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Love the Smith and Wesson 686

16K views 170 replies 74 participants last post by  bac1023 
#1 ·
I always wanted one growing up. I remember the older guy with old school corvette down the street showing his off with the pachmyer grips. I now have one in 4inch and 6 inch, and am working on another 4 inch. I like them, however, they are all not for me. I am sharing among the family. Eventually, I hope to find a fourth and get a complete heirloom set for everyone. So, for those of you that share my love of the wheel gun, I thought I would share a slice of happiness.
 
#3 · (Edited)
I've posted this story before - but it's a good one for this thread.

I have a nephew who was a city cop - in a Big 10 college town. He had a SW 686 that he carried until his department issued Glock 40's - 23s I think. Anyway, he used to come visit for a week of fishing each summer.

He brought that 686 one year and gave it to me. I never even shot it. The next year, when he visited, I told him I wanted him to have it back - he could sell it an use the money.

He took it home and sold it for $200. Lord, I would have given him more than that just to keep it in a drawer! What a beautiful revolver. We shot it once, after I returned it to him, and it was the smoothest shooting ever. I thought it would kick, but the weight just settled it down.

I really regret the whole thing. The guy is a great cop - got one of the top America's Most Wanted. He just isn't a 'gun guy'.

I don't know my .40 Glocks. He had a medium size for carry and an ankle weapon - probably a 23 and a 22?
 
#7 ·
I've posted this story before - but it's a good one for this thread.

I have a nephew who was a city cop - in a Big 10 college town. He had a SW 686 that he carried until his department issued Glock 40's - 23s I think. Anyway, he used to come visit for a week of fishing each summer.

He brought that 686 one year and gave it to me. I never even shot it. The next year, when he visited, I told him I wanted him to have it back - he could sell it an use the money.

He took it home and sold it for $200. Lord, I would have given him more than that just to keep it in a drawer! What a beautiful revolver. We shot it once, after I returned it to him, and it was the smoothest shooting ever. I thought it would kick, but the weight just settled it down.

I really regret the whole thing. The guy is a great cop - got one of the top America's Most Wanted. He just isn't a 'gun guy'.
I loved the story until he sold it for 200.00 then it made me sad.
 
#12 ·
My 586 (no dash) is not your typical blue... in fact it looks matte black.

Picked it up a few weeks ago at a show for about $550. Ran it last week in USPSA and it was accurate and smooth.

I've got a few 686+ and they are all great.
 
#8 ·
You probably have more than the rest of us have thought about. The 2 inch I always thought was neat, but you can barely touch a decent one for less than a 1k these days.
 
#11 ·
I carried a couple of them (4") as issued weapons when they were brand new. The first one ended up being turned back in to await its turn for the firing pin/bushing replacement (to reduce possibility of primer flow). I think it only saw a thousand +P's (issued qual/training loads) and several hundred Magnum loads.

The replacement 686 I was given saw what I vaguely remember being approx 3500+ assorted Magnum loads (at my expense), and it was a decent revolver. I toyed with the idea of buying it when we transitioned to aluminum 9's, but was too busy spending money on other things to bother myself with buying it ($235?), which I later regretted, of course.

Maybe if I'd not owned a number of Ruger Security, Service & Speed-Six .357's I'd have picked it up to put away in the safe. I liked Ruger's medium-framed Magnum wheelies back then. The L-frame wheelguns were pretty good working guns, though, especially for folks who enjoyed frequently shooting Magnum loads.
 
#40 ·
I carried a couple of them (4") as issued weapons when they were brand new. The first one ended up being turned back in to await its turn for the firing pin/bushing replacement (to reduce possibility of primer flow). I think it only saw a thousand +P's (issued qual/training loads) and several hundred Magnum loads.

The replacement 686 I was given saw what I vaguely remember being approx 3500+ assorted Magnum loads (at my expense), and it was a decent revolver. I toyed with the idea of buying it when we transitioned to aluminum 9's, but was too busy spending money on other things to bother myself with buying it ($235?), which I later regretted, of course.

