S&W 686 6" or 8 3/8" barrel?

[OldBroad44]

I prefer 686 (.357 mag) or 629 Classic (.44 mag) revolvers with 6" barrels for most uses. Target shooting, plinking, woods carry casual concealed, woods carry open, or home defense. Both these revolvers have heavy under lugged barrels and are muzzle-heavy in even the snubby models. I like that because weight distributed more toward the muzzle is most effective in absorbing recoil. Even my 2 1/2" 686 is fun to shoot with any load, for example. The muzzle-heavy balance also lets my hand know where the muzzle is for point shooting of various types, such as hip shooting, especially with a 6" gun. I find these guns a bit unwieldy even for target shooting in 8" versions when shooting with one hand. Its not just the muzzle heavy balance. Its also the total weight of the gun. But they are still fine for shooting with two hands for me. For SD I strongly prefer 6" barrels because longer barrels are counterproductive if the attacking bad human or cougar or bear is right on you or nearly so. And it takes longer to move a gun with more weight and a longer barrel. These revolvers with 6" barrels are also the longest that I can carry on my waist without needing to remove the gun or gun belt to sit down.

For me, a barrel longer than 6" becomes advantageous only for scoped guns. By the time I have added a scope the gun is too bulky to carry concealed or without a special holster or sling. And too heavy for me to shoot easily with one hand. So why not add a few more inches of barrel length and get the higher velocities (and flatter trajectories)?

 

[OldBroad44]

I looked at current SW offerings. They have mostly 686s listed as 686 Pluses with 7 shot capacity. They have a couple listed as 686 that are 7-shot but don't have Plus in the name. They have just one model listed as a 686 with just 6 shots. I suspect they are transitioning out of 686 6 shots. They list a 7" but not an 8" at the moment.

One issue is whether to buy a used pre-lock 686 that has the firing pin on the hammer and no cheap MIM parts -- guns manufactured before the downgrade done to make the guns more affordable. Or a new or newer used gun that has seven shots.

 

[ilikegunspdx]

Cylinder diameter is the same, the 7-shot has thinner chamber walls.

I just noticed this Taurus is 8 shot. It must have scary thin cylinder walls ( or maybe the cylinder is thicker I don't know).

This one has an interesting front sight. Must be pretty old version I'm guessing.

 

[WAYNO]

If it's truly only a range gun, 8-3/8" is wonderful. Even for carry, in the right holster, there's not much difference between a 6" or 8-3/8" . Nor do I find the longer barrels front heavy.

 

[Nosferatu]

I just noticed this Taurus is 8 shot. It must have scary thin cylinder walls

That Taurus may be a larger frame, similar to that of an N-Frame S&W. (I don't know Taurus models, so I can't say authoritvly.)

The S&W x27 series are larger N-Frames in .357, which do offer an 8-round cylinder.

 

[Knobgoblin]

That Taurus may be a larger frame, similar to that of an N-Frame S&W. (I don't know Taurus models, so I can't say authoritvly.)

The S&W x27 series are larger N-Frames in .357, which do offer an 8-round cylinder.

The big N frame is nice with .357s. I'd shoot that all day over a j frame and .38spl

 

[gmerkt]

If hunting, 8" gets you extra velocity. Otherwise, 6" is just dandy.

For me, a barrel longer than 6" becomes advantageous only for scoped guns

I concur with the above. If you're not using it for hunting, the six inch is probably better for your general purposes. At one time, I had a Smith & Wesson Model 57 with an 8-3/4 inch bbl. That's the .41 Magnum. I didn't use it for hunting, and it wasn't much of a pleasure gun at the range. It was a beautiful gun but not to my taste. It was a gift, otherwise I wouldn't have had it.

 

[clanhanson]

My 8" Colt Anaconda is my favorite revolver. My 3" Colt Python is my second favorite. What I'm saying is, get both lengths if you can swing it

 

[NeoBlackdog]

8" is really long.

Hoo doggy! If I had a nickel for every time I've heard that I'd... I'... Uhhh...
Well, I wouldn't have any damn nickels...

