A friend wants a 3" CS-1 686 as a carry gun. What makes that particular configuration so popular and desirable?
Keith

Special features, limited production (plus many reportedly destroyed by the government), usually a very slick action - and it's a 3" L frame.

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Alan
SWCA LM 2023, SWHF 220

Accurate, concealable, utterly reliable. IMHO, a perfect carry platform.

I thinks its the limited production and the 3in barrel, folks do get nutty over 'em.

I have a 4" carried in a shoulder rig. Have the original box, shot and carried it for years. My 66-3 has by far a smoother action than the CS-1.

either a 3" K or L frame S&W's are considered by lots and lots of people to be the end all of carry revolvers. with the 3" bbl, you get a full length guide rod for better ejection of spent cases. i have a 3" 65 and love it. don't carry it however, as i prefer my VP9...

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why? why not?

Check for more info under 'L Frames' in the above Noteable thread index.

Got one. It's a beautiful gun, great proportions, very accurate and kind of uncommon, but it's a bit heavy for concealed carry:



It would probably make a great BBQ gun, but since I'm stuck up north, we don't do the BBQ gun thing (yes, I'm kind of jealous).

If I wanted to carry a stainless steel 3" revolver with adjustable sights all day, it would probably be my 60-10. (sorry no pic at this time)

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My sgntr is mor thn 30 chrctrs

I agree with Clang444, the 3" CS1 is just a great S&W! Mine is one of my favorite handguns, I have had it for 10 years or so and will never get rid of it! When I carry it, it is in a Galco shoulder rig that I bought at the same time as the CS1.

I'm sure they're a great, gun but the fact they are rare and were a government issued sidearm make the prices higher than they otherwise would be.

For a carry gun I'd stick with a 66 or 60, but that's just a personal preference.

Why have adjustable sights on a duty gun? This is an information request, not a troll.

Well they are generally easier to pick up. Personally I prefer fixed sights.

Getting back to original post, I have a 3" 686 (Talo, not CS-1) and for me it's just way to big and heavy.

The perfect 357 carry gun would be a k frame stainless with fixed sights. Sadly you'll have to tell your friend S&W never made one so he shouldn't even bother looking

The adjustable sights are easier to see IMHO than the fixed notch and blade. That said, I shoot real well with either my fixed sight or my adjustable sight S&W's

What about a M65?

The specifications by the Customs Service purchase made the CS-1 just a bit better than the "standard" 686... the fact that for years S&W did not catalog a 3" model... and that Janet Reno chopped so many of them so we are "safe" from evil guns... what I haven't figure out is why they are still so expensive... I know they are scarce... but you can now get a 7 shot 3"... there must be a lot of "I have one and you don't" going on between the "investor" class...

Don't really know but the CS-1 3 inch might have been the first 3 inch 686 made by Smith. Can someone please chime in with the info. I have a 3 and a 4 LNIB.

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SSG Ret.
TN & TX ARNG 66-06

Forgive the dumb question, but what is a BBQ gun?

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Army veteran, NRA Life Member

A gun good looking enough to wear to the neighborhood BBQ.

The 686 may be the most popular Smith revolver in all of its incarnations. Some say because it looks like a Colt Python, others because it is accurate and durable.

If your friend can't find a CS 1, a 3" 65 should fit the bill. If it doesn't, he is nuts. If he complains about the fixed sights without taking for a "test drive," he is doing a disservice to himself.

This says a lot! I have also have a 3" 64 that is a better carry gun then the 3" CS1. The CS1 is a tad heavy and a little more bulky, it really is only cool to those that know what it is.

I had a 4in 686 but found it a bit heavy out front so i replaced it with a new model 65 3in which was a great handling gun & i loved it with 38+P loads, however the Australian Govt took it off me for destruction when buy back started in 1996 as they decided a 4in barrel is the shortest you can now have with a revolver!

Don't get me wrong, if I had a CS1 I'd be a very happy man. But, you aren't at a disadvantage with a nice M65.

Cus it fairly scarce and so coool.................................

That said...... I had a 3" 586......don't ask about the "had" part........

For a concealed carry gun in .357 a 3" L-frame would be down my list after my............................

3" 66s
3" 65s
3" 60-10

cus the guns are carried a lot and shot a little ( and generally w/ +P.38s) so I put more emphasis on comfort of carry over easiest to shoot.