Maybe if I'd not owned a number of Ruger Security, Service & Speed-Six .357's I'd have picked it up to put away in the safe. I liked Ruger's medium-framed Magnum wheelies back then. The L-frame wheelguns were pretty good working guns, though, especially for folks who enjoyed frequently shooting Magnum loads.
''The first one ended up being turned back in to await its turn for the firing pin/bushing replacement (to reduce possibility of primer flow).''

I have done that up date on the S&W revolvers, worked at a
warranty repair station out of gunsmith school.

It helped me to be more of a Ruger man. When re crimping
the bushing sometimes some of the metal would fatigue and
break off around the bushing.

Ruger has a much better system for that.
 
#13 ·
My 686P 4 inch is my favorite revolver to shoot! It's also my revolver of choice when I'm hiking trails in Missouri or South Texas.
 
#35 ·
As the expression goes a Colt is a Colt. Those are hard to come by for love or money.
 
#16 ·
I forgot that I have a friend who bulged the barrel on a 686 6" many years ago. (How he learned not to shoot reloads made by someone else.)

He had it rebarreled and ported by MagNaPort (2 1/2", because they didn't have any 3" tubes at that time), and then I asked the former S&W revolver armorer to go through it and clean it up (putting it closer to being a '10' in the overall fit & quality, than the usual '3-5' or the average 80's S&W revolvers came out of the box in). He's since fired more than 20K rounds of mixed .38 (standard , +P & +P+) and a lot of Magnum, and aside from having to replace the melted red front ramp insert, the converted Magnum snub has done well for him.

Well, we did have to have it inspected & serviced for yoke alignment after he dropped it while clambering over some rocks along his side of the river, and it bounced off some large boulders while tumbling down slope (also gouging and slightly bending the top edge of the front ramp, but it's still serviceable - just "unsightly" :) ).

The guy is rough on his guns, and I'm often inspecting, servicing and making minor repairs. I've asked him to try taking it easy on the abuse, especially since I had to become the revolver armorer several years ago. ;)
 
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#21 ·
I've said for 15 years the 686 in 4" is the best all around handgun anyone could own. With 148 HBWCs I shoot mine almost as well as my $2800 Sig. You can shoot loads for squirrels yet you can shoot loads for smaller deer. It will be a sad day when mine finally needs some rebuild work. If I had to guess I'm between 25-30K rounds through it.
 
#25 ·
My 686 was my first handgun purchase after getting out of the military way back when. It's still one of my favorites to take to the range. My ten year old has already laid claim to it for after I pass on to the other side.
Smart kid.
 
#46 ·
I had one that was just a mess in regards to the bluing. Otherwise flawless with a great trigger. Never knew they made a S+W 681. Think I paid slightly less than $300. Another gun I stupidly sold.
 
#33 ·
I've got a 686 like JohnnyJ' describes. Single action or double, I can hit stuff with this gun at least as good as any other revolver I own. Mine's been pretty much a range gun. When shooting .38 reloads it's a perfect intro for a new shooter to centerfire handgun. Low recoil, long high viz sight pic, no magazines or flying brass to freak out someone moving from a .22. My dad had a Colt Trooper Mk III which I liked, but I just fell for the stainless, smoother 686.
 
#34 ·
Twice a year I pull a shift as duty range officer at my gun club. When there are no shooters to supervise, I pass the time shooting, but have to drop what I'm doing and return to duty when shooters show up. On those days I bring my 4" 686 and a few boxes of 148 WC loads. I shoot when I can, am able to stop on a dime, and enjoy the entire shift. A fine revolver like a 686 is a perfect tool for times like these.
 
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#38 ·
I've had the K frame model 66 with a 2 1/2 inch barrel and I have the model 28 N-frame with a 6 inch barrel and my brother has the L-frame 586 which is the same gun only blued, as a 686, and a friend of mine has the 4 inch model 66 K frame and I've shot all of these guns a lot but by far, the most accurate is my brother's six inch 586.

I also like the Seven shot 686's but not the ones with the bogus safety locks and without the firing pins on the hammer.
 
#42 ·
I made arrangements to take someone to something fun. They are medically disabled from PTSD.
 
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