S&W 686 SSR

Vermilion wrote:Thinking about trying to find Model 610 now just to have in case I ever want to shoot major lol.

610's are great guns and I am not trying to talk you out of it, but if you are talking about USPSA you can make major with your 686 as there is no minimum bullet caliber to make major in Revolver Division, unlike some other divisions.
See appendix D6, page 84 here: http://www.uspsa.org/rules/2010HandgunRulesProof3web.pdf

Major PF is at the upper end or just outside of most .38 +P loads, but I believe it is doable. It is easily reachable in .357.

Beladran wrote:I got a 180 gr bullet mold that I bet I could make major with

Yeah, you'll just have to pick your powder carefully. Most powders max out with 180's in the upper 800 fps range or lower, and you would need 917 fps minimum (assuming bullet is exactly 180.0), and that is leaving no room for chrono variance, weather changes, etc. 950 fps would be a good range to shoot for with a 180.

Vihtavuori lists three 160 grain cast lrn loads that appear to make major fairly easily. See http://www.lapua.com/en/products/reloading/vihtavuori-reloading-data/relodata/6/28. All max out at 170 PF+, but they were recorded using a 6.5" barrel. The fastest (N340) is 177 PF+, so it would likely still be fine in a slightly shorter barrel.