S&W 686 Plus...Experience & Opinions

[dverna]

Looking at getting a pair of these with 4” barrels....His And Hers for myself and fiancé.

Mostly for plinking with .38’s and to compliment the lever action rifles we play with. Would double as house guns with .357 loads

We shoot a lot of 9mm but are tired of picking up brass.

Any other options we should look at?

[jeepyj]

Absolutely a great revolver especially in that barrel length. I had one and traded it straight up for a 686 no plus because all my other revolvers are 6 shot and couldn't quite get used to that extra shot. But its a great revolver. Good luck

[tazman]

I purchased one a few months ago. 7 shot cylinder with the lawyer hole.
Mine is 6 inch. It balances well for me but then I am used to 6 inch barrels. The action was smoother than I expected from a new revolver.
I didn't like the grips and changed them out for a set of Pachmayr presentation grips. That is the extent of my customization.
Mine shoots nearly as well as my model 14 target masterpiece with every 38 special load I have run through it. With some loads it shoots better.
For your usage, they are an excellent choice.

[Reddirt62]

Sold my 686 no dash a few years back, she was peach!!

Edit: sorry misread the post, tired...

[dverna]

Tazman, your post was hurtful. LOL

About 10 years ago I sold my M14 and regret it. I also like the 6” barrel on revolvers but it is a bit too much for the fiancé.

[tazman]

Then you might like my other 686. It is a 686-3 with an 8 3/8" barrel. If you can hold the sights on something, you can hit it. This one hasn't been shot much and is a superbly accurate revolver. It would make a really great hunting gun.

[engineer401]

I have a 586 with a 4-inch barrel. I put Ahrend’s retro combat grips on it. It has great balance and the most comfortable grips I’ve ever owned.

[dverna]

Then you might like my other 686. It is a 686-3 with an 8 3/8" barrel. If you can hold the sights on something, you can hit it. This one hasn't been shot much and is a superbly accurate revolver. It would make a really great hunting gun.

Hey, I am an old man. Could not hold something with that long a barrel steady. My perfect guns are a pair of tuned Colt SSA’s in .357 with 5 1/2” barrels. The fiancé does not enjoy emptying them thus the desire for a DA revolver with tilt out cylinder.

No desire to hunt with a revolver so that is not a criteria.

[tazman]

Ideally, you would get a pair of S&W model 66 revolvers but those are very hard to find these days. I tried for 5 months to find one before I bought the 686. Never have seen one in over 2 years now.
I found a model 19, but it was way too high priced. I will not pay more for a 19 that what I can get a new 686 for.
The 686 revolvers are great compromise.

[Idaho45guy]

My first carry gun was the 686 6-shot in the 90's. Great pistols! My brother carries the 686 7-shot as his hunting sidearm and loves it as well.

May also want to check out the new Ruger GP100 7-shot. It is supposedly also very nice...

https://blog.k-var.com/reviews/pistols/ruger-gp100/

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[sw282]

dverna-You might want to look at a S&W 986. Chambered in 9mm, lts the best of both worlds. Cheap 9MM ammo without the headache of policing up that pesky brass... lts also a 7 shooter and comes fro the Performance Center. 986 is quite a bit lighter than a 686Plus because of its titanium cylinder.

[dverna]

dverna-You might want to look at a S&W 986. Chambered in 9mm, lts the best of both worlds. Cheap 9MM ammo without the headache of policing up that pesky brass... lts also a 7 shooter and comes fro the Performance Center. 986 is quite a bit lighter than a 686Plus because of its titanium cylinder.

That was at the top of my list for a while. I moved away from it due to the need for moon clips, 9mm can be more challenging to load with cast bullets, and for home defense the .357 offers a bit more performance. Then there is the cost difference.

[tazman]

That was at the top of my list for a while. I moved away from it due to the need for moon clips, 9mm can be more challenging to load with cast bullets, and for home defense the .357 offers a bit more performance. Then there is the cost difference.

I have the 929 which is the N frame in 9mm 8 shot titanium cylinder. Yes the moon clip can be a pain but there is no problem loading for it with the 9mm. The cartridges do not headspace on the mouth. They headspace from the moon clips. The cylinder is tapered from the chamber all the way to the forcing cone. There is no rifling or chamber ledge to run into with a cast boolit. You can seat them as long as you wish.
You can even load very light loads in it since you don't need to function a slide.
Mine shoots really well, so I expect the smaller framed revolvers would also.
The cost of the revolver can be a big issue. Nearly the same price as two of the 686 plus.

[Gus Youmans]

dverna,

Like Tazman, I have a 686 Plus with a six inch barrel. I put lighter springs in it and mounted a Vortex red dot sight for hunting deer. I also have a heavily used 686 no dash with a four inch barrel that recently came back from the factory with a new cylinder and trigger job. Other than the MIM parts and the safety, there is no difference in the quality and accuracy of the two guns. I have one of the new four inch Model 66s with the safety and the separate barrel and barrel shroud. If I were getting a new four inch Smith & Wesson revolver for practice and occasional .357 use I would opt for the Model 66 over the 686s but that is just personal preference. Either one will give you good service.

The only thing I do not like about the new Smith & Wesson revolvers is the grips and they get replaced immediately.

Gus Youmans

[MostlyLeverGuns]

I have an older no dash 686. I am not a big fan of the 357, but I keep this one because I shoot it better than any other handgun I own. It is a 6" and sometimes I wish it were a shorter. Long ago I smoothed the rebound slide and changed the rebound spring. I do not care for reduced power mainsprings. I don't believe any other 357 handgun made today will be as smooth and accurate out of the box. Lots of single and double action dry firing will also smooth the action and improve skill level.

[Dieselhorses]

I have a 686-6. Upon tightening strain screw (previous owner tried to lighten trigger pull hence ftf's) I noticed an "L" underneath the grips on frame. I thought this revolver was a "K" frame?

[tazman]

I have a 686-6. Upon tightening strain screw (previous owner tried to lighten trigger pull hence ftf's) I noticed an "L" underneath the grips on frame. I thought this revolver was a "K" frame?

Easy enough mistake to make. The grips interchange between K and L frames.

[dverna]

Today we visited the LGS and looked at the 686 in the 3-5-7 series. The 5” barrel seems about perfect. We handled the Ruger GP100 but it looks and feels clunky.

Thanks to all for your advice but special thanks to Tazman. I think we have settled on the 686 3-5-7 with 5” barrel. Will wait a few days to be sure before ordering them.

[tazman]

That is a great choice among a lot of good options. I think you will be pleased with them.
The 5" barrel is often the best of all lengths for general use. Short enough to handle and balance well as well as carry. Long enough for that little bit extra sight radius and power.

[dg31872]

The first handgun I bought was a 686+ in six inch.
It got me hooked on handguns because it was accurate and just fun to shoot with medium loads.
My wife tried it and found it muzzle heavy for her hands.
So I got a SP101 in four inch with 38 Spl wadcutter loads and now we each have handguns to go shooting together.