I am the original OP. About 2 months ago (late July 2015), an LGS received a shipment of 11 new 686 Plus models. They brought all 11 boxes out and sat them down on the counter, and told me to take my pick. All 11 had perfectly straight barrels, but all 11 were noticeably scratched up. Seems that S&W is paying more attention to the barrels, but are being a little sloppy about how they are being handled on the production line, hence all the dings in the metal.