Browsing a bargain table at a gun shop, I happened on a very used 686. It had painted blue grips, the cylinder would not open, the rear sight was broken off and the sideplate was improperly installed. For $50 I took it home.
The blue grips indicated to me it was probably used for training by a PD, and a check of the cylinder showed it had Simunitions inserts.
I did a detail disassembly and found nothing wrong with it except the firing pin had been removed. The cylinder issue was due to the ejector rod being loose. I replaced the hammer and the rear sight and removed the Sim adapters while cleaning everything up. The bore was bright and clear. For GP I also replaced the springs. I also replaced the blue grip with a Monogrip I had in the parts box.
Once reassembled, the gun looked good. Timing was good, cylinder securely locked up, and everything seemed to work. So I headed off the range for a four-part test:
1. Would the gun explode?
2. Would the gun fire?
3. Would the cylinder operate properly?
4. Would it shoot accurately?
After about 100 rounds the gun had passed with flying colors on all counts.
For $50 plus about $95 in parts this is the best gun deal I ever found.