so i went out and bought a 686 no dash 6 inch with box tools etc. bought it for 615.25 out the door ( not sure it it is a good price)- gun looks good, tight and all that good stuff.
should i send it for the warranty job since it does not have the m stamp or should i just leave it alone. Any input would be appreciated
thanks

I've owned two the never when back and never had a problem as the problem revolvers were a small percentage of the total made. I would shoot it and then if you have a problem call S&W to exercise the repair option.

Great gun, good price also...and shoot it and make sure everything OK before you send it in...

thank sir- i think i will shoot it first and see what happens. glad the price was not too bad-

Just looked on my original pre-owned 686 (AARxxxx). Where would the above-mentioned 'm' be stamped? As I recall, the issue at that time concerned use of the 125 gr mag ammo. I've only fired 110 and 158 grainers in the gun.

Thanks in advance!

P.S. BENBOGA: Welcome to the Forum. Can never have enough new members!

Open the cylinder and on the frame above the yoke hinge the model number is stamped, the 'M' should be above the model number. This particular issue involved primers flowing into the firing pin hole under hot loads and locking the pistol up. Some people blamed soft primers. Not all guns need the modification, but some percentage does. I haven't bothered as mine as never caused trouble.

Many thanks for the info. No "M" on my 686. Will fire the 125s through it and see what happens. Cross your fingers! Thanks again.

Bought my 4" new in 1980, carried it for several years on duty. It has had thousands of rounds through it. Never sent it back, never will. You'll likely never shoot yours enough to realize a problem that never was all that prevalent. Your call.............

^^^^What fyimo said^^^^

If it ain't broke, don't fix it.
Heck, if you send it in, there's always the (small) chance that Fedex might ship it to Mexico by mistake.

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-jwk-
US Army '72-'95

This subject has been beat-to-death on the forum. I fall on the have-it-done side as I do not want to own a gun that may-or-may-not function with ANY off-the-shelf round it is chambered for. On the other hand, I have seen some of the bushing replacement jobs and they can be a bit ugly. Stainless steel...not much of a worry, but if it was a 586 in nickel or blue....I'd never send it home. I was so disgusted with the looks of mine that I sold it and settled on a dash-4 and stripped the Hogue's off as fast as possible.

LOL I chose to not return mine for the "M" and the supposed repairs it needs. I have had zero issues with mine but I do know a friend of a friend who has his cylinder lock up on his no dash 4" and had to send it in. I think it's a small percentage of 686s that really needed the work.
Well I can't see your gun being there is no pic but most likely whoever sold that to you was clueless on it's value. Although the earlier models are no more reliable than newer ones many hold the early no dashs up in value quite a bit. I've seen some go for 800+.

I called Smith last March or so and asked about getting the mod to my 686-1 and they said they no longer did the M recall fix.

I just sent mine in this month for the modification. This happened to me they told me that mine was not under warranty
because it was older 1989,so I waited about 10 minutes and called back and spoke with someone else they said this falls under the modification recall and sent me a shipping label. It all depends on who you talk to, I had mine back in 2 weeks and its a 686-1

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Wes nailed it!

Here's a synopsis of the potential problem:

“RECALL: Reports have been received from the field where the combination of a SMITH & WESSON L-FRAME 357 MAGNUM REVOLVER and some .357 Magnum ammunition has resulted in unacceptable cylinder binding. L-frame revolvers bearing model numbers:
581, 586, 681, 686, or 581-1, 586-1,
681-1, 686-1, 686CS-1
Cylinder binding can cause a failure to fire. Mishandling a revolver while freeing the cylinder can result in accidental discharge.”

Now if this is your carry or personal defense firearm, I wouldn't want to have this problem in a critical situation (life or death).

1. There are no costs to you
2. S&W has the parts
3. The repairs (modifications) will be performed by S&W gunsmiths

I have three Model 586s and all of them have been modified by S&W. The last one was in May of this year. Although S&W CS estimated that it could be several weeks (five to seven I believe), it was seven calendar days after I shipped it before it was back in my safe with the modification completed.

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That's what we do!

Keep calling you'll get some one to help you

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I remember when I sent one in. The rep said..."oh...you have one of those old guns". He received my 2-cents worth of what I thought about those "old" guns vs. the "new" guns. I just assumed he was hired in the post non-ILS/MIM era and maybe he learned something that day.