A very good friend of mine retired recently. He's been my mentor through my career and we worked side-by-side as our department's firearms instructors since 2000.

He decided to sell off firearms that have sat unloved in his safe and gave me first dibs to buy several of them.

This no dash 686 was my first pick. No M stamp, with a worn pair of Pachmayrs and a smooth trigger, it was his first duty gun and his main competition wheelgun. He's been a Smith armorer for almost three decades and the action is smooth as silk.

Its condition and inner workings were enough to buy it, but the fact it came from a good friend made it a must-have.