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

[TTSX]

I'm pretty sure a call to Jenny would make for a fantastic morning.

The song never said Jenny was hot

 

[solv3nt]

The song never said Jenny was hot

 

[Nosferatu]

I'd lose that number. "Jenny" these days likely didn't start out life as a female.

Tommy Tutone takes on a whole new meaning.

 

[ilikegunspdx]

I've never bought a Taurus due to reputation but that 6" tracker is 7 shot, ported barrel, and $460. Reviews on it are excellent. Reviews on the 8 shot are poor. Not a fan of the grip though (weird ribbed type). Hmmm...

 

[orygun]

I've never bought a Taurus due to reputation but that 6" tracker is 7 shot, ported barrel, and $460. Reviews on it are excellent. Reviews on the 8 shot are poor. Not a fan of the grip though (weird ribbed type). Hmmm...

View attachment 1825474

They also had a 5 shot 41 Mag version of the Tracker. I've only seen one and my friend wouldn't part with it for me to find out.

 

[Nosferatu]

I've never bought a Taurus due to reputation but that 6" tracker is 7 shot, ported barrel, and $460. Reviews on it are excellent. Reviews on the 8 shot are poor. Not a fan of the grip though (weird ribbed type). Hmmm...

View attachment 1825474

I had one of the first titanium Trackers when they came out. That thing was a great gun with an absolutely horrible trigger. It was a 4", carried nice and the grips were ribbed for your pleasure. They felt weird at first, but actually did a good job while firing.

I'd try another one if it fell though the roof and landed on my lap.

 

[PORSCHE928S4]

Fwiw I also see they make a 7" 7 round model. I'm not a fan of the smooth cylinder but it's not that crucial really.

View attachment 1824875

I have the exact same 686 the Talo edition in 7 inch love it but seems like holster companies don't lol

 

[OldBroad44]

Yes, that Taurus is on a large frame, very similar to an N-Frame Smith.
Even with eight shots on board, I think an N-Frame is really large for a 357.
My favorite 357, and one of my favorite guns to shoot holds 5 shots and has a 3" barrel.
But this thread was about the 686.
I really liked the 686+ I used to have. I have a 686 now and would trade it in a heart beat for my old +.


I took a peek myself. The guns not listed as a "Plus" that are 7 shots are Performance Center guns. Some Performance Center guns are 7 shot, others 6. Out of 22 L-Frame listings (not counting the 5 shot, 44 Mag Model 69) there are 10 versions with 6 shots. None of the 586 models (blued) seem to be offered with the Plus cylinder.
When I was looking, the used ones on the market were primarily 6 shot. Must be that most who bought the 7 shot guns have held onto them.

I think most people hang on to their 686s, whether 6 or 7 rounds, and they come on the market mostly when someone dies. Lots of boomers with old 686s are dying or getting too old to shoot. The pre-lock 686s, which are 6-round, are actually worth seriously more than new production 686s, whatever the capacity.

At gunbroker.com there are 80 pages of 686s listed. The new ones in standard configuration (full barrel underlug, not performance center), 6 or 7 shot seem to have Buy Now prices of mostly about $850 to $960. The used pre-lock guns in good condition (6 shot) seem to have Buy Now prices, when they list one, of $1100 up.

I wouldn't trade my 6-round 686-4 for a (686-6) six or seven round current production gun because I think the 686-3 and 686-4 are the best .357 mag revolvers SW ever made. And so do enough other people so that a used pre-lock 686 6-shot at gunbroker commands $300+ more than a new current (686-6) 7-shot production gun even though the latter has an additional round. During the 686-5 run came the beginnings of the redesign to make the guns more affordable . They changed to some cheaper MIM parts, shifted the firing pin from the hammer to the frame, and made gun with lesser fit and finish so it required less labor to produce. Then in 686-6 they added the much despised lock. The story is complicated, however, by the fact that the no dashes and -1s were recalled because they could seize up with very hot loads. SW recalled and fixed them for free, marking the cranes with an M to indicate the modification, and will do so to this day.

The modern production 686es are still very good guns. I haven't heard anything about the MIM parts breaking. And the only cases I've heard of the lock locking itself in response to recoil involve guns where people actually used the lock. I detest the lock for philosophical reasons, not because it hurts anything as long as you don't use it. However, the SA and DA trigger pull is glorious compared to modern production SWs unless they have had a trigger job from the Performance Center. But even standard modern production SW revolver have way better triggers than the comparable Rugers . And I think the pre-lock design guns were more accurate on average. But most people would likely have to be using a scope to be able to tell.

