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S&W Revolvers: 1980 to the Present All NON-PINNED Barrels, the L-Frames, and the New Era Revolvers


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Old 09-26-2018, 08:59 AM
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Hello everyone, i just had the possibility to buy this beautiful 686 Competitor from a private owner, i never seen this kind of barrel before and i have no informations about it (The only similar i found is the Hunter competitor, but it has 3 gaps on the rail and this has just 2).
The serial number is : PCC0149 .
Somebody can tell me any info about that ? and year ?
Thank you in advance
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Old 09-26-2018, 11:29 AM
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I can’t find anywhere a model identical
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Old 09-26-2018, 11:32 AM
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It's really a little too heavy for most of the competitions. All depends on what you want to use it for.
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Old 09-26-2018, 12:07 PM
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PCCxxxx serial # ...... "PC" = Performance Center???? gun....... PC Logo on the left side?
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Old 09-26-2018, 12:12 PM
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Looks like a custom PPC barrel. My guess on year would be 1990's but that's just a guess due to no lock and hammer mounted firing pin. Could be earlier.
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Old 09-26-2018, 12:15 PM
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S&W just contacted me sayin that it’s a 1991 Competitor! that’s extremely exciting, i didn’t know they produced it at the time, but they havnt told me anything else. This can be a special edition or maybe a rare first generation?
I won’t use it for challenges but for collecting and fun shooting
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Old 09-26-2018, 12:27 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by CompetitorFirst View Post
Hello everyone, i just had the possibility to buy this beautiful 686 Competitor from a private owner, i never seen this kind of barrel before and i have no informations about it (The only similar i found is the Hunter competitor, but it has 3 gaps on the rail and this has just 2).
The serial number is : PCC0149 .
Somebody can tell me any info about that ? and year ?
Thank you in advance
Welcome to the Forum

The Hunters and Competitors have a weight system that goes into the big underlug.


You can change the balance of the firearm to suit you or replace all the weights with spacers to lighten the firearm.

The Performance Center has been making these in various calibers for probably two decades now. Originally as a small production run Distributor Exclusives, however in recent years the 686 version has become a cataloged item

The one you have pictured is from an older Distributor Exclusive Offering. Here is the current non-exclusive offering of that revolver. MSRP is $1,439


Image courtesy of S&W

If I had to guess, he one in your image might be a product code 170015 that was done for Lew Horton.

As to the rail having two slots or three, I think the one pictured is a machining error. A slot should have been cut between the two that are there.

If you have the original box, the end label will have the six digit product code on it as well as a 4 digit number under the SPEC ORD heading which is usually the date of manufacture

Last edited by colt_saa; 09-26-2018 at 12:29 PM.
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Old 09-26-2018, 01:32 PM
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I have one of the newer ones and take it to the range often. Very accurate, nice trigger pull, fun to shoot. This is my only gun with the lock.
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  #9  
Old 09-26-2018, 01:54 PM
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It is a 170015 Competitor, colt_saa is right. One of the first Performance Center guns ever made. The gun is a -3, and made in 1991.

Built with a lot of interesting features, like a ball-detent locking device between the yoke and the frame. It also has the seldom seen factory "raised" thumb latch, which was only used briefly and sparingly in early '90's.

One phone call to Lew Horton will get the OP a free provenance letter with all the details.
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Old 09-26-2018, 01:55 PM
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WELCOME TO THE FORUM, CF......

IMHO, THAT IS QUITE A SCORE ! ! ! THE FACT THAT IT IS PRE-IL, AND HAS THE GREAT FEATURES OF THE M686-3, ENHANCES ITS APPEARANCE AND DESIRABILITY BEYOND A CURRENT EXAMPLE---FOR ME AT LEAST......

I HOPE THAT YOU ENJOY SHOOTING THE SNOTS OUT OF IT......
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  #11  
Old 09-26-2018, 03:19 PM
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I sent an email to Lew Horton, i live in italy, i really hope they can send a certificate to me ! Thanks everyone for the answers, just a last question, in your opinion, what is this gun worth ?
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Old 09-26-2018, 03:36 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by CompetitorFirst View Post
I sent an email to Lew Horton, i live in italy, i really hope they can send a certificate to me ! Thanks everyone for the answers, just a last question, in your opinion, what is this gun worth ?
Your being in Italy changes everything. You never filled out your profile information so the system is not showing where you are from

This may not be a Lew Horton Exclusive at all, it may be a WISCHO.

WISCHO is the Lew Horton of Europe

There are many variants made for Europe that are not sold or seen in the United States.

There is no way that we can place a value on a gun in Italy. We have no idea how many were imported there or what the secondary market looks like. Nor do we know how Italian law influences pricing.

Same problem with Smith and Wessons in California, they sell for much more than in the rest of the US due to California's firearms laws

Last edited by colt_saa; 09-27-2018 at 09:29 AM. Reason: TYPO
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Old 09-26-2018, 04:25 PM
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Ah ok, well let’s hope that lew horton will have more infos , i can’t find any Whisco website on the internet.
What is the value of this model in U.S. ?
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Old 09-26-2018, 06:12 PM
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That's because it's WISCHO not Whisco.

They are a German Sporting Goods Distributor who has imported a number of special edition Smith and Wesson pistols and revolvers that sometimes have some differences with the similar standard or PC models we see here.
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Old 09-27-2018, 03:09 AM
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Haven’t found any link or email for wischo unfortunately, seems that i’m stuck. I checked online the US price of that model and i found few examples, with very different prices, anybody has an idea of the US value ?
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Old 09-27-2018, 04:13 AM
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I would check Frankonia, the wisho.com address redirects to them now. The company info can be found on Wischo Jagd- und Sportwaffen GmbH & Co KG, Dresden: Kontakte, Telefon, Adresse, Arbeit Wischo Jagd- und Sportwaffen GmbH & Co KG, Bewertungen • Firmenkatalog in Deutschland
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Old 10-08-2018, 12:13 PM
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Frankonia never answered me, nor Lew Horton, that’s very disappointing, i was very excited to know more about my gun and maybe have some sort of certificate.
What this 686-3 competitor worth in U.S ?
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