Cut or swap 686 barrel?

C

*chris*

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I just bought a 6" 686-4 for a price I could not refuse. The barrel is mag-na-ported and much longer than I need. I already have a bunch of 4" revolvers so I was thinking about either having it cut down to 3" and have a front sight installed or swapping out the barrel with a 2.5" or 3" one.

What is a better strategy? I can have the barrel cut and machined for $190 including the Weigand front sight. The benefit here is the metal finish will match and I can install a fiber optic sight.

I can buy a 2.5" barrel from $100-150 which will cost me $135 to have installed and I will be able to sell the 6" barrel to offset the cost.

Thoughts?

Chris
 
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Maybe it`s just me ,but modified stuff always seems to go bad on me.The 686-4 is the pick of the 686 litter and the most desirable, so may not be such a good idea to molest it.
Another thought for you might be since you got it for a good price sell it for a profit and buy one already set up the way you want it.
 
Well, it's already been molested, so I see nothing wrong with sawing it off.

Looks like a great opportunity to have a 5" S&W. Or as close as you can get after deleting the superfluous holes.
I really liked mine, but IDPA turned against them so I sawed it off again.

An L frame "snubby" is just out of proportion to me.
 
Chris,
Since the barrel is already ported I wouldn't have any second thoughts about a barrel change. The gun has already lost any collector value so set it up the way you want it. The short barrels rule.

Only problem I see with cutting the barrel is the S&W logo and caliber designation will more than likely be off center or at that length maybe partially chopped off. May be better to buy short barrel and then sell the ported barrel to recoup some $$$.

Keep us filled in.
 
Yeah guys the barrel is already molested, last time I reply to a porting thread here. :D

The barrel from the face of the cylinder to the muzzle is 5 7/8" If I cut off all the porting we are down to 4 3/4" or so.

As you mentioned, the roll marks are right in the middle of a 3" barrel length. I wonder if they can be ground off without screwing up the profile too much. Maybe I can turn it into a slab-sided performance center barrel?

One other thing I noticed is that if I swap a 2 1/2" barrel the ejector rod needs to be replaced adding another $30 or so.

I shot it today, and it is really nice, but I can certainly smell the burnt powder unlike with my m28 and 627 that I was also shooting today.

I wonder how lucky/unlucky I would be to get the proper end-shake if I swap the 2.5" barrel myself?

Maybe I am talking myself into leaving it as is or finding a 2.5" barrel cheap. I assume a cut 3" barrel gun would have even less value than a mag-na-ported 6" unmolested model.

Chris
 
I've only ever seen one S&W with a chopped barrel.
It was a P&R K-22. :eek: :( :confused:
It looked awful.
The side of the barrel said something like "Smith & Wess". :(


Like has been posted, you may lose some of your lettering on the barrel if you cut it, and if you replace it, you have one to sell to offset the cost.
 
Last edited:
I see two possibles here.

A 3" 686-4 would be my first choice.

Next would be to find an ICORE Shooter and sell it as is, and find another one.

Bob
 
Hillbilly77 said:
I've only ever seen one S&W with a chopped barrel.

The side of the barrel said something like "Smith & Wess". :(
Click to expand...

I wonder if you can grind off the roll mark? It is pretty deep unlike the laser engraving that they use now.

I wouldn't mind having a 2.5 or 3" one as a range toy. I am down to 3 options.

1. shoot it as-is
2. find a 2.5" or 3" barrel and do the swap
3. cut it down to 5" to remove the ports and put in a fiber optic front sight. It would match my 5" 629 which I really like and the roll marks would be unmolested.

Chris
 
Putting more money in it just turns a good buy into a not so good buy thats been modified and worth even less than a factory piece. Id leave it alone and mot through my money away.
 
Why don't you offer it up for a trade for a 686 with a shorter barrel length? You never know, you might find a person who has a glut of short barrel 686's in their safe, and a hankering for a 6" ported version? :)

Seriously, you would need to add cash (which could potentially add up to about the same amount that you'd spend to swap barrels).

Here's what I'd do (in order of preference):
1) Offer the trade, let it sit for a month if necessary while you shop for a 3" barrel.

2) If no trade deal comes up, buy a 3" barrel so that you can use the same ejector rod setup. (Personally, I can't stand the short "throw" of the ejector used with a 2.5" barrel over a 3" barrel, which uses the "full length" ejector rod).

3) Have the current barrel cut down, and use the opportunity to install a fiber-optic front sight, or at the very least, have a configuration machined into the barrel to permit interchangeable front sights. Also, have a gunsmith (or competent machinist) remove enough material from the sides of the barrel to "erase" the lettering in the barrel. No need to go wild with this, and create a monster. Take just enough off to remove the lettering.

Just my $0.02!

Lou
 
I would think that any competent custom shop could cut the barrel and remove the roll marks. This might entail a polish or bead blast job to blend the work area. A nice front sight setup could also be added at this time. The job would cost but you would have one mighty fine custom suited to you.
 
Gotta disagree with my buddy KLYDE here who really knows guns. I'm old enough to remember the 70s when modification of Series 70 .45 Governments was the hot thing. The used gun shelves of LGSs were full of heavily modded, tricked-out .45s that their owners had lost interest in because they had overdone their mods and the guns were less valuable (mods are personal) or less functional.

Sell it as it is and buy something closer to (or exactly) what you want. You'll be happier for it. Believe me, I have gone down this road and have not been happy.
 
Lots of good advice here. We're all different and how we spend money (and how we feel about spending it) varies all over the place. I am cheap about almost everything I do but I don't have a problem with spending money to fix up a gun like I want it, as long as I am not screwing up something that is rare or valuable. If you're inclined to rebarrel the gun, go ahead. The -4 is a nice version of the 686, and if you prefer a 3-, 4-, or 5-inch barrel, have at it. Rebarreling would seem like a better approach to me than chopping the existing barrel and installing a Weigand sight base, but if you really like the fiber optic front sights, then it makes a lot of sense to do it that way. Either plan sounds OK to me. If you are the type who agonizes about whether he can recover every dollar spent on a firearm, then by all means, sell the gun and forget the whole idea.
 
You guys give good advice, I am not too worried about recovering "all my costs" but I don't want to waste money either. Once I get around $1000 I could just buy what I want.

Right now I paid $400 for the gun so I feel I have $300 or so to play with before I actually lose any money. The guy working the counter offered me $500 for the gun on the spot. I think the barrel chopping is generally a bad idea and I will have to make excuses whenever I try to sell it. I can chop it to 5", lose the ports, and have the roll marks centered, that would be pretty cool and would set me back $200 all in. Problem is I kind of want a snubby L frame so maybe I need to wait for a 2.5" or 3" barrel of the proper vintage to appear.

I am thinking about taking it into another direction, why not turn it into a hunter? It is drilled and tapped and it would be interesting to put a 2x28 scope on it and fire full house 357 mags. The ports would be welcomed for hunting and it would fit together nicely.

Any recommendations for handgun scopes? How are the Weaver 2x28 scopes? Handgun hunting is legal in NH and ME here.

Chris
 
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