This article contains a chart summarizing the engineering changes made in the various sub models (dash levels) of 686s.

Smith & Wesson Model 686 - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

 

[Nosferatu]

I think most people hang on to their 686s, whether 6 or 7 rounds, and they come on the market mostly when someone dies.

I dunno, I've bought and sold 4 of them, all pre-lock, a mix of 6 and 7 shot. I'm not completely dead...yet.

I do like S&W a lot, but tend to lean towards the N-Frame.

However, a pre-lock 506+ L-Comp could probably find some way to fit into my life.

For now, the Kimber K6s 3" does the trick for a .357. Damn good EDC gun too.

 

[clanhanson]

Again, go with the bigger one first. I'm fairly sure Colt's original name for it was "The Compensator"

 

[OldBroad44]

This Smith is designed for Silhouette shooting. The wheel under the front sight changes the elevation to match the distances shot in Silhouette competitions, up to 200 yards.

@ilikegunspdx -- There are a couple of 6" 686-2 Silhouettes on Gunbroker right now. One shows details of the front sight. You can apparently fine-tune the four elevation adjustments independently. One has a Buy Now price of $1169.99. I haven't studied photos in detail. You can find them by using the search box and asking for S&W 686 Silhouette.

If you are interested in buying, be aware of the fact that Silhouette shooters often used guns a lot. But the L frame was designed because of them. Its meant for a heavy diet of full power loads. However, if I were buying I would ask seller if the lands and grooves are sharp or rounded (worn down), if there is a crack or damage on the forcing comb, and if the lockup is tight. And I'd also ask if there is an M on the cylinder crane indicating SW having done the aforementioned modification. If seller doesn't have gun in hand he may not be able to answer. But I wouldn't buy a gun probably owned by a Silhouette shooter without getting the right answers to those questions. And either knew the gun had been fixed or was willing to send it to SW myself. I think the price is good figuring any 6" pre-lock 686 in good condition is likely to bring 1100, and this one has the adjustable front sight that adds to capability without harming portability.

 

[OldBroad44]

I dunno, I've bought and sold 4 of them, all pre-lock, a mix of 6 and 7 shot. I'm not completely dead...yet.

I do like S&W a lot, but tend to lean towards the N-Frame.

However, a pre-lock 506+ L-Comp could probably find some way to fit into my life.

For now, the Kimber K6s 3" does the trick for a .357. Damn good EDC gun too.

There are exceptions. Such as having a 686 but replacing it with another 686 with a different barrel length. Or deciding that in longer barrel lengths you want to go all .44 or larger calibers. Or being a collector.

 

[fredball]

I have one with 6" barrel* and like it for target shooting. I don't go out with it as much anymore since discovering all things .44 Magnum, but it is a solid piece. Certainly nothing wrong with the 8⅜" variant and for specific applications it would be better. But if it is just a general revolver, I'd stick with the 6" variant. Cheers.

*
View attachment 1824919

I have this in it's older brother 629-1 6" 44mag no lock

 

[WAYNO]

I have one with 6" barrel* and like it for target shooting. I don't go out with it as much anymore since discovering all things .44 Magnum, but it is a solid piece. Certainly nothing wrong with the 8⅜" variant and for specific applications it would be better. But if it is just a general revolver, I'd stick with the 6" variant. Cheers.

*
View attachment 1824919

Ever so lovely.

I can play too.

 

[solv3nt]

Y'all are making me want a 357 again. Shame.

 

[orygun]

Y'all are making me want a 357 again. Shame.
View attachment 1825819

Good!
The 357 is a great cartridge. At this stage of my "game", I'm surprised I didn't keep at least one around on a regular basis, but I kept a 41 Magnum for a long time and didn't find the "need". I had a few here and there, but never hung onto one all that long, until a few years ago. Now I have 2 of 'em.

 

[Nosferatu]

Y'all are making me want a 357 again. Shame.
View attachment 1825819

No you don't.

You need a .41 Magnum.

 

[orygun]

No you don't.

You need a .41 Magnum.

STOP IT! You'll have ME wanting one soon.

 

[solv3nt]

STOP IT! You'll have ME wanting one soon.

The 41 mag is an interesting little round. Not quite the 44 mag recoil, but more kick to its step than a 357.

 

[orygun]

If S&W would just make this one in 41 Mag, too. It's the L-Frame Model 69 in 44 Mag.
I'd probably give up my 686 for one.