I'm just curious why you do or do not like it or seek it. I for one like it and I'm seeking one but I honestly couldn't tell you why. I won't carry it and it's only 5 shots. Forcing cone is paper thin but I like it. Big bore caliber in a L frame.

These have sky rocketed in value and I can't think of a reason as to why. Ammo is stupid high if you can find it and the revolver is plagued with myths of the forcing cone. It should be a dead revolver people ask to give it away at $400 but it isn't...

Oh and I forgot to ask and maybe this is another thread needed but at the end of the day if you like .44cal.


Why not the 629 over the 696?

Because it a very handy sized big bore. The model 69 is an "improved" version in that by moving the front lock to the yoke and shroud they could increase the size of the forcing cone, but, it is only available with a 4 1/4" barrel at this time. So the smallest steel big bore award goes to the 696. Plus, there is the they don't make them anymore factor. I really like mine, but not as much as my much lighter alloy 396 with titanium cylinder and slightly shorter barrel.

Why do people want a model 696 or for that matter a 69 when the can have a 629? Because they can and to some a little decrease in size and weight matters. Much better to have at least one of everything. Why have a model 25/625 in acp or colt when you can have a 29/629? Same as above.

I thought the abundance of .44 Magnum Model 69 L frames would depress the price of Model 696s but that does not appear to have happened. Special cartridges can be warmed up a bit and still be comfortable in a 696. Magnum recoil is not for every one. To make room for a larger diameter barrel shank 69s lost S&W's traditional gas ring making them more susceptible to fouling binding their cylinders enough to affect DA trigger pull. The forged internals and other older manufacturing methods still in use when 696s were introduced make 696s look better to old geezers.

I have not seen or heard of a cracked 696 forcing cone, only suggestions to be cautious because it might happen. I have also not seen or heard of a cracked Model 66-7 forcing cone. Both are thin all the way around. It may only because they are not fired much with magnums but I also have not seen or heard of a cracked forcing cone in J frame .357s which are also thin all the way around. I suspect earlier 19 and 66 forcing cones cracked because the flat filed under their forcing cone for yoke clearance was a stress inducer.

$400? I bought a new 696 the first time I saw them in a gun store and got it out the door for slightly under $400. Like many other odd ball guns that failed on the market 696s became collectable after about a decade.

No longer made?
I bought mine as soon as I heard about them and was able to find one, $407 and change out the door in '97. The store also threw in a 50 round box of Remington high speed.
I've shot a couple thousand rounds thru mine and wouldn't even consider parting with is for three times what I paid for it.
The price and availability of 44SPL lead me into another segment of the gun hobby, reloading.

one word: exclusivity.... nice trigger, very little recoil (feels even less than a full .38load).

In this case, I prefer Taurus' 5 shot .44 magnum to S&W's own 5 shot .44 offering.

The coming of the Model 696 was predicted in the Bible: "And there will be a famine in the land, not a hunger for bread or a thirst for water, but the lack of a compact, quality .44 Special."

Or something like that.

Everything you need, compact, concealable, decent weight, big hole in the business end, nothing you don't

I love the concept of a big bore, 5 shot, L-frames sized revolver. I just wish Smith and Wesson had gone forward with it. I would have bought some

So I went with the only provider at the time, Taurus.

These 5 shot, 41 Magnum snubbies are great as far as I am concerned
The stainless one on the bottom tips the scales at almost 30 ounces while it's Total Titanium Brother on the top does not quite get to 20 ounces.

I know.......Magnum snubbies are not for everyone and that is fine. A shooter should know where his/her limitations are.

Why wouldn't you want one?? A 696 should be on everyone's got to have list. No logical reason needed.

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Don't You Ever Wash That Thing

If you look up 696 threads on this forum you will find very few people who report being disappointed or uninterested in the model. Many more say they love it or once had one and now regret that they let it get away. I'm certainly one of the fans. A 696 no-dash was one the first uncommon revolvers I bought after joining this forum, and I have never regretted the premium I paid to get it.

I like the L-frame .44 option so much I picked one of those humpback DA-only 396 models, which are so light that they really slammed my problem-plagued hands with the .44 special ammo recommended for it. I put a second-hand 696 cylinder in it just to heavy it up some. Even a couple of extra ounces made it a lot less painful to shoot.

A three-inch 24-3 or 624-3 will give someone an extra round for not too much more mass, if he really worries about the absent sixth round. But even with a short barrel an N-frame just feels bulkier than an L-frame gun. Or so it seems to me.

