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...[emoji39]

[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/

230938

[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.

[bluelund79]

I have a 686-6 plus with the 3” barrel. It gets concealed carried a lot. Shoots very well, especially after I got rid of the Goodyear grips and went with magna grips and Tyler t combo. From full house 357 to 38 wadcutter loads, it digests them all. I did have to fire about 100 rounds of 357mag jacketed rounds before leading was eliminated from commercial cast bullets.

[sw282]

l have a 686 Competitor... Quite a shooter too... 6 shot only tho...

[Dieselhorses]

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.

Tazman-mine measures 5 1/8" to frame and 5 7/8" to forcing cone, I expect this to be a 5" barrel?

[tazman]

Tazman-mine measures 5 1/8" to frame and 5 7/8" to forcing cone, I expect this to be a 5" barrel?

They measure from the front of the cylinder to the muzzle. Yours is probably a 6".

[dverna]

Stopped at the LGS and ordered the two 686 3-5-7’s with 5” barrels. The were kind enough to order two new guns from the distributor and give me a bit of a discount as well. Again, thanks for the advice you all shared.

It has been over a decade since I shot a DA revolver (K38) so I am looking forward to renewing my relationship with the platform.

I am blessed to have found a woman who would rather have a new revolver than a necklace.

[Petrol & Powder]

I don't have experience with the 686 Plus but I do have experience with the 6 shot L-frames.
One of the most accurate .357 mag revolvers I ever owned was a 681. That thing was a tack driver.

I've always considered the L-frames to essentially be K-frames on steroids. I think the platform is capable of outstanding accuracy and over all, it is a well proven design.

The age old GP-100 vs. L-frame debate has been around since those two models have been around. They are both excellent guns!

Don, I think you're going enjoy that pair of wheel guns.

[bmortell]

I had 2 686's one was used but a fairly new model, had problem with the mainspring being to light and had to put an empty primer cup on the strain screw. then I noticed a machining error in the groves of the barrel that were raised so I returned it. now I have a new 686+ 4in, quality and mechanical feel of it is great, but still had a mainspring issue. this time the problem was the factory grip has a plastic portion that encloses the grip screw, and this piece of plastic pushes on the mainspring when assembled in the direction that makes the trigger pull harder. so when I figured it out I shaved down that piece of plastic so it don't interfere anymore but then I started to get light strikes on cci primers. so again I had to put an empty primer cup on the strain screw to make it run 100%. not sure if its just coincidence that im always having this problem but atleast its something that's fixable but otherwise it seems like a great gun. just carefully inspect it first

[tazman]

I had 2 686's one was used but a fairly new model, had problem with the mainspring being to light and had to put an empty primer cup on the strain screw. then I noticed a machining error in the groves of the barrel that were raised so I returned it. now I have a new 686+ 4in, quality and mechanical feel of it is great, but still had a mainspring issue. this time the problem was the factory grip has a plastic portion that encloses the grip screw, and this piece of plastic pushes on the mainspring when assembled in the direction that makes the trigger pull harder. so when I figured it out I shaved down that piece of plastic so it don't interfere anymore but then I started to get light strikes on cci primers. so again I had to put an empty primer cup on the strain screw to make it run 100%. not sure if its just coincidence that im always having this problem but atleast its something that's fixable but otherwise it seems like a great gun. just carefully inspect it first

I had some light strikes with my new one at first. I changed the grips and the problem went away so I may have had an issue with the grips as well but can't say for sure. I didn't look into it that closely.
I haven't had a light strike now for some time.

deverna--- We need pictures when your new revolvers arrive as well as a range report.

[Tatume]

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.

My LGS called to tell me they just took in an "almost like new" 4" Model 66 in trade, and offered it to me for $550. I don't have the cash. If anybody wants his phone number, PM me.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

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.

My friend has a old (no lock) minty 586 (4") in polished Nickel with original palm filling Target grips. Every year about this time, he needs to borrow some money for the Holidays, he usually lets me hold that 586 as collateral. Long story short, I brought it out to the range last week, it was a cold day (20ºF and windy), so I didn't shoot the 2 boxes of ammo that I brought along and had hoped to shoot it all up, but I did get a couple cylinders full of boolits sent down range before I lost the feeling in my fingers. I brought the gun home and cleaned it...It's probably the only time it got cleaned this year :-P

[Idaho45guy]

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.

