Finally, after 40 years on Earth I now own my very own 4" 686 7 shot. Has the combat stocks too. Pre lock and fantastical condition.
I remember in '81 walking into Wolfs Gunshop and seeing the new 686 and falling in love, at 12 or 13 years old. Of course I couldn't Express my love of the new S&W because dad was a diehard Ruger man and bought me a Redhawk instead, oh the indignity.😁
Cant wait to get this beauty home. Forgive me father.

Congrats!

A pre-lock 7-shot 686 is one of my Grail Guns !


Please feel free to show pics; we like pics.

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- Post No Bills -

Unless this guy is also a professional photographer the gun looks fantastic and the grips are just stunning, original case to boot. It's too bad I had to overpay for it but I guess, it being one of my "grail" guns, it will be worth it. Yes, I know I overpaid for it but we make our choices so we can live with them.

[url=https://www.gunbroker.com/item/890150204#carousel-modal-view-item]S&W 686-5 7

The Holy Grail of S&W 357's... 4" 7 shot pre-lock 686-4, (is it a -4?) I have everything but the -4 7 shot. That's ok, I am happy..... sort of.

Good for you. I have a 3" and a 5" and I've never seen a 4" for sale around here in the Hudson Valley. They must go right out the door when they come in .
Good luck with it.

It is...........................................................................................
............................................................................................NOT a -4, it's the worst of them all, a -5. I do wish it were a -4, even a 3 but the one -4 I saw and bid on went way beyond my budget and the 2 others also went beyond me but only by dollars but they would do it every time. I'd bid and they would bump me by $2/ or $50 and seemed like they could do it all day long so it's a-5 for me it seems. It matters not though, it has no lock or the hole associated with it. And, I am not a collector by any means nor a purist, I own both new and old Smith's and love them both. I do have a real big soft spot for M27s however. It's too bad I cant look at any on here, every time I try to I just want to puke up my liver because everytime I try I'm instantly reminded that I sold a 3.5" M27 for $700. Granted I only paid $400 for it at a pawnshop I used to haunt. It was in really decent shape too, definitely worth more than the money I got for it and also more than I have for it. Now this was in the ignorance of youth, at least that's what I tell myself. Still can't look at any of the gorgeous M27s here without instantly becoming very, very sad.

Anywho, back to the 686. I hope it is in fact in as good of a condition as it appears in the pics he showed. They're fantastic pics. The gun is absolutely stunningly beautiful, and the grips, the grips are really sweet, they're a deep red set of combats but not S&W, he said he had them made by someone in Italy. This guy is also a builder of some very high end 1911s. He showed me pics of some 1911s he has for sale right now and that he built and wow, they're nice. So I feel good about this one, I think the fellow is a genuine type of gun guy. He told me it has had a total of 49 rounds through it. Let's hope. He probably fired that last round from that box of 50, you know, but he says that's it,

I have a 686-5+ , and I would not classify it as the worst one . Yes , it has the parts everyone likes to bash , but when it comes down to shooting it , I'd put it up against any other 686+ . All the 686+'s out there and the -5 is the worst , that's a pretty big statement .

I have a 686-5+ that I bought off of a friend for $800 a couple of years ago. Original box and papers, and two speed loaders to boot, plus he threw in some ammo. I took it to the range last weekend and had a "blast"!!! It shot great! It has a Hogue grip on it - I'd like to obtain some nice wood or stag grips for it.

Hell, even the "worst" smiths are still amazing firearms. I still don't have a 686, I am blessed with a pre 27 pinto, a model 66-2, a 65-3, and an old model 10-11 Australian police turn in, in excellent shape. BTW Ruger Redhawk's are very nice firearms.

The "worst of them all" statement was hyperbole guys. If it was the worst of them all I wouldn't have bought the thing. I'm super stoked about it. I dont care what dash it is. I own new and old Smith's and love them all. Are they as good as my Rossi 357? Probably not but I like them all the same.

Again, hyperbole.

Congrats on your Distinguished Combat Magnum !

The high water mark for me is the 7 shot 686-4 with its grooved tangs, forged internals and is pre drilled for a scope, only downside is the round butt grip frame.
My second favorite is the 686-5+ Mountain gun, close 3rd is my 686 no dash snub with factory fg combat stocks.

