Looking at my local pawn shop today I found a 681 no dash. They said it is an 80-81. I thought it was probably older than that, but I don’t know. I will post a picture soon. But they said they would take $900 out the door including tax. This seemed reasonable, but maybe not a real good price. What is a good price on one of these? It is stainless, or nickel, and has a 4 inch barrel. Thanks

681 is stainless......price seems a bit high to me at $825 before tax and fees ..... but in these troubled times you don't see many 681 for sale.... And I'm old enough to remember them new for less than $300.

The L frame was introduced IIRC in 1979 or 80.

May or maynot have the M mod? Not a big deal IMO and I think S&W will still do the mod.

If it's in good shape it won't last long.

I recently paid between 750-800 for a 581 nickel. But I probably would have paid 9. You just don't see them every day. I personally think a 4" L frame .357 is the ultimate combat revolver. With fixed sights, even more so. If you told me I was going to war tomorrow and had to bring a revolver, I would take my 581. The price seems a little high, but not overly so. If you like the gun, I say go for it. I don't see these doing anything but increasing in value in the future.

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The best I can with what I got

Here is a pic.



I wasn't looking or even really wanting another 357. I would like to have a 44 mag. I saw it, held it, and it felt nice. It is marked higher, I said I would think about it and he said I will take $900 out the door tax and all. It didn't seem like a bad deal, but not a steel. If however I had posted and was told you can't find one like that under $1500 or something, I would probably be all over it. I did a quick GB search on my phone, and it seemed it was maybe slightly less then GB, but that didn't tell me a lot.

In the DFW area they would have little trouble moving that gun for $900 out the door.

Ok I think I will pass for that price. Not like I was looking for another 357, I just liked it after I held it.

Not a grail gun and not a steal. Keep looking for your .44.

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The best I can with what I got

Finding original grips would add to the cost

I bought a 681 a few yrs ago , pd $575 is memory is correct . Thought I paid too much at the time but I wanted it . I already had a 686 , 4" that I bought from a retired LEO . I still have both . Regards Paul

In a couple years the difference won’t matter.

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Sure you did

Just an fyi my no dash 686 has a serial prefix of AAB and was purchased new by my late father in September of 1981.

I agree, the price is too high but in these strange times someone will pay it.

One reason I was even considering getting it was it probably isn’t going to be any cheaper. 5-10 years down the road it might have almost doubled in value. However that really only matters if you sell it. I tend to horde my guns and not sure I would ever sell one.


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With current demand and trends with guns, it wouldn’t surprise me. The fixed sight revolvers for a long time were the budget L frame models. Now they have grown considerably in value. Honestly I hope the market slows down, I’d love to be able to afford a 681 but not at their current prices.


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I have a 681 4" no dash no M overstamp that I got from a member here about a year or so ago. It came with the original box with papers, and OEM period correct Target grips (it would have been shipped with PC Magnas, but I like the Targets better).
IIRC I paid $825 shipped. I think that was fair.
I think $900 is a little much, with aftermarket grips and no box. But these are strange times.

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BTDT, Got The T-Shirt

It does come with the box. Not sure what else. I didn’t check to see if it came with extra grips or anything else.


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I bought a 681 about 3 years ago for $575. That gun is the most accurate gun I own. With Pachmayr Gripper grips, head shots at 15 yards are easy all day. Shotgun hulls on the hill at 10 yards are toast. Excellent gun, but $900 is stupid high in my opinion.

I bet they will go for over $1000 regularly in a couple of years. If you like it, I'd buy it. It took me a few years to find one, when I did I paid more than I wanted to. But, I enjoy it. 681 aren't easy to find.

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I found one that was part of the sportsman’s warehouse CAI deal for $600. It was pretty rough on the outside but I sat and polished it and put a Wilson combat spring kit in it. When I finally got to shoot it the thing turned out to be a complete tack driver and shoots right to point of aim. It’s now one of my favorite(and cheapest) smiths.

Same here.

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GOA FL Dir. & Nat. Spokesman

We see a foto of the gun with its $989 price tag, we read of the shop owner doing our OP a 'favor' by lowering the $ to $900, but we haven't heard anything about its condition. Some posters will remember the 681 has been a grail gun for me, but frankly, it is losing its allure. I realize there is a "market" somewhere out there, but that "market" is turning me off more and more even though I could easily afford that gun. YMMV

Kaaskop49
Shield #5103

In the early 1980s, I paid $250 for a new 681.

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Let's be careful out there

If $900 buys you happiness, would you spend the $900 in question?

Or, would you be stubborn and say: "maybe next month I can purchase my happiness for $500?"

The question of life???

I had never seen a 681 in a gun store until last year. Then I found these two within a few months. The 681 with the Pachmayr grips is marked “CRPD” for CONRAIL Rail Road Police. It is .38 Special. The other 681 is .357 Magnum.

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In 1980 I paid $13,000 for a new vette, now they’re $63,000 ( try finding one for that) to $100,000+.

$250 in 1981 is $755 today.

That was then, this is now.

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Sure you did

At some point I want to add a CRPD marked 681 to the collection.

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BTDT, Got The T-Shirt

Seems like prices went up since I chopped one.

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Sure you did

Years ago I "picked up" a CRPD 681 in a local gunshop...... when I saw it was a .38spl. I laid it back down and walked away!

Too much gun for a .38 IMHO...... collectable? Maybe????

There are the times I paid 10% more than I wanted. If I went through with the deal I’d try to be a little fragile in the ongoing weeks. Before long that extra $75-100 was long forgotten.

As to the 38 spcl only guns, especially is a strong frame, the ‘+P’ is usually enough anyway.

That is a wicked looking revolver, I like it.

Yeah, a collectible, I like trains and such. I'd REALLY like a ConRail Police marked 4043, but I've never seen one anywhere.

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BTDT, Got The T-Shirt

I have the 581 and keep looking for the 681 and the prices keep going up….

If it's nice and tight, I'd jump on that for 900 bucks. But I've been wanting one for a good while.

OSHP issued 681's to replace "C" & "D" prefix Model 10 HB's. Only .38 Spec+P ammunition was issued. Issued with choice of two sizes of Pachmayr Gripper.



NYSP thought 681 was worth a try too. Unsure of their issued ammunition. This one was not shot much

Picked mine up five or six years ago. One of the CAI imports, Australia supposedly. I think I paid $600 ish back then. Very clean pistol, had the recall done a couple years ago.

Interesting. I thought the NYSP’s last issue was a 4” model 28.

I know for a fact that the 681 4” was the last revolver issued to NYS Conservation Police. Before my time as both agencies has switched to glock 9s before I was hired.

The 681 is what killed the 520 contract. The story I read was that the NYSP contracted S&W to produce fixed site M28s for their next big purchase. While the NYSP reps were at the plant to review production of the M520s, someone showed them the brand new M681 that they developed. NYSP changed the order to 681s and the 520s were sold off to the general public - and it took them a couple years to get rid of them.

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My sgntr is mor thn 30 chrctrs

Traded a M&P 45 straight across for mine:

One of the best trades I ever made.

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-jwk-
US Army '72-'95