Sweet! Can't go wrong with a 686!

[dverna]

Got a call late yesterday. The revolvers are in. Asked me if I would be down within 10 days to pick them up....going in today after I get some chores done. 50 mile round trip.

One of the moderators sent me a link to a thread that gives me concern. One of our members had a disaster with a new revolver he got from S&W. Very poorly made and pathetic customer service. He returned it a couple of times, had it replaced twice, and sold the third gun before even shooting it.

This is the most expensive gun purchase I have made in years and being retired does not give me a lot of extra cash. Hoping for a better outcome than the experience of the poor guy above.

[tazman]

I purchased mine just a few months ago and it has been fine. Don't read too much into that report until you actually have the guns in hand.

[Loudenboomer]

I've shot many deer with a 4" 686 at bow hunting ranges. For an all round hand gun a 4"-6" 686 is about as good as it gets.

[2shot]

There was a recent thread about a S&W that said it was junk. If you look at the pictures posted and then read the caption under the picture it states that the gun shot a 2 inch group MAYBE a little bigger. The target was shot at S&W and this target was sent back with the gun. Maybe I'm crazy but according to what I see it's a little over a 1 inch group (probably more like 1.25") IF YOU MEASURE CENTER TO CENTER which is the right way to measure groups, not far edge to far edge. Doesn't say how far the target was shot at but probably 25 yards like most manufacturers use and I would find this acceptable for shooting random ammunition. It's definitely NOT a 2 inch or bigger group.
Every manufacturer has it's critics and also has things slip by, every one, no exceptions. Sometimes we have to take what we read with a grain of salt. I'm sure your S&W's will be fine.

2shot

[Gus Youmans]

Don,

I buy a new Smith & Wesson about every 18 months and have never gotten one that needed to be returned to the factory because it was defective. I have sent several back for optional custom shop work and returned two, early models 586 and 686, to the factory for fair wear and tear issues related to heavy use of magnum ammo and the repair was done correctly and at a fair price. The repair shop is always slow but they give you an estimate of when the work will be complete and, with one exception, completed the work before the promised date.

I would not worry about the accuracy of the new 686s because both of mine will shoot into just over an inch at 25 yards (average of five, five shot groups) from a Ransom Rest with a commercial 125 grain hard cast bullet and 4.3 grains of Red Dot in a .357 case or 4.0 grains in a .38 Special case. The velocity extreme spread of those loads is awful but the accuracy is all that really counts for short range practice ammo. I believe similar results with full power ammo are achievable in the new guns because my old (pre-lawyer lock) 586s and 686s shoot small groups with max loads of 2400 behind the Lyman 358429 and 358156 and the Hornady 158 XTP ahead of a max charge of H110/296.

The new 686s are solid guns that should give you and your wife many years of solid service.

Gus Youmans

[9.3X62AL]

The S&W 586/686 series 357 Magnum revolvers have been winners since Day 1. There has been at least one L-frame 357 at my house since 1981.

[dverna]

I picked up the guns yesterday. One has 4 3/4 lb trigger and the other 5 3/4 lb. A bit more than the K38 I foolishly sold a few years back. But no creep. Very useable out of the box IMHO especially if shooting more than just targets. I prefer my hunting rifles to have 4-5 lb pulls. Will shoot them as they are for now and decide if a bit of tuning is desired down the road.

My fiancé is not willing to wait until Christmas so we hope to get some rounds downrange this weekend at an indoor range. It will be in the 20’s this week so outdoor shooting is not going to happen.

Again, thanks for all the feedback and advice.

[rfd]

congrats on yer brace of S&W revolvers! i love my li'l model 60.

[tazman]

Please give us a range report.

[sw282]

dverna, l have been shooting, buying Smith&Wesson revolvers for almost 50 years.. Of the two New ones l've gotten in the past 5 years l have had ZERO problems. My 686 Competitor has almost 2000 rds thru it. My 629 Magnum Hunter has almost FIFTEEN THOUSAND rds under its belt.. 95% cast boolits thru both. l don't hotrod my guns...
As for S&W customer service, l have had some contact with them over the past few years. lts all been POSITIVE. My most recent encounter was with a TC Contender frame l got used from a fellow IHMSA shooter... l couldn't get a new 41mag barrel to fit properly. l called S&W CS. They sent a FEDEX guy to my house to pick the gun up. Came back the same way... Repair and shipping, all FREE.. Almost unbelievable because S&W didn't even make the Contender. They serviced it anyway because they bought TC a few years back.

