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Ike666 · August 23, 2010, 07:50 PM

There seems to be some contradictory logic here.

The Salty Dog School seems to say "Any .38 Special load can be fired in a .357 b/c all .357 factory loads are hotter than any .38 Special loads."

The Book School seems to say "Yeah, but... not in a .357 K-frame, but okay in an L-frame, and never +P+ in any S&W frame ever, never."

I will confess, I have done all three in my 686. I actually prefer genuine .357 - the gun seems to as well.

I did just realize that I was carrying +P in my no-dash 442. I got THE BOOK from Amazon/UPS today and noted that the change from 442 to 442-1 involved beefing up the frame for the .357 version and specifically noted that +P should not be used in the no-dash 442. I've gone back to good ole Fed HS loads with no "Ps" associated.

I'm going to trust the litagaphobic guidance and shoot only .357 or .38 Spc +P in my revered 686.

I did also find out my 686 was part of a limited run of 2500 6-shots with a 3 inch barrel and fully shrouded ejector. THE BOOK is fascinating.

August 23, 2010, 07:50 PM	#11
Ike666 Senior Member Join Date: October 10, 2009 Location: SW VA Posts: 491	There seems to be some contradictory logic here. The Salty Dog School seems to say "Any .38 Special load can be fired in a .357 b/c all .357 factory loads are hotter than any .38 Special loads." The Book School seems to say "Yeah, but... not in a .357 K-frame, but okay in an L-frame, and never +P+ in any S&W frame ever, never." I will confess, I have done all three in my 686. I actually prefer genuine .357 - the gun seems to as well. I did just realize that I was carrying +P in my no-dash 442. I got THE BOOK from Amazon/UPS today and noted that the change from 442 to 442-1 involved beefing up the frame for the .357 version and specifically noted that +P should not be used in the no-dash 442. I've gone back to good ole Fed HS loads with no "Ps" associated. I'm going to trust the litagaphobic guidance and shoot only .357 or .38 Spc +P in my revered 686. I did also find out my 686 was part of a limited run of 2500 6-shots with a 3 inch barrel and fully shrouded ejector. THE BOOK is fascinating.