Because of the extra size and weight of the L-frame.....I've opted to stick with 4" round butt guns when I want a L-frame for carry....


OK I traded the 3" 586 for a PC Shorty 9mm....... think 6906/04 reverse two tone..... as a collector should have kept the 586 but as a concealed carry option..... the PC 9mm has served me well for .......20 years.

Model 65 4" square butt or 3" round butt. K frame. .357 Magnum. They don't make 'em no more.

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CPT, Armor (Ret)
Luke 22:36

I never got the popularity. Back in the day I was hauling around a snubby 66 or a blue 6" 19, best gun I've owned. When the x86 guns first came out I didn't appreciate the feel so never acquired a taste.

There are 13 pages of 686s offered on GB, including the run-of-the-mill 3", the TALO 3", and even a CS-1. Hard to wrap my mind around the volume and the prices.

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Wrangler of stray Chiefs
Bob

like a 3" Model 65?


The Model 13 was the carbon steel version of this gun.

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My sgntr is mor thn 30 chrctrs

Ya better give that back to Hickok45 before he discovers it is missing!

THIS IS WHY WE MUST STRONGLY DEFEND OUR 2ND AMENDMENT RIGHTS, LEST WE SUFFER THE SAME FATE AS THE AUSTRALIANS……..

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'Nam 1968-69.DAV,VFW,NRA Inst.

1. It's a Smith & Wesson revolver.

2. See 1.

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CPT, Armor (Ret)
Luke 22:36

I got a brand new 686 7shot 3" for $700 to shoot and carry and save the cs1 for collecting. Never had a problem and shoots ,carrys very well. Smooth action out of the box. Handles full power 125gr. 357 mags with ease and control,very powerful!!

"Value" is determined by two groups of potential buyers:
1. Shooters (many sub categories)
2. Collectors (also many subcategories)

When there exist a gun that proves practical and desirable to shooters AND rare/scarce and interesting to collectors, very high prices will follow. Supply vs demand in a gun popular with everybody. The CS-1 is a prime example.

I've got the 7 shot in 3" myself.

I'm not a collector but if I were the CS-1 would be a fine addition if only because in my former career as a special agent I worked alongside many a Customs Inspector who carried that classic revolver during the course of several years of investigations.

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642-1, M&P15 TS

They are very tight on tolerance. Which in prolonged firing can lock up with powder residue under the star. Keep them clean!! Range time and a gunfight are two different things. I doubt you will fire 100 RDS of 357 mag in a gunfight to amount to the problem. Most of these Custom guys back then were not gun people or gun cleaners. That's where the problem started. If you expect to go home at the end of the day ,keep your weapon clean before it goes in the holster for duty. Simple.

Shhhhh! Prices are high enough.

I think you're painting with a pretty broad brush. Most Inspectors and Special Agents, even those who were not firearms enthusiasts, were pretty good about keeping their firearms clean and performing well. (Yeah, I'll admit to seeing some levels of dumbassery that would make Mother Teresa want to give someone a smack in the chops.)

The agency was pretty generous on making cleaning supplies and materials available both at the range as well as per request.

So, while the true firearms enthusiasts may have been a small percentage of the ranks, I think the offenders (in terms of cleaning and maintenance) were also a relatively small percentage. Most, by and large, made sure their weapons were fit for duty. (And if they didn't, I sure as hell didn't want to work on the street alongside them.)

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642-1, M&P15 TS

A special girl like that deserves some pretty new shoes to replace those goulashes.

For me, it is because I carried one while they were official issue. But I'd rather carry my 3" model 66 F-comp which I went to in lieu of the S&W 669 they issued next.

Are you sure?

There are some on this forum that think they should carry enough firepower at any given time to negotiate armaggedon single handed.

And then there's Barney who was man enough to only need one round...

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642-1, M&P15 TS

I know what you mean! Those grips were on my CS1 when I bought it and the first thing I was going to do back then was change the grips, when who ever put those on they removed the grip pins and I just never got around to getting new ones. Those grips kinda grew on me and now I just don't think my CS1 would be the same without them. Mine is not the prettiest CS1, it was carried and used, it has some character and those nasty gripes are part of it.

I with you on that one. I always prefer a nice Dutch clog to goulashes.

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Wrangler of stray Chiefs
Bob

Amen, brother!