0ne habit l have picked up in recent years when buying a NEW Smith is keeping a shot/load log.. Quite informative and revealing l might add. Enjoy your new 686 Smiths with confidence. Made by American Company doing the same thing continuously for 166 years

[Idaho45guy]

dverna, l have been shooting, buying Smith&Wesson revolvers for almost 50 years.. Of the two New ones l've gotten in the past 5 years l have had ZERO problems. My 686 Competitor has almost 2000 rds thru it. My 629 Magnum Hunter has almost FIFTEEN THOUSAND rds under its belt.. 95% cast boolits thru both. l don't hotrod my guns...
As for S&W customer service, l have had some contact with them over the past few years. lts all been POSITIVE. My most recent encounter was with a TC Contender frame l got used from a fellow IHMSA shooter... l couldn't get a new 41mag barrel to fit properly. l called S&W CS. They sent a FEDEX guy to my house to pick the gun up. Came back the same way... Repair and shipping, all FREE.. Almost unbelievable because S&W didn't even make the Contender. They serviced it anyway because they bought TC a few years back.

0ne habit l have picked up in recent years when buying a NEW Smith is keeping a shot/load log.. Quite informative and revealing l might add. Enjoy your new 686 Smiths with confidence. Made by American Company doing the same thing continuously for 166 years

You're lucky. Plenty of folks have gotten bad guns and crappy customer service.

I've bought two new S&W pistols in the past five years as well. Both had issues. Does that mean all S&W pistols are bad? No. The same way that just because both of yours were fine doesn't mean that all new S&W pistols are good.

[2shot]

More often that not it's the Indian and not the arrow. Over 40 years I have always gotten superb service and good products from S&W.

[dverna]

We are planning to shoot the pistols this weekend at an indoor range. My fiancé does not want to wait for Christmas....LOL

I found 150 rounds and loaded up another 300 .38 Spl. Reloading was interesting. I did not want to do a change over on the 1050, so I decided to use the old 550. I have only used it twice in the last 6 years and had a few issues to sort out. Darn thing would not feed primers, and of course I could not find the manual...but got it sorted out. It took about 30 minutes to set up the dies/measure, and just over an hour to load up 300. I got a bit better once the muscle memory kicked in. Most of the brass was old C-I-L Dominion cases from when I started shooting Bullseye over 45 years ago. I lived in Canada at the time and got 2000 of them, which was all I could afford as a college kid. I had one split neck out the batch I used today. Cannot imagine how many times those cases have been loaded! Brought back some good memories seeing those headstamps.

BTW, used 3.2 gr of Clays, Magma 130 gr RNFP bullets, and Tula primers I got for $16/1000 years ago. It is a light recoiling round to get the fiancé started with. Will work up in steps as she gets comfortable with the gun, but I expect most of our fun shooting will be done with lighter loads.

[Jtarm]

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.

You mean you can’t find a Model 66 locally?

There’s plenty in circulation and new ones leaving the mothership.

[Ia.redneck]

dverna, I bought a 5" 686 7 shot when the 3-5-7 series first came out. Its a wonderful revolver. I wish I was tech savvy enough to post pictures. I have a pic of a 10 shot group at 24yds on a 2" orange paster that has plenty of orange showing around that one ragged hole! It took some load development, and a scope,but it's EXTREMELY accurate. It's actually a hair more accurate than my model 52. :) Feel free to PM me for the load if you're interested. You are gonna love those revolvers. NONE of my 9mm's even come close.

[tazman]

You mean you can’t find a Model 66 locally?

There’s plenty in circulation and new ones leaving the mothership.

Correct. I like to put my hands on a gun I want to buy. I hate ordering online for firearms.
I spent about 5 months going to gun shops within 100 miles of where I live and all the local gun shows. Nothing.
I wanted one with a 6 inch barrel. The only thing that came up was a 4 inch and only one of those.
In the end, I bought a 686 and I am happy with it once I changed the grips.

