Hey guys first post in the forum. Just getting into S&W revolvers and about to be the proud (second) owner of a LNIB 686P-6 6".

I would have held out for a pre-MIM/pre-lock 686P, but I wanted to do a private sale and I might have had to wait a LONG time for one of them to come up. Maybe when one does I'll scoop it up and sell the newer one.

So help me out 686 gurus --- what are the "must have" parts upgrades? Every firearm has one or two (or, for Kel-Tecs, ten) upgrades that most serious shooters all shell out for. This is a bone stock gun with the Hogue monogrip. I have Hogues on a couple of my semiautos and they are great (except for CC) and I'm sure I'll like this one, if I don't I've always liked the look of bonded ivory or light color hardwood on stainless guns. I know there is no way to turn it into a poor man's pre-lock gun but any way to improve durability and reliability will be considered!

Could use some advice on a holster appropriate for hiking w/ a framed pack on. Have been carrying a SIG P220 .45ACP as a woods gun but the 686 will definitely bump it for top billing. Stainless guns are simply better for outdoors carry where sweat, rain, and dew eat away at blued/parked guns IMO.

The gun in this thread (about halfway through) is pretty much what I'm going for. Aging Bonded Ivory

Bonded ivory grips, new trigger, new hammer. What I don't want to do is get great parts that don't work well with the factory ones. The gun in the pic is a 1980s gun and parts will certainly be different than what I'm looking for.

Any help at all?

Those ivory grips make it look like some sort of pimp gun IMO. Don't think the 686 needs any bells and whistles. It's good-to-to as-is. You might try a reduced power Wolff mainspring. Or get an action job for it if you think the trigger pull could be better. Dry-fire the heck out of it to smooth it up.

Other than that spend your money on ammunition and training.

Last year I bought a 686 SSR that was built in 2009. My purpose for this one is to hide it in the garage for an as needed gun. Don't worry, no kids here anymore and all the grand kids live out of state. My investigation into it revealed it to be a really good iteration of the 686. I just added a set of CT laser grips to it since it hasn't been fired.

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The biggest possible upgrade you can do to your new S&W 686 is...

Shoot it a bunch, and if you can't then dry fire it. Thousands of times. The action will become so smooooooooth. No kiddin'.

Congratz on buying the best .357 revolver currently made. I'll be leaving my 6" 686-4p to my Grandchildren; it's the last gun I'd ever part with.

Oh, one other thought... when you are doing all that dry firing, double action, try balancing a spent shell on your front sight. You'll get very good at DAO... I do this late at night watching TV.

Make sure it's unloaded, of course!

I have one of these and it can't be dryfired without snap caps, due to the frame-mounted firing pin. I put a Cylinder & Slide firing pin in it to eliminate FTFs with the Wolff spring kit. The pin is great, but it ruined the Tipton snap caps I bought in short order, due to its cone shaped tip. I may get some of the A-Zoom type and see if they will hold up.

Congratulations on the purchase. I have both a -6 as mentioned above, and a -4, both with 4" barrels. Fantastic guns.

Andy

Frame mounted firing pin? Mines on the hammer.

For hiking with a pack, etc., I'd suggest you look at one of the nylon type holsters. They are ugly, but for outdoor carry where one might encounter inclement weather, etc., they are the best choice. For wandering in the woods/fields and just enjoying the outdoors, I much confess I much prefer a quality leather holster. I've been very pleased with a nice Tom Threepersons holster I purchased for my 6" 28-2 from El Paso Saddelry. It is made of excellent quality leather and demonstrates superlative craftsmanship. From time to time I've been known to do some back packing. For such expeditions, I've preferred to use a cross-draw holster. The Bianchi Cyclone holster has suited me very well for carrying everything from .45 ACP 1911's on up to various .357's and .44's. HTH. Sincerely. brucev.

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There's nothing that is must-change on the 686, and really there's very little to even consider changing.

If you're lucky and received a great trigger from the factory a trigger job isn't even a huge improvement.

Swapping out the front sight is an option if desired.

Chamfering the chambers is great, but really only worthwhile for on the clock reloading in competition.

Hey thanks everyone. Pretty much confirms what I've found. I know some people love the Hogue cylinder releases but for a range gun it's not a big deal.

Ivory on a pimp gun? You must mean pearl! Gen. Patton is rolling in his grave!

Just need a good holster and plenty of ammo.

Mike,

Which dash # is yours(a nice one, BTW)? If I read correctly, the OP is speaking of a -6. Dash 6s have MIM hammers, which have the frame-mounted pins(correct me if I'm mistaken).

Andy

It's a 686-4.

I didn't realize they changed the hammer on the newer ones - but does that really mean you can't dry fire it without plastic caps or some spent shells?