The S&W 681 is it considered collectable

D

DeafSmith

Member
Joined
Dec 24, 2002
Messages
908
Reaction score
1,362
Location
USA
So I found one at a pawn shop. $450 + tax.

4 inch bbl, stainless, fixed sights, rather large S&W wood grips (but they are plain, like older presentation grips.) Looks like no one messed with it. Has no endshake but a slight amount of crane shake (that is the crane moves very slightly to on side if pushed in the same direction as it opens Might be the ejector rod is very slightly bent

Are they really collectable or best as shooters? This one has no box or papers.
 
Register to hide this ad
Not commonly seen, but certainly not rare. Some department marked guns may have a little more value to some. The 581, blue version, is probably a little more desirable. I have both versions, and they well used at the range. Collectible? Maybe. IMO, they two of the best looking revolvers ever made. Fixed sight service guns are among my very favorites. If you push on the cylinder of many newer revolvers, you can create a gap between the yoke and frame. I've found this to be more prevalent in stainless steel guns. I wouldn't over think that or worry about it if the gun wasn't abused. If the gun was worn out, the frame to yoke fit might be loose without pushing on the cylinder. My old blue guns have no such movement, and you can barely see the seam where the frame and yoke meet. One place where there is a real "gap" between the old and the new. I think you bought it at a fair price if the condition is really good.
 
Last edited:
The 681 is a lot of revolver for that money. I looked for years before finding one. Is it collectable, well there are a lot of people like me who
want one of everything so it is likely collectable to quite a few of us. If
I found another one at that price I would buy it too.
 
Several yrs ago , there was a bunch of them listed on Gunbroker . That was when I got mine . They were all roll stamped " CAI " Century Arms International . Supposedly either came back from Australia or New Zealand . I have carried mine for yrs now . It's very accurate , light and easy to carry .
 
If you are deciding whether or not to shoot this gun, I say shoot it - a lot! It is not so "collectible" that it will lose any value, especially at the your purchase price. Also, you do not have the original stocks or box, lessening its collector appeal. It will be a long, long time before this becomes a rarity and a shame if you missed out on shooting a great revolver.
 
It's a good price, so whether or not it is in "collectible" condition you can enjoy shooting or just looking at it, and easily sell it for more than you paid if it doesn't suit your needs.
 
shoot it

had mine out yeserday -50 rds .38 lead flat nose -great shooting gun 15' out to 50' -better than me -the right size and balance- plus made for .357 -if you buy it -you collected it
 
The 681 was the issue revolver of choice for many police agencies. I have one from my old agency - New York State Police. The NYST 681 was the issue gun from 1981 - 1990. They bought several thousand of them for issue to uniformed state troopers. S&W marked most 681s destined for police service on the left frame below the cylinder cutout.
 
I've sold several out of my collection in the last couple of years. I got $600 for mine without box and papers. Your's sounds like a good deal.
 
Not what I'd call collectable. But definitely very desirable. I have one that I'd hate to part with.

At the price given, if a man wants a 681, that would be one to jump on.
 
Maybe not "collectible" right now, but "likeable" for sure. I've had this one forever.

100_1358_zpsdc2032ce.jpg



Bought a NYSP 681 just yesterday, waiting on the long coast to coast trip.
 
Ok, a question. The underlug.

Now if I came across a 'shooter' that was used enough to not really qualify as a collector piece,
and it shot dead on, would having a smith take the lug off enough so it looked more like a S&W 66
or half-lug Ruger GP100 (instead of a fake Python which I think S&W wanted it to look like) would
the taking off of the metal warp the barrel or hurt it in any way?

I just don't need all that weight forward. I have a Ruger GP-100 half lug and that is they way I want it to be.

And yes, I know were a shooter version is and I could get it to!

Thanks!
 
Since you are probably one of the few people on the planet wanting to spend money on reducing a 686 underlug, very few people can answer based on first hand knowledge.

Your gun and money so do what you want. Let us know how it turns out.
 
DeafSmith said:
Ok, a question. The underlug.

Now if I came across a 'shooter' that was used enough to not really qualify as a collector piece,
and it shot dead on, would having a smith take the lug off enough so it looked more like a S&W 66
or half-lug Ruger GP100 (instead of a fake Python which I think S&W wanted it to look like) would
the taking off of the metal warp the barrel or hurt it in any way?

I just don't need all that weight forward. I have a Ruger GP-100 half lug and that is they way I want it to be.

And yes, I know were a shooter version is and I could get it to!

Thanks!
Click to expand...

It's your money. :)

If/when I find a beater 681 I'd cut it down to 3", round butt it, and maybe bob the hammer.
 
DeafSmith said:
So I found one at a pawn shop. $450 + tax.

4 inch bbl, stainless, fixed sights, rather large S&W wood grips (but they are plain, like older presentation grips.) Looks like no one messed with it. Has no endshake but a slight amount of crane shake (that is the crane moves very slightly to on side if pushed in the same direction as it opens Might be the ejector rod is very slightly bent

Are they really collectable or best as shooters? This one has no box or papers.
Click to expand...

They aren't collectable to me!

Good shooter, but I have no interest in 3 model digit Smiths.
 
Yes, someone has done or has thought about doing the half-lug treatment on the 581/681, but by the time you pay for the gun and modification you might just look for a model 619, a 7-shot L frame but with the lock.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

T
S&W Model 681
Replies
0
Views
22
turnr848
T
HeavyLoad
S&W 681
2 3
Replies
50
Views
3K
681ismyfavorite
681ismyfavorite
S
681/686 Deal
Replies
19
Views
1K
stansdds
S
francoisallais
Model 22 of 1917: what is the right section for this S&W?
Replies
12
Views
407
francoisallais
francoisallais
SLT223
Was there ever 2" 681/581
Replies
6
Views
529
murphydog
murphydog

Latest posts

Back
Top