Anybody love 686's?

Lt.Donn · Tuesday at 12:20 PM

ACE10000D said:
Thought I would share my collection of pre-lock 686's with a brief description of each. Enjoy. If you have any rare ones, please show them off here.

WOW...I am so not worthy...I only own one

dobegrant · Tuesday at 12:43 PM

Very nice collection, I have a 4” and a 6.5”

jrc1 · Tuesday at 2:24 PM

I have a couple of silhouettes both are -1

Mike SC Hunter · Tuesday at 4:12 PM

NOPE..........Don't like look/profile/underlug.
BUT!!!!!!!..........I do love my old 686 Mtn gun from the first run.

Baxter6551 · Tuesday at 4:13 PM

I’m late to the L Frame Club. Started Law Enforcement with a model 28 then 65. Collected mostly K and J frames over the years. Came across a 2.5 inch 686-4 that needed some work (had to replace badly bobbed hammer and thinned trigger). A year later a beautiful 4 inch. What great revolvers. Would have gladly carried one as a duty gun.

MoparTrooper · Tuesday at 10:13 PM

My dad carried the black-gripped 686 with the Colorado State Patrol until they switched to 5906's and he purchased his duty gun back from S&W. The CSP was one of the first agencies in the country to issue the 686 when it was introduced in 1981. He gave it to me when I became a Police Officer in 1993 and I carried it for a year or so until I moved to a .40 Beretta. Still one of my favorite guns. I even bought another very early no-dash for my GF and she loves hers too. Note: The S&W seal moved from the right side of the gun to the left side in 1982 as I recall, the second year of 686 production.

Jeep 1 · Tuesday at 10:46 PM

Here’s my 3 CS-1

Tom

afibstew · Tuesday at 10:55 PM

My 3-5-7’s

BabaBlueJay · Tuesday at 11:30 PM

This 686-3 is so good it is the only S&W I own. Any other gun would just be compared unfavorably to this one. As someone noted, trigger smooth as silk and breaks like a glass rod. Whoever said that was dead on like this revolver. God forbid I ever have to use a gun in self defense, I hope this is the one I have in that moment.

Lt.Donn · 2025-06-18T06:00:03-0400

MoparTrooper said:
My dad carried the black-gripped 686 with the Colorado State Patrol until they switched to 5906's and he purchased his duty gun back from S&W. The CSP was one of the first agencies in the country to issue the 686 when it was introduced in 1981. He gave it to me when I became a Police Officer in 1993 and I carried it for a year or so until I moved to a .40 Beretta. Still one of my favorite guns. I even bought another very early no-dash for my GF and she loves hers too. Note: The S&W seal moved from the right side of the gun to the left side in 1982 as I recall, the second year of 686 production. View attachment 767854
View attachment 767855
View attachment 767856

And, for those who may wonder...those grips are Safariland/Rogers...they were Very popular in the late 70's-80's and are still sought after today. I met BR years ago and asked about the grips...he sold the entire lot to a fellow who lives in GA not too far from me. I contacted him and was able to purchase some round butt models. They are phenomenal for their fit and feel on a "working" Smith...not for show, however I don't think they look bad.
You can PM me if you want the contact info for the man who owns the remainder of them

jrod · 2025-06-18T10:05:50-0400

Gunny209 said:
I like the 686/586 line, but I love the 681/581! Never had. Need for adjustable sights. And mine shoot like lasers with the fixed sights.

The first S&W I bought was a 681.

s3dcor · 2025-06-18T10:59:36-0400

I do, I do.

65-2x2 · 2025-06-18T11:15:56-0400

There are some gorgeous pieces in this thread. Thanks to everyone who posted pics.

ACE10000D · 2025-06-18T13:20:49-0400

For sure, I hope we see some more rare/uncommon ones.

Mike LaNier · 2025-06-18T14:23:31-0400

I carried a 4" Model 13 for years as a duty gun, but after I retired I lost it in a wildfire that burned our house (and 2500 others) to the ground. Replaced it with a 3", RB, 686+, and haven't looked back. It shares my affection with a 2 1/2" Model 19 RB. Sorry, I can't post pictures since I have no cell phone nor a camera, but trust me, they're nice!

Baltimoreed11754 · 2025-06-18T14:34:05-0400

Nice collection of Smiths. My preference is for the N frames, 625s and older .455 Hand Ejectors. But I do have a few .38 HEs.

raygixxer89 · 2025-06-18T15:04:07-0400

I love my no- dash.

jrc1 · 2025-06-18T18:24:02-0400

Here are my 686-5+ except for the new mountain gun it’s a-7

RestingBear · 2025-06-19T09:00:19-0400

I only have one. It was issued to me about a month before my graduation from the Missouri State Highway Patrol Academy in April, 1983 (Was originally issued a 4” Model 66). I carried it on duty for about 8 years. We transitioned to Glock G-22’s in 1991, at which time I was able to buy this gun and the Model 60 J-Frame that we carried off-duty. If memory serves, I gave $165 for the 686 and $155 for the 60. Pretty sure I could get my money back!

I now own a lot of handguns but this one remains my favorite to shoot!

SGT ROCK 11B · 2025-06-19T10:29:47-0400

Gunny209 said:
I like the 686/586 line, but I love the 681/581! Never had. Need for adjustable sights. And mine shoot like lasers with the fixed sights.

Interesting observation.

When I first became a cop. 98% of cops carried a revolver. So I wonder why some Model 19s had RR/WO and others did not and what about the Model 10s?

So the old salts said RR/WO were premium revolvers, without were the affordable ones and fixed sights were economy class.

When 1981 and the launch of the L Frame I was first in line for the 686. I later added a 681 and a few more LFrames.

Just my story from 50+ years ago.

Anybody love 686's?

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