For reasons too numerous to go into here, mostly health-related, I haven't been shooting since my time with Grant Cunningham in Phoenix and that was in November.

That ended when I took my Model 681 out to my range today. Did not do my usual moving drills due to back problems but managed to put 50-60 .38 Special rounds into an evil Winchell's donuts box. Don't worry: it was empty.

Mostly wanted to get back into shooting and I believe that I did pretty well. I was getting tired and it was growing warm so I called it a day.

One thing I have to do is get a couple of 1" x 2' tomato stakes as the ones I used today are on their last legs.

One of these days, I'll post some pictures of my 681. Not that it looks any different from any other 681 but it's mine.

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Let's be careful out there

I have a ohio state highway patrol stamped 681 my favorite gun 30 years old tight as the day it left s&w ‼️‼️‼️ rock solid revolver

I love mine no m mark bought it used

I've got a 68-1 really a mis marked 681 no dash Unfired I've been thinking of shooting...

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This is the way....

The 681 is an awesome revolver. I finally found one a couple of weeks ago, and got the chance to shoot it Friday. I had a blast.

I'm glad I found one.

Sent from my SM-G892A using Tapatalk

I had a 686 once. Nice gun and shouldn’t t have sold it. I bought a 681 2 years ago. I shoot that gun better than probably anything I own. Head shots at 15 yards easily. Shotgun hulls on the been easy at 10 yards. It’s a laser beam in my hands.

I purchased one twenty years ago and I am just learning about it.
model 681 no dash NYSP stamped that has had the modification done (marked M). Is there any resources for production numbers or more information? Serial number starts AAF.

Ya see? What have I been saying? More 681s that never made their way to the valley. Happily, my 686s are only too ready to fill in at a moment's notice...

Kaaskop49
Shield #5103

P.S. My thanks to the member who pointed out some time ago the 681 in the For Sale forum. I must hold a gun in my hand before I buy, and I have been burned.

Here is a freview I did several years back originally on ythe now-defunct Kansas forum, reposted on the Oklahoma forum and, if memory serves, other gun fora as well. It is still relevant, I think.

This is without a doubt, my favorite handgun. If I had to get rid of all of my handguns but one, this is the one that I'd keep. It is rugged and reliable, and yet at the same time, it is reasonably light weight. Here is a stock photo of one that I found on another website. Mine is similar right down to the Magna stocks, except that my revolver has a Tyler T-grip and now sports a lanyard attachment of a slightly different type.



Today, I took it out and put just over 100 standard velocity 38 special rounds through it. I had been reluctant to do this as my gunsmith had done such a good job of cleaning it when he put the lanyard attachment on it that I didn't want to dirty it up. But I bravely bit the bullet (no pun intended) and took it out to my range where I set an IDPA target up and started blasting away with some older 158 gr LSWC rounds that I got from Bullseye in Wichita. It was all fairly close-range, about five or six yards at the max, (typical self-defense distance) and for the most part I did not use the sights.

Accuracy in my hands was more than acceptable, which did not really surprise me, as this was the gun that I used when I took Bill Regina's service and snub-nose revolver class in Wichita about four years ago. I tied for first place in the final qualification shoot, with ksccw member 357Mag's wife being the person I was tied with.

Being as how this is the gun I would take with me on any outdoor jaunts, such as up to Alaska, or if I ever go to sea, I shot with the lanyard attached to the gun and around my neck, and ran into a slight problem. I was using an old air force surplus holster with the hook attachment for the web pistol belt and found that the lanyard cord would get tangled with the hook on the holster. This may take some experimenting to deal with and I might have to switch some stuff around. I'll figure it out.

It might be noted that it is a fixed sight revolver. This I feel, adds to the ruggedness for there are no adjustable sights to knock out of alignment, and as I don't intend this to be a target gun, it can get banged around a bit without this worry. Besides, I don't think that adjustable sights are needed on a gun that has the primary function of close-range defense.

Having carried this particular model off and on for over thirty years, I find it to be a darned good choice. It is, as I said earlier, very rugged, and reliable and has a very smooth DA trigger-pull. This one is a keeper.

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Let's be careful out there

This is a lanyard attachment I had a now-retired Kansas gunsmith to put in my 681. He milled the frame of the handgun and tapped the hole. The attachment itself is a Hogue lanyard screw and is removable. There is a quick-link fastener that I put on the attachment to make it easier take the lanyard on or off.

This would be very useful if I were out in the boonies by myself, on a boat, or something similar. Some of you might not see the necessity of it and that's fine, but I have always thought that lanyards were good things to have on some handguns. If I don't need the lanyard attached to the gun, it is easily screwed out and a standard 10-24 thread screw is used to plug the hole so the threads are not damaged.

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Let's be careful out there

I had a M681, but sold it in the classified section last year.
Definitely a nice gun, just to heavy and cumbersome for my old arthritic hands.
This is the reason that I kept my 3” M65-5, it fits and feels natural in my hand.

I'll admit that I'm not all that interested in L-frames, but I still think about a 681 I passed up. About 25-ish years ago, I was looking around at a gun store and they had a bunch of 4" 681s from a police department that had recently switched to semi-autos. Asking price was $250 each.

I have a 681 , bought it about 10 yrs ago . It is stamped " CAI " on the barrel . Stands for Century Arms Int'l . My research led me to believe that it came from " down under " , Aussie or maybe New Zealand . It is very accurate . I don't hardly ever shoot 38's in it . It was made for 357's and thats what it gets . I have even loaded 180grs cast bullets on top of a max load of W296 ( current load data ) . It wasn't uncomfortable to shoot at all and again ---- very accurate . I have no plans on selling it . Regards, Paul

This is a picture of MY 681.

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Let's be careful out there

Well, it only took you 18 months to put up a photo!!! Hey, I'm just pulling your leg-no offense intended, very nice revolver. I love the 686 no dash I have, the fact that it was my late father's certainly makes it special.

As much as I like the K frame, the L is an outstanding revolver-it seems like in the last couple of years they're getting a deeper sense of appreciation perhaps. Thanks for adding the photo!

Please, kind sir, think nothing of it. I was not offended in the least.

There are three L-frames that I carry the most: the 681, a 4" 686, and a 5" 986. All three are superb handguns, and I am well-served by any of them.

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Let's be careful out there

This is my target after shooting my 681 in late May. This was my first time shooting since April of '21.



Now that the Enid, OK area has a range, I plan to do more shooting

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Let's be careful out there

I got a 681 back in 1983 when I was a cop. The L frames just came out and the wait time was three to six months depending if you wanted 681 or 686 six inch or four inch. (581 and 586 the blue models were available too)

Good shooting.

What's not to like?

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