Hello all.
I have some $$ burning a hole in my pocket and I'm looking for a new revolver.

Background:
Experienced shooter
Multiple semis owned
I own only 1 revolver - 442 that I might as well use as a paperweight. (too darn small for my hands)

I am "very" interested in a 686 .357
purpose is for home defense and plain fun shootin'!
I am not opposed to a used purchase.

questions:
thoughts on a reasonable purchase price?
not being a revolver guy , is this a good option for a first wheel gun? (not counting that 442 as it gets limited exposure outside of the safe)
last note , at the moment , I do not have access to test a 686 at my range , but I am working on it.

input and guidance is highly appreciated.
thx folks have a great day!

Well two spring to mind..........................

A classic 4" 686; dash "nuttin" to -4...... $500-800 best all around .357/38 for utility/duty revolver going IMHO

But a good .22 is always a great purchase.... an older Model 17 (6" barrel) or Model 18 (4") is hard to beat....... $600-1,000

Hard to go wrong with the two options above. A 4” model 66 (even a current version) or a model 586 in blue/nickel would be good options too. With the full lug barrel a 6” is big and nose-heavy. Plan on $500-600 or so. Good luck in your search!

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Alan
SWCA LM 2023, SWHF 220

Any of the below are also good to own:

Attached Images

357 Revolvers.jpg (178.4 KB, 63 views)

There's a veritable smorgasbord of great revolver choices fulfilling a good combination of home defense and "plain fun shootin'".

In .38/.357 you'd be hard pressed to do better than the 686 and any of it's readily available barrel lengths of 2.5", 3", 4", and 6" would be appropriate for your purposes. For practical shooting out to 25 yards I do about as well with the 2.5" barrel as I do with a 6" barrel in the L-frame revolvers.

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Scoundrel & Ne'er-Do-Well

You could buy Smith and Wessons or get your Colt fixed.

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On the whistle draw and fire 6

And at $200 more or less for a 5,000 round case of 22 shells you can have a nice revolver and shoot it a lot.

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On the whistle draw and fire 6

I have a 686 Plus with a 2 1/2" bbl. Love it. My favorite revolver right now. See if you can check it out. Solid, L-frame gun.

I'm glad that a 686 is your first consideration. Versatile as can be. Shoot anything from target .38s to fire breathing dragons.

The "L" frame sounds like it was made for you, too.

Boy are you in an enviable position.

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"He was kinda funny lookin'"

What's a tax refund?

Check out this model. It's the latest offering in the 686 lineup.

Performance Center(R) Model 686 Plus | Smith & Wesson

Since it sounds like you have larger hands, you also might look at a 627 Pro with the 4" barrel or the 5" 627-PC gun too. They are based on the N Frame instead of the L Frame and are 8 shot revolvers instead of 7 shot guns. I have the 4" 627 Pro and it's one of my favorite range guns.

If you were a true patriot you would send it back and tell them to put it on the debt.
Or do what I do....apply it to next year's balance to be paid

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Forum consigliere

At the end of the day, a pre-lock 686 would be a great choice. If you take your time and find one in top condition (although an investment), you will never regret your decision.

Thx gents!
Tremendous responses.

A bud from the LGS helped out w making an arrangement w a 686 4' owner , to test at the range.
"supposed" to happen in the next 30 days or so.
I'll report back !
enjoy the day guys.

Not bad. You really can't go wrong with a solid .38/.357 revolver. My problem is that I have a superb .38 Spl--pre-numbers K-38 Target Masterpiece--so I have trouble justifying buying anything else!

Two side notes, though.

If you've already got a number of quality semiautomatics, and you happen to enjoy shooting them a lot and you're proficient with them--stick with one of them for home defense. The best weapon for that use isn't necessarily the "best" weapon, it's the one you're most proficient and efficient with. I don't keep a shotgun for HD, because I haven't used a shotgun in 8 or 10 years. Instead, I just use my 24/7 EDC 9mm.

The one caveat I would put on that is to stick to stock or minimally carry-modified pistols for safety and reliability.

The other bit is--and I make this pitch a lot--think about reloading if you don't already. If you don't have the time, that's cool and all, but even Tula .357 Magnum runs about $12.75, and factory .38 Spl about $14. Reloading drops that price to $4.50-$5.00 using quality components. Time-wise, even an inexpensive turret press will have you loading 100 rounds an hour, easily.

Now, it might take awhile to pay that off, especially if you don't even have a decent bench to use, but it's worth a thought. You might find yourself shooting your autos a bit more, as well.

Plus, there are a lot of cartridges that just aren't economical to get into without reloading. .44 Magnum runs $30/50 at the low end--but can be reloaded for about $8/50 or less.

Pretty danged impressive when a non-revolver guy 1. decides to buy a revolver...and...2. decides to buy a 686...one of the absolute best "all-around" revolver in production today! The OP is one smart cookie...and off to a good start with the wheelgun hobby.

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Smith. And Wesson. And Me!

update

no pun intended , but I finally pulled the trigger
this evening, I purchased :
Model 686 Plus | Smith & Wesson

should be @ my FFL Tues or Weds of next week, via Buds.
they played a little bit on the price match game as well.

thx again for all of the input