blackhawk vs 686

[plom]

I know it'as all a matter of taste, but here is my question, I have a 686 with a 6" barrel and a Blackhawk with a 4/8" barrel, they both are great revolvers, but wich one you recommand as hicking gun? thanks!

[DonR101395]

I know it'as all a matter of taste, but here is my question, I have a 686 with a 6" barrel and a Blackhawk with a 4/8" barrel, they both are great revolvers, but wich one you recommand as hicking gun? thanks!

I'll assume you meant hiking and not hick hunting My choice would be the Blackhawk just because it's lighter and more compact.

[BlkHawk73]

Whichever one you could shoot better/more accurate. I prefer SA's.

[plom]

oups! sorry for my bad english guys well, it would be for hiking, but there is lots of wild pigs where I live and quiet some wild dogs...
are they both as strong and reliable revolvers?

[629 shooter]

I have both too - actually two 357 Blackhawks ,4 5/8" convertable and 6 1/2" are both blued where my 686 is of course stainless. Where foul weather is a possibility, (if you get rained on) the 686 would be far more weather resistant. If your BH is stainless then they are equal in that regard.

As far as strength , the New Model 357 BH is built on the same frame as their 44 mag Super BH. The 357 BH has plenty of strength to spare!

The 686 will also handle a steady diet of 357s. I have had mine for 13 years and it has fired mostly magnums and shows no signs of getting loose.

Tough call , since I never carried either revolver.

[The Pilgrim]

oups! sorry for my bad english guys well, it would be for hiking, but there is lots of wild pigs where I live and quiet some wild dogs...
are they both as strong and reliable revolvers?


Hey! "English" is supposed to be capitalized. Sorry. Just picking on you because we English majors have to overcompensate for studying something so impractical.

That said, I have a 686 and it is my favorite handgun. Some people don't like the weight, but I like a little heft for keeping the recoil managable. I can shoot magnums all day long with that thing.

[fisherman66]

If I were you I'd determine my action type and then start eliminating choices. If you like SA there are several to choose from (same with DA). I prefer DA for protection. JMP

[DonR101395]

oups! sorry for my bad english guys well, it would be for hiking, but there is lots of wild pigs where I live and quiet some wild dogs...
are they both as strong and reliable revolvers?

No worries, just had to poke a little fun.
Seriously though either one would be a fine choice.

[buck460XVR]

blackhawk vs 686

............pretty mellow crowd in here today for the ol' Ruger vs. S&W debate. Must be early. I myself prefer Synthetic over Dino.

[joshua]

I was going to say that the blackhawk with a 4/8" barrel will be a lot lighter than the 686, but I was wondering if the front sight had to mounted to the frame? Not must velocity either... josh

[The Real Wyatt]

It was Josh who said:
"but I was wondering if the front sight had to mounted to the frame? Not must velocity either... "

Huh?

[azredhawk44]

4/8" = 1/2" inch.

I wish people would do their math properly and reduce fractions to the lowest common denominator...

If you're hiking and concerned for defense, I feel that a DA revolver is the best way to go. If you get jumped by something toothy and hairy, you need to be able to draw and make the weapon fire one-handed.

So, while I like the blackhawk platform and would love one myself one of these days, I gotta suggest you compare apples to apples and look at a 686 versus a GP100.

I'd also suggest that you shorten the barrel for defensive hiking use... look more at 3-4" barrels in DA revolvers, not 6". That's a lot of iron to draw when you need it quickly.

[joshua]

Oh! My heck! I need to figure out who moved the s and t and switched them around with the c and h? Should've been "much". Sorry for my broken keyboard. Aight?! josh

[whip1]

If it's for any type of defense, I'd go with the 686. SA is too slow if you need a follow up shot for an angry pig!

[roy reali]

Did some of you attend the same grammar school?

[CarbineCaleb]

Come on now, this is not a grammar forum, it's a firearms forum!

I agree with the folks above though that both would be good choices, so it's not a big difference. Two quality .357 revolvers of about the same size and weight.

In my opinion, the longer heavy barrel and double action of the Smith makes it a better choice for the fairly rapid defense shooting that may be required. The Ruger has more weight in the heavy frame. The Ruger will be a little easier to conceal with a 1-inch advantage in overall length - both good sized guns though.

Either one a good choice, but my bias would be to choose the Smith.

[rgoers]

I ran outside the other night to take care of a skunk that was tearing up my yard. It was midnight, and I had my pistol in one hand, and my spotlight in the other. Granted, a skunk is a pretty small target, and being midnight makes it even worse. I also had to deal with the "keep-your-distance" issue, so I didn't want to rush in too close. Anyway - I'm embarrassed to say it took me more than 11 shots to take care of him. (don't ask how many!) The next day; my neighbor asked me if I had been hunting moose, or if it really took me that many shots to get the skunk.

Having said all that...
For hiking; I'm not sure I'd want to limit myself to the few shots a revolver holds. That's just my opinion - for what it's worth.

[45reloader]

I would get the Ruger in with the 4 5/8 barrel.

You could go with in blue
45 colt/45 acp
357/9mm
44 mag

In stainless
45 colt
357 mag
44 mag

[44 AMP]

Between the Blackhawk and the 686, I would go with the Blackhawk. with the 4&5/8" barrel, it is a slightly more compact package than the 6" S&W. Other than that (assuming you can shoot both equally well) there is no particular advantage of one over the other.

A lot of folks will tell you that you need DA for defense. You don't. Single action revolvers have served well enough for defense against animals and humans for a long time.

Unless you are doing a police type thing, or going into combat, the slight edge in speed of fire from a DA revolver is of no concern. The DA has it all over the SA in speed of reload, but again, if you aren't going into combat, it doesn't matter.

You are talking about hiking, where there is a 99%+ chance the gun will not be needed at all. And even if it is, a well placed shot or two will be all that should be needed, and an SA can deliver that as well as anything you can shoot. If you are worried about 2 legged predators, the simple prescence of the gun is often enough to deter them without having to fire at all.

The most important thing is your personal preference. If you are better with the S&W (or just like it better) then carry it. If the reverse is true, also fine. Myself, I wouldn't want to pack more weight than I had to for what is intended to be an emergency tool.

[Tom2]

I would use the Smith for fast shooting, but if you are one of those guys that practices alot with the SA Ruger, you can shoot those pretty darn fast too. Those fast draw guys can draw and fire an SA rev. faster than you can think. But since I am not so fast I will go DA for now. And for muzzle velocity, you would think the longer barrel would give higher vel. in general, but if the long gun is a bit slow, and the shorter is fast, that can narrow the difference alot. Things like bore diameter, throat diameter, and barrel gap can make big differences in velocity from brand to brand, and can only be confirmed by testing with a chrono. For purposeful hunting versus defense, alot go with the Blackhawk. Beats a sharp stick.

[plom]

thanks for the input guys! I'll keep my 686 for home defense, and take my blackhawk for backpacking damn I like this forum

[joshua]

I have a similar quandary, I prefer a 320 to 340 grain hardcast over a stiff load of 296 in 44 magnum. I was thinking Redhawk with 4" bbl or Super Blackhawk 4 5/8" bbl. Since it is for self defense purposes when hiking against cougar, bear or 2 legged animal I'm thinking if they have stalked me good enough they will be very near if not on top of me already and I will only get two shots if not just one shot prior to getting in contact range. Single action I must thumb before firing vs double action I can just start pulling the trigger. No chance of reloads here so 6 rounds only then it's just an expensive hammer. just my 2 bits worth. josh

[plom]

thank you Josh, the thing is that I allready own the 686 and the blackhawk