Really, it's all a matter of preference. Nobody should get a gun that feels wrong in some regard, and nobody should ever regret buying one that just seems right in every relevant particular.

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David Wilson

l was working in Charlotte area a couple years back when l visited
Hyatts Gun Shop...They had a nice used one in the case for $700...
l hesitated and passed because l wanted to see the new Model 69...
0ne look at that Ugly Duckling made me regret not buying the 696

M696, shoot great but don't take it out that much.
I just had to have one it seems....


M431 Taurus, not even close in action, but is a big bore CC sometmes.
And if get lost or confiscated, no lose as far as I'm concerned.

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Only difference Fool/Mule-ears

I remember looking at the 696 when they first came out in '97. Although I could think of no practical reason to buy it, I really wanted to take it home. I think they were asking $425 for it. Don't know why I didn't buy it. Oh, now I remember, I was broke. I would still like to have one, but the prices keep outstripping my income. The last one I saw for sale, several years ago, the dealer wanted $950 for a well used example with no box. I'll probably get one eventually, mainly for the novelty.

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Wheel guns are real guns.

And added to what everyone else said, they are accurate. I suppose all my Smith 44s are; I just happen to be able to hit what I'm shooting at with my 696. That 3 inch barrel works great with snake shot loads too.

Jeff
SWCA #1457

I had a 2.5" 686, a Talo IIRC. Sold it off fast. Ejector rod wouldn't kick out the brass, too short.

Thought it was an ideal size and if I had the 3", I probably would have kept it.

Been a 44 guy forever and the Spl is an outstanding round.

Saw the 696, read up on it and knew I had to have one.

Guy in L.A. had one for sale, I live in S.F.

I called him up and convinced him to meet me in Bakersfield.

Did the PPT, then returned for pick-up 10 days later.

Totally worth it.

I shoot a 250g cast SWC over 6.5g W231. Authoritative round, accurate and smooth shooting.

Was on my “have to have” list for a long time. Finally scratched the itch. Very nice “no dash” revolver.

Plan was to load it with 260 grain WFNGCs at 1,000 fps or so. Then I started reading about the thin forcing cone and decided against it. Didn’t really have a use for a heavy, short barreled, standard pressure .44 special revolver. In addition, it just never felt right to me, and never found a load that it would shoot accurately nor could I shoot it worth beans. Tried to warm up to the gun, shot it a bunch but in the end, it went down the road. No regrets.

I still have a 396 and several M69s – aesthetically, the 696 was a much nicer gun, but just didn’t work for me.

As DCWilson said in post #12 above:

“Really, it's all a matter of preference. Nobody should get a gun that feels wrong in some regard, and nobody should ever regret buying one that just seems right in every relevant particular.”

FWIW,

Paul

I've lusted for a 696 for years. Why? Just because.

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Oh well, what the hell.

I don't really get the attraction either. But, I bought one new when they first came out and shot it a fair amount at first. Then I lost interest, cleaned it up and put it away. Fast forward to 2004 and a forum member really wanted one. We traded even up for a blue 25-5 4" bbl. I liked that big blue gun with a 45 hole.

Later, I bought a 696 dash 6 (mismarked) off this forum to see if I had changed my mind(not). Finally, I picked up an original 696 no dash NIB at an auction for a good price as an investment.

I still don't see the attraction....I think mainly because blue or nickel carbon steel guns are beautiful but stainless are work horses.

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Bob.
SWCA 1821

I ordered the 696 when they were first announced.......Got one of the first ones......Like it....Still have it.....Prior to that I bought a Rossi 720 when they first came out.....Same qualities as the 696....SS/3" bbl/5 shot/adj. sights......But slightly smaller.......Still got that one too.....Won't own a taurus......2 bad experiences taught me better....The 696 forcing cone myth is just that....A myth.....Never ever saw or read about one splitting or enlarging.

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S&W Accumulator

What's not to like about a big bore revolver that's also lightweight & compact?

I went with the one that's just a little more of both.

.

2-1/2" bbl., Scandium Alloy Frame/Stainless PVD Cylinder, 24oz.


.
.
.

But I think the new M69 snubby is a worthy competitor, & it's chambered for 44 Mag.

.

M69 with Badger grips

(01a)

.

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Waiting for the break of day

I too had to have one. Got a no dash about 6 years ago for $700.
What's any ones favorite load in their 696.

I was told by a great salesman that the best sales pitch in the world is to "Tell them they can't have it".

I think the sums it up nicely.