The S&W 686 of any generation ( I happen to own a 4" 686-4) is, IMO, world class, and right up there with the Colt Python, Dan Wesson 15-2, Manurhin 73, and the Korth.

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John

I'll let yall in on this, I actually just recently returned a 686 no dash that the seller said was "unfired" and "pristine ". OK I said, I'll bite. Well, when I went to check it out I was absolutely heartbroken. Heartbroken to see what some people will do to a nice firearm like that. It actually had spots of rust, looked to me like someone went to work on it around the left edge of the trigger guard, the ejector rod was screwed in all the way but still had copious amounts of movement in it, I could grasp the end and move it in a circular motion, it was also very rough when actuated. Serious gouge left side of frame hidden in the photos he sent. On the left side of the recoil sheild in the lower quadrant it again appeared that the dremel devil struck again, thinning out the recoil shield to the point of being like a razor and in some places destroying the edge of it. The yoke did not meet the frame very well. It had too much of a gap for me and it was loose
I could actually move it when it was supposed to be locked up. It was just terrible. The guy did not seem at all surprised when I contacted him and told him that although it was not specified if an inspection period was permitted or not I wanted my money back. Of course he had an excuse about selling the guns for someone else and his descriptions on all the other guns had been spot on and yada yada yada. He agreed to the refund with no apology. I think he knew but hoped that someone who knew nothing bought it and wouldn't know the difference. It seems to be a shame to me what some people will do to another all for money.

May be that I'm wrong but I dont think so in this instance. The no dash would have been awesome to have but still, I'm very excited with my new purchase.

Sounds like you've got the "seller" figured out. He's just looking for a sucker, and fortunately you didn't bite. Some poor sap will bite, and won't know what to look for. At least the seller refunded your money.

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John

I am no revolver expert by any stretch of anyone's imagination but I can read and still at my age able to learn. Revolver inspection checklists are out there a plenty and they're all basically saying the same thing, maybe a few differences here and there but all give the same base info. I always take a screwdriver, flashlight, feeler gauge, and a yoke alignment checker when looking at, for or picking up a revolver. Those tools along with your eyes and some common sense will help tell alot about the condition and whether or not I should spend the money.

If allowed to take it home and have been afforded an inspection period I also have more in depth tools to tell me more. I felt that the money spent on a few diagnostic and repair tools would save me money and frustration and have not felt that those tools were a waste of money.

Just won a 686+, 2.5" 7 shot for $710...new in bx (?, won't know till it arrives).Inputs appreciated. Good deal or over pd. I've been wanting a 357 to go with my 629-1, 44mag. Seems I lucked into this one. These are photos of a 686+, supposedly for illustrative purposes only. Did I do good?

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Just a little reminder to the forum that there was only one grail.

The last supper was not a buffet.

This is how a problem starts!

; D

If Jesus carried a firearm it would have been a S&W 686-4 four inch barrel seven shooter. But we all know He carried a Light Saber!

Ya never know, it looks OK, but the first two things I look for are not clearly visible; I look for crisp, clean, unbuggered screws, and a clean, sharp, side plate seam. Good luck-post some photos when you receive it.

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John

Pretty sure Jesus preferred a phased plasma rifle in the 40 Watt range.

Finally! Thirty eight years after seeing my first 686 at Wolffs gunshop with my dad I have one of my very own. Here she is decked out with Culina Bloodwood Signature grade Combats, which were included along with the originals and a set of Houge checkered wood ( ugly laminated wood) grips.

I literally could not be more pleased with both the gun and the sellers utter honesty in describing this speciman. In fact I'd say he was being very modest in his assessment, there is literally not a scratch or blemish that I've found after almost 10 days of fondling it. Contrasted with the first one I bought, a no dash which had been shamefully treated. I'd been ashamed of myself for 1 treating any gun I owned the way that one was treated and 2, lying to someone to cheat them out of their money, and alot of it. Well, I just couldn't abide, the Dude could not abide and demanded my money back. He duth not protest. He knew. I feel truly lucky to have found this one. The chambers and bore are like mirrors, just stunning. The Culinas were just icing on this cake.

How about a small family photo?