what .38 ammo should I get for target shooting. At Wal Mart they had Winchester .38 spl, haven't read up on them yet, but it's all they have till my order from cheaperthandirt.com comes. Anyone have any experience with this ammo? The one thing I noticed is when I load the chambers is that the bullets do not sit prefectly into the chamber, they somewhat rattle and appear to be loose. Should I be concern about this?

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[wmhawth]

I've shot plenty of Winchester White Box for practice in my 38s and 357s including my 686+. Plenty good enough for use at the range and the price is right. As for the concern you have with rounds not fitting properly in the chambers, I've never experienced that and I doubt you have a problem. Congratulations on getting that 686. I hope you enjoy yours as much as I have mine.

[glockman10mm]

+1 on wmhawth's advice.

[jwarren]

Winchester .38spcl ammo is fine for your purpose.

As for the ammo rattle, that is characteristic of revolvers, when the round is fired the brass will expand to the dimension of the cylinder and there will be no rattle when you empty the cylinder.

You made a great choice in that revolver. It will endure itself to you by the way it shoots and years of great service that it will give.

[shockwave]

Ha ha ha. It isn't a question of what .38 spl ammo is best for target shooting. The question is where can you get the ammo.

Usually, WWB is your "go-to" option. Sometimes, if you're lucky, you'll find the Remington (which I like). When you find .38 spl, grab all you can. The 686 is way overbuilt, so get the +P HP when available and practice with it.

[ICTsnub]

My favorite 686 .38 load is the 148 gr HBWC. Recoil of a .22, cookie cutter holes in the target.

[LanceORYGUN]

If you want to step your target shooting up a notch, get Black Hills ammo's outstanding 148 gr Hollow Base Wadcutter load.




Just a couple of dollars more at Midway:

Black Hills Remanufactured Ammunition 38 Special 148 Grain Match Hollow Base Wadcutter Box of 50 - MidwayUSA

The US Army's famous Marksmanship Training unit uses Black Hills ammo for all of their rifle and pistol target shooting. Very accurate stuff.

.

[thedogfather]

Buying from the websites does provide you with a wider selection. When I buy locally, I can usually find MagTech in .357 magnum and Remington-UMC in .38 specials. Both are decent range ammo. The MagTech does seem to be a little bit "dirtier". I shot 100 MagTechs last weekend and had one squib in the lot.

[trev869]

I prefer the Remington UMC 130grain over the Winchester because it leaves my 686 much cleaner after a range trip. I have also never had a round not go bang with the UMC ammo. I usually find it at Walmart for 14.99 a box of 50 rounds.