A 686 was my first centerfire handgun purchase back in the 80's, shortly after they came out. I was a new handloader and thought magnums were cool, and while most of my ammo was hot, it wasn't any hotter than factory ammo. In four years I put a hair over 46,000 rounds through it, and it went back to the factory twice to be re-timed. I was doing PD training at the time, and showing the new kids that you could shoot hot ammo fast if you practiced. I traded that gun off when it started getting loose again, to a guy who needed a nightstand gun.

I've bought several 357's since then, but none felt as good as The Real Thing, so I bought another 686. This one gets treated a lot better........it doesn't get shot as much. But it still sees full-power ammo.