I have no desire for them; there's one less person in the pool looking for one!

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K & N S&W revolvers

I have two and very much like them. I use it with snake shot when we are prairie dog shooting and switch to silvertips when we go back into town. One gun handles both needs and I have it on me all the time. I must confess though that when I am in a metro area I carry a 3 inch seven shot 681.

Know what you mean. While I love Js, like Ks and a 4" .357 L, the L-frame in smaller bbl lengths does nothing for me. Can't imagine CC-ing an L-frame OWB or IWB although some here undoubtedly do.

Kaaskop49
Shield #5103

P.S. I really wish S&W had come out with a 5-shot .44Spl on their K-frame. Taurus did it with their (I think) 442. Wonder why this did not 'fly.' Spotty QC maybe?

I know this is a year and a half old, but while searching for info on this Taurus, l ended here. The model number of this little 5 shot beauty is the 445. I've read some were ported too. (not for me) This a 20 year old gun from what I've found, and the current 445 is a "lightweight" build.

I found this in the used gun case at my LGS, and the rest is history. Still learning what it likes, and I think I'll be trying to find a 200 gr SWC load it likes. And maybe get some new grips. But so far so good.

Also shown in between a J and a K frame S&W for size comparison.

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I know this is a year and a half old, but while searching for info on this Taurus, and l ended here. The model number of this little 5 shot beauty is the 445. I've read some were ported too. (not for me) This a 20 year old gun from what I've found, and the current 445 is a "lightweight" build.

I found this in the used gun case at my LGS, and the rest is history. Still learning what it likes, and I think I'll be trying to find a 200 gr SWC load ig likes. And maybe get some new grips. But so far so good.

Also shown in between a J and a K frame S&W for size comparison. I wish I had thought to put my 696 in the mix, right on the top, where it belongs.

It's a .44 Special. What else needs to be said?

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Oh well, what the hell.

Purchased the Taurus 441 when it was first introduced.
A decent revolver. Mine had an overclocked barrel (!).
Taurus fixed it on warranty.
Pretty good shooter.

Sold it off when the 696 came along.
Don't carry it, but rather shoot it in my club's "concealed carry" matches.
Using my 200-grain full wadcutter loads it's a laser out to 25 yards.

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-jwk-
US Army '72-'95

I want one and have the $ stashed away for when I find the right one. I should have bought the first one I came across. That was about 7 years ago in the LGS. Would have saved myself several hundred dollars.
Being a bit of a traditionalist, I am waiting for a no dash.

The perfect nightstand gun?

You can get a model 69 with a 2.75 barrel.

But not in August 2016, when the thread started .

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Alan
SWCA LM 2023, SWHF 220

I thought i wanted a 696 for awhile, I have a 3” 629-4, got a new 69 2 3/4” and love it. Please dont shoot the messanger but my go to edc 44 revolver/yard snake gun pocket carry 44 is a late model charter arms 19oz. SS BULLDOG! THERE I SAID IT! Please don’t judge me! But i do feel better after getting this SIN off my chest.
Thanks for hearing my confession
Semper paratus

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NRA Life Member
CPO

I'm relatively new to this forum and had never heard of a 696 before today. .44Special is fast becoming my favorite handgun round for street ccw... eclipsing even, "My Precious", the venerable .45ACP; of which I never dreamed would happen. I carry my 629 loaded with 200gr Gold Dots @ 900+fps as my "Around Town" load, and a 300gr SJFP @ 1100+ for "Woods Duty." But just as I get excited about this beautiful idea of a 696 I read the emboldened in red above and some other thin forcing cone comments as well of mentioning of the likes on accuracy. Now my interest in a 696 is half that upon opening this thread. I love my 3" barreled 629 so much I don't think I could ever part with her. I'm big, so an "N" frame doesn't both me one bit. But a 5 shot "L" frame that could comfortable handle my 300gr Magnum load for the woods would be slightly more comfortable. Either way, some of the pics I see on Google Pics of the 629 still makes me want one!

No dash 696 in the classifieds on here right now.

I sold mine local a while back for $1,100.

My BNIB(10rds fired)sits in the safe while my 44mags go to the range often.

The 696-0 is a great well made L frame revolver with .4295 throats.

I like it's satin stainless finish compared to the glass bead finish seen on what's produced these days.

EDIT:I think if you like the pre MIM 686-4 you'll also like the 696-0.They're among the last with forged parts and hammer mounted firing pins.

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NEVER GIVE UP YOUR GUN