Who own a S&W 686? - Page 4

bamaranger · August 16, 2014, 12:02 AM

I "walked beside" (skeeter skelton phrase) a 4" 686 for about 5 years nearly every day. Prior that, we'd carried K frames. I could clearly feel that the 686 was noticeable heavier on a duty belt. In the literature, the 4" 686 was several ounces heavier than my 4" 629 N-frame Mountain Gun in .44.

Unless the aforementioned camp/hiking gun is gonna stay in the truck or hang on a limb, I'd want a K frame to hike with.. may be a M66 or M65. And, for me, a "camp gun" is something that gets shot a bit in camp, and for that, .38's do fine. The extra beef of the L frame, useful in taming the .357, would not always be needed.

I liked the 686 as a shooter. Shot my best qual scores, and when we went to 125/357 ammo, the big revolvers extra beef was appreciated. It was easier to shoot than a K with full house loads. But it was a pain to tote every day.

No "harden up" comments please.

caz223 · August 16, 2014, 01:19 AM

Stumbled onto a nice 686 no dash about y2kish. Old six shooter.
Came with a speed loader and a vintage figure 8 leather holster.
About $425 IIRC.
It looks bone stock, and shoots anything, but has the sweetest SA and pretty nice DA.
It's only a 2 1/2" snubby, but man is that gun accurate.
It outshoots any .357 I have, including a Dan Wesson 715, a vintage 586 with a 'click' sight, a 627 'model of 1989' six shooter all with 4, 5, and 6 inch barrels.
With the right ammo, it shoots 2" groups at 25 yards with no drama.
And no, I don't want to sell it.

damienph · August 16, 2014, 04:09 PM

My 4" 686 is one of the most accurate revolvers that I own.

As it used to look with factory Hogues

As it looks now with the Ahrends coco bolo targets

August 16, 2014, 12:02 AM	#76
bamaranger Senior Member Join Date: October 9, 2009 Location: North Alabama Posts: 8,300	heavy I "walked beside" (skeeter skelton phrase) a 4" 686 for about 5 years nearly every day. Prior that, we'd carried K frames. I could clearly feel that the 686 was noticeable heavier on a duty belt. In the literature, the 4" 686 was several ounces heavier than my 4" 629 N-frame Mountain Gun in .44. Unless the aforementioned camp/hiking gun is gonna stay in the truck or hang on a limb, I'd want a K frame to hike with.. may be a M66 or M65. And, for me, a "camp gun" is something that gets shot a bit in camp, and for that, .38's do fine. The extra beef of the L frame, useful in taming the .357, would not always be needed. I liked the 686 as a shooter. Shot my best qual scores, and when we went to 125/357 ammo, the big revolvers extra beef was appreciated. It was easier to shoot than a K with full house loads. But it was a pain to tote every day. No "harden up" comments please.

August 16, 2014, 01:19 AM	#77
caz223 Senior Member Join Date: May 15, 2002 Location: Michigan Posts: 1,429	Stumbled onto a nice 686 no dash about y2kish. Old six shooter. Came with a speed loader and a vintage figure 8 leather holster. About $425 IIRC. It looks bone stock, and shoots anything, but has the sweetest SA and pretty nice DA. It's only a 2 1/2" snubby, but man is that gun accurate. It outshoots any .357 I have, including a Dan Wesson 715, a vintage 586 with a 'click' sight, a 627 'model of 1989' six shooter all with 4, 5, and 6 inch barrels. With the right ammo, it shoots 2" groups at 25 yards with no drama. And no, I don't want to sell it. __________________ I'm not just a gun. I'm YOUR gun. (Hold me.)

August 16, 2014, 04:09 PM	#78
damienph Senior Member Join Date: September 6, 2011 Location: Kansas Posts: 319	My 4" 686 is one of the most accurate revolvers that I own. As it used to look with factory Hogues As it looks now with the Ahrends coco bolo targets