 

[TTSX]

An 8" barrel looks kinda goofy on anything smaller than an N frame in my opinion. I have a 5" 686+ which aesthetically looks great. I wouldn't mind having the 6" sight radius but any longer than that, I'm jumping up a frame size

 

[grapo13]

https://palmettostatearmory.com/s-w-686-patridge-sight-6-357-magnum-revolver-satin-stainless-150844.html

In case you missed it in the deals thread, palmetto got a pretty good sale on the six inch right now.

 

[ilikegunspdx]

An 8" barrel looks kinda goofy on anything smaller than an N frame in my opinion. I have a 5" 686+ which aesthetically looks great. I wouldn't mind having the 6" sight radius but any longer than that, I'm jumping up a frame size

How about this one for goofy?

 

[Tony617]

I have a 686-1 with a 6" barrel in stainless steel. I bought this pistol decades ago and it only holds 6 rounds. I take it to the range every so often and I do have a few 6 round speed loaders as well.

 

[CountryGent]

How about this one for goofy?
View attachment 1825068

 

[DirectDrive]

https://palmettostatearmory.com/s-w-686-patridge-sight-6-357-magnum-revolver-satin-stainless-150844.html

In case you missed it in the deals thread, palmetto got a pretty good sale on the six inch right now.

This ^^^
Daily Deal PLUS rebate ?
Buy it now before the Daily Deal expires.
Hint : PSA is on Eastern time

 

[kmk1012]

My 686 is a 6"er and I really like that length, my 610 is a 4" and I shoot it really well to. My Smiths in 8 3/8" are a model 529, x frame 460, and x frame 500. My favorite is my 929 with a 6" I believe but my new to me Smith 646 with about a 4" is quickly rising up in the polls for favorite, not many of those made, 300 total but this is a Performance Center that only 161 left the factory. I really like S&W revolvers, old and new I don't care, they just look right and always work.

 

[ilikegunspdx]

This ^^^
Daily Deal PLUS rebate ?
Buy it now before the Daily Deal expires.
Hint : PSA is on Eastern time

I'm the one who posted that deal and I don't think they will honor the rebate. One would have to be ok with $699, which is not bad. The deal is about a week old and they haven't yet raised their price which is encouraging. For myself I won't be ordering anything until we know the status of the m114 stay request.

 

[CLT65]

My first revolver, a long time ago, was a Dan Wesson .357 mag with a 15" barrel. I eventually bought a 6" barrel for it. That was the nice thing about Dan Wesson revolvers, easy to swap barrels. 15" was fun, but really just a novelty. Sometimes I wish I'd kept it.

I have an 8 3/8" model 629. It's a lot of fun at the range, very accurate. It's a big N-frame .44 though.

 

[CountryGent]

Those Dan Wesson wheelguns of yesteryear sure were a work of art. My late uncle (God rest his soul) had a .357 that featured a bunch of barrels, ranging from snubbie to very long. It was magnificently accurate.

 

[OldBroad44]

My 8" Colt Anaconda is my favorite revolver. My 3" Colt Python is my second favorite. What I'm saying is, get both lengths if you can swing it

Before my .44 mag era I had two Ruger Security Sixes, one 2 1/2" and one 6". The 2 1/2" was for carrying concealed in urban settings indoors or when gardening, which involves lots of bending over. In these situations I sometimes need to be able to put the gun in my fanny-pack. For everything else I carried the 6" concealed, including for hiking, camping, general woods carry, home defense, walking in Corvallis day or night to go to grocery store or exercise dogs, or when driving anywhere, in which case I carried the gun on my left side. If I had been handgun hunting deer in that era I would have used the 6" for that too. A 4" would not have been workable because it wouldn't fit in my fanny-pack. And the 6" carried in an inside-the-belt slide holster much better than did a 4". (I slipped a thick cutoff sock over the gun barrel to protect my skin from the gun barrel and vice versa.)

The first time I ran into a 686 was the beginning of the end of my Security Six days. Loved the muzzle-heavy balance. And the superior SA and DA trigger pull. After I started shooting .44 mag I switched to .44 mag for my 6" or longer revolvers but retain my 686 snubby in the 2 1/2" niche.