686 accuracy

[Gunscribe]

I can shoot with much more accuracy on my S&W 686 (using .38 rounds) than with either my HKP30L or Beretta 92fs pistols. We're talking the difference between five-inch groups and 10-inch groups at 50 feet.

What is it, the weight, the trigger, the sights? It's just so much easier to shoot accurately.

[madcratebuilder]

It's a Smith, so....

It's just so much easier to shoot accurately.

[Pasta4Breffx]

are you shooting the 686 single or double action? Just curious.

[Gunscribe]

single. great break on the trigger. no creep at all.

[jad0110]

single. great break on the trigger. no creep at all.

Ahhh. Now, try it in DA. Give it time ... be patient. Eventually, you will shoot just as well (if not better) than you do in SA. And trust me, to be able to do that is very satisfying.

[P-990]

Ordinarily, I'd say it's because you're shooting SA compared to DA autos. But the 92FS can be shot in SA, and can't the H&K depending on the variant?

It's probably sights, balance and better trigger. Try shooting the 686 in DA, and practice until you're as good at 50-feet DA as you are SA. Very rewarding, and pretty useful too.

Actually, for the last month or so I've fired nothing but DA S&W revolvers when I go to the range. Today is the first day I've fired one of my 9mm semi's in a while. It felt like cheating, between the low-recoil of my Glock 26 and the short trigger!

[velocette]

The Smith 686 is a very good revolver. Mine is one of the most accurate handguns I own and I own some very accurate bullseye pistols.

Roger

[SwampYankee]

I shoot revolvers better than semi-auto's, no matter the caliber or barrel length, SA or DA. IMHO, I think most people do. And the 686 is a fantastic gun, mine is in 6" and it is so accurate, I don't shoot it much. Not much to improve upon!

Why do many (but not all) people shoot revolvers better? I think, and this is just my thought, because all you have to deal with is recoil. With a semiauto, you need to deal with recoil and the slide flying back at you. And the slide movement can be violent. I have noticed that the grip I use with a revolver and the way you hold it is very different from a semiauto. I'm OK with a .32 ACP, but I suck with a .40 S&W. I can hit the paper at 25 yards with my 96D or 8040 Cougar, but the holes are everywhere. I love revolvers so I don't practice the .40's much. If I did, I am sure I would get better. But for the 4 extra shots I get out of a .40, I'm not terribly interested.

[mnhntr]

I brought this up in another post and was bashed for it. There was a test done which showed most people with little or equal experience with both pistols and revolvers shot revolvers better. I could not find the magazine i read it in to back it up but i believe it 100% from reading the test and my experience with friends and relatives shooting.

[223 shooter]

single. great break on the trigger. no creep at all.

Yeah that definitely helps when shooting for precision. I shot a 4" 686 in a revolver bullseye league where you had to fire one handed and the Smith crisp trigger was greatly appreciated in these matches. I could shoot the Smith better one handed than I could a lot of service autos two handed.

The 686s I have owned were far and away more accurate than any service semi-autos I have owned. During accuracy tests my current 686 had no difficulty in sub 1 inch groups for 6 shots at 25 yards.

[SwampYankee]

The other thing to consider is that bolt action rifles are typically more accurate than semiautomatic rifles, with few exceptions. A revolver is the equivalent of a bolt action rifle, a semiauto is a semiauto is a semiauto.

My father has been an FFL for 40 years and spent a number of those years as cop. I won't say that every cop or every FFL knows much about guns (sadly) but he has spent A LOT of time shooting and cavorting with shooters. I asked him, "Are people more accurate with revolvers than semiautos". He agreed that in general, yes they are.

I'm not sure why anyone would bash you for that statement. Mine, yours and his experience tells us it is true.

[Gunscribe]

Thanks for all the responses.

So why aren't revolvers more popular in bullseye matches?

[tbtrout]

Revolvers are not cool anymore. If it is not plastic and found in a Crayola 64 color box, the younger shooters do not want them. And they need a rail for the Streamlight Assault Tactical Illumination Device.

Not that there is anything wrong with that, to each their own. I think revolvers are turning into an experienced shooters gun. Someone that has developed an appreciation for the simplicity in design and quality of craftmanship an older Smith or Colt has to offer. I know that is what happened to me.

[MrBorland]

So why aren't revolvers more popular in bullseye matches?

Because you'd be shooting it 1-handed in single action, and any accuracy advantages are more than offset by disadvantages inherent in having to manually cock the hammer with one hand (e.g. adjusting your grip between shots). Not as big a deal in slow fire, I suppose, but becomes an issue in timed and rapid fire.

I practice bullseye style shooting with my K-22 and K-38; and while I'd dip my toes into local bullseye competition with them, I'd expect to quickly spring for a semi-auto if I decided to get serious about it.

[martyj]

All though I dont own one I was so impressed by the 686 I bought my 460 xvr from s&W and is just as accuarate and has the same great trigger.
Hard to believe this is the same company that made the m&p, sigma trigger

[liviussteven]

just my 2 cents worth... the 686 is the best shooting revolver i've ever had.
i have the 686 p 6"

[Jart]

So why aren't revolvers more popular in bullseye matches?

For roughly the same reasons people don't generally run the 100 yard dash wearing mountaineering boots or climb El Capitan with running shoes: equipment is available that's been optimized to the task and those in the top of their field will typically avail themselves of it.

This is not to say that exceptions don't exist. Folks have successfully used revolvers in disciplines dominated by autoloaders and vice versa but this has always told us more about the shooter than the platform. There's no doubt some satisfaction to be had in beating the autoloaders on their home turf.

There are revolver-specific divisions offered as well as ICORE and I believe they pretty much own IHMSA. But, much as I like my K-22, an old High Standard Trophymatic pretty much puts it on the trailer.

However, it would appear you're about to embark on a voyage of discovery - as nearly everyone has noted, you're ready for double action, which is what you'll be using in most competitions. I'd bet a donut that early results would not inspire you to drop by a revolver forum extolling the superb accuracy of the platform, though I wish you a more gradual learning curve than I had (am having).

There's probably a dollup of irony in the observation that more than a few have been drawn to revolvers due to a superb single action only to be told early on that it constitutes training wheels to be discarded at the earliest possible moment.

In fact, in a defensive scenario, not only do they want the training wheels thrown into the lake, the old timers will suggest that the mounting brackets be flame cut and destroyed (i.e. rendered double action only).