[Jtarm]

Correct. I like to put my hands on a gun I want to buy. I hate ordering online for firearms.
I spent about 5 months going to gun shops within 100 miles of where I live and all the local gun shows. Nothing.
I wanted one with a 6 inch barrel. The only thing that came up was a 4 inch and only one of those.
In the end, I bought a 686 and I am happy with it once I changed the grips.

Yeah, no new 6” being made & I don’t remember the last time I saw one in an LGS.

I prefer K-frames.

[Idaho45guy]

More often that not it's the Indian and not the arrow. Over 40 years I have always gotten superb service and good products from S&W.

Yeah sure...

It was my fault that a 9mm Shield came with a bulge in the barrel...

Some people are ridiculous.

[2shot]

"Some people are ridiculous." Aint that the truth
Haters going to hate.

[Rodfac]

l have been shooting, buying Smith&Wesson revolvers for almost 50 years.. Of the two New ones l've gotten in the past 5 years l have had ZERO problems. My 686 Competitor has almost 2000 rds thru it. My 629 Magnum Hunter has almost FIFTEEN THOUSAND rds under its belt.. 95% cast boolits thru both. l don't hotrod my guns...
As for S&W customer service, l have had some contact with them over the past few years. lts all been POSITIVE. My most recent encounter was with a TC Contender frame l got used from a fellow IHMSA shooter... l couldn't get a new 41mag barrel to fit properly. l called S&W CS. They sent a FEDEX guy to my house to pick the gun up. Came back the same way... Repair and shipping, all FREE.. Almost unbelievable because S&W didn't even make the Contender. They serviced it anyway because they bought TC a few years back.

0ne habit l have picked up in recent years when buying a NEW Smith is keeping a shot/load log.. Quite informative and revealing l might add. Enjoy your new 686 Smiths with confidence. Made by American Company doing the same thing continuously for 166 years My experience as well. I've owned S&W's for over 50 years now, and have NEVER paid for a repair. Here's the list...some of it from back when we wrote on "Big Chief" notebooks with a #2 pencil that was 3/8" in dia., when correspondence was necessary!!

1977 - M57, new, but with a small ding in the crown but shot 1-1/4" gps on demand...S&W changed the bbl., tuned the trigger in DA and SA mode and replaced the bbl. with a shorter 6" one that I liked better...No Charge

1978 - M25-2? in .45 Colt - oversized throats (0.458" with a 0.452" groove, remember this for those of you looking for an early pinned and recessed .45 Colt)...S&W said the cylinder was factory spec., then offered to exchange the gun for any model currently in production. I chose a 6" M29, and was happy ever more.

1992 - By 2015, on my wife's M36, we'd worn out the cylinder stop thing (that nubbin at the lower left hand edge of the frame)...S&W replaced the part at their expense and shipping and on a 23 yr old gun too.

2015 - A new M637 that would not fire after 4 rounds were expended...the 5th tied up the gun....a call brought a FEDEX label and Smith replaced the hand, hammer, cylinder, did a trigger job and returned it in less than a week and a half...on their dime too.

In the last 5 years, I've bought a 5" M629 that sports a Hillary Hole, but quickly found that it had superb accuracy...1-1/2" gps on demand with any 429421 look alike. Trigger gtg out of the box. Not as good as 30 years ago, but still good.

Also bought a two-piece bbl. - ball/yoke lockup - Hillary Holed M69...found it as accurate as any of my older Smiths, and a hellofa lot lighter...great packing gun for farm chores. No issues to date, and a very useful gun.

All said, I've had polite, helpful service from S&W's CS people, whether on the phone or in person over the years. Wish they'd not installed the HH lock, but in truth, I don't even notice it anymore, and the two-piece bbl. that the M69 sports, is visible only if you're looking in the wrong end of the piece! There are 15 Smiths in the safe at this moment, dating from the late '20's to current production, and I've sold or given away at least a half dozen others over the years, but aside from that M25-2 in .45 Colt, all have been keepers.

YMMV, but mine's been great over the years. Rod

[2shot]

Rod. Your experiences with S&W mirror mine for the last 40 years. Nothing but great service from S&W. Even on firearms that they no longer have parts for or service because of lack of parts they have been kind enough to let me know where I can purchase parts from private companies. S&W even directed me to where I could purchase center pins for older "K" frames. S&W no longer carried these center pins but did put me in contact with a person that makes them, something S&W didn't have to do.

2shot