S&W 686 series 5 - good?

Hi all,

I'm from Germany and I would like to buy a Revolver. Since it's my first Revoler I'm trying get as much informations as I could get.

I really like the 686 from S&W as .357/Magnum with a 6" barrel.

Normally I would buy a new one (about 1500.-USD) but today I got an offering for a used S&W 686-5 with Performance Center production. And thats for a good price at 1200.-USD. A new Performance Center Costs around 2550.-USD.
I think the Revolver production date is end of the 90s.

And yes, since it's my first Revolver I don't know if the offering of the used one is fair / good. The Reseller says it's in a very good condition with only 0,2mm drum gap (sorry I don't know how to translate "Trommelspalt" from german to english!!).

Especially my Questions are:
- Are there any downsides compared to a current 686-6 Revolver? Is series 6 much better?
- Is the Performance Center a good Quality or is a new one better?
- What would you go for and why?

Many thanks for all your opinions and answers!!

Cheers to all Revolver fans from Germany
flashy

Welcome to the S&W Forums, flashbeem!

In my opinion, (everyone has their own), the -5 one would be a very good choice. A 0,2mm cylinder gap is OK. Every gun is an individual entity, composed of the parts it is made of, and their individual plus or minus tolerances. The used one may well be better than a new one, or it may not.

It is most likely that it will be fine and give good service for many years. The only way to know for sure is to be a competent revolver gunsmith and see that particular one in person. Nearly all problems that crop up are of a minor nature and easily fixed by someone with the knowledge of S&W revos and the right tools.

Hi from North Dakota. Any version of the S&W 686 is world class for sure.

I would take a no lock gun over the internal lock gun. The fact that the no lock gun is a relative discount to me is attractive. That being said I haven’t seen the gun in question. If it’s in excellent condition, then I would say go for the 696-5, save a few bucks, and have a gun with no internal lock.

By the way, thanks for “trommelspalt”! Now I know how to specify my “barrel to cylinder gap” from Korth when luck shines my why and I can order one.

Guten abend, Herr flashy('morgen' for you, by the time you see this).

Others here are more expert than I, and will correct any errors I make, but I have some knowledge and experience(and of course an opinion) since I currently own a -6 model and a -4 model(which you're calling a 'series' 6 or 4).

Opinions:

-The conversion chart I consulted says a .2mm barrel-to-cylinder gap=.00787 (thousandths). (Remember that here in the US we still use the English measuring system primarily). This would be a larger gap then many of us would want, but as I understand it is still within Smith and Wesson's specifications, so it should be OK, though velocities may be a little lower than with a .004 gap, which in my view is about ideal.

-There is no downside to choosing a -5 over a -6, though quality varies somewhat between individual guns -some -6s may be better in fit or finish, etc. than some -5s. As another poster mentioned, the main difference between the two, at least in the standard production 686, is that the -6 has the internal lock, which many of us here tend to avoid for one or more reasons.

-Generally speaking the Performance Center revolvers are supposed to be of higher quality than standard production guns, but in recent years some users report receiving PC guns with significant problems. I would not want one, but my objection would be to the higher price and different appearance -which of course is an issue of taste.


Have you been able to examine the revolvers you're considering? That would be a real help in making a decision if it is possible for you. You may find that one or the other has a rough trigger pull, for instance, or some unsightly tool marks somewhere, or the used one may have a questionable amount of 'endshake'(fore and aft wear allowing the cylinder to move back and forth too much), or something else. If you would like to know how to examine and evaluate a revolver, try the search function on this site, and there are a number of threads which will lead you through the process.

Let us know how things turn out, and show us a picture or two if possible.

Best wishes,
Andy

I did not think American revolvers were so expensive in Germany.

Make sure you physically inspect it first!

Snowman (Andy):
"...The conversion chart I consulted says a .2mm barrel-to-cylinder gap=.00787 (thousandths). (Remember that here in the US we still use the English measuring system primarily). This would be a larger gap then many of us would want, but as I understand it is still within Smith and Wesson's specifications, so it should be OK, though velocities may be a little lower than with a .004 gap, which in my view is about ideal..."

As Andy states, that 0.008in gap is on the large size. For what it is worth, I had my second 686 No-Dash B/C gap reset from 0.009in (0.229mm), down to 0.003in (0.076mm) at a local gun shop for less than $300. USD. I am very happy with the result.

I don't know what options you have regarding German gun shops and their work, but you might want to consider such options concerning having the B/C gap adjusted.

I have 2 686-5's , a six shot and a seven shot . I've never had a problem with either one . They are both accurate and will outlive me . Every S&W person should have at least one 686 , they are iconic .

Protocall_Design said:

Welcome to the S&W Forums, flashbeem!

In my opinion, (everyone has their own), the -5 one would be a very good choice. A 0,2mm cylinder gap is OK. Every gun is an individual entity, composed of the parts it is made of, and their individual plus or minus tolerances. The used one may well be better than a new one, or it may not.

It is most likely that it will be fine and give good service for many years. The only way to know for sure is to be a competent revolver gunsmith and see that particular one in person. Nearly all problems that crop up are of a minor nature and easily fixed by someone with the knowledge of S&W revos and the right tools.

Click to expand...

I was reading today about 4 hours about the S&W and many S&W owners really prefer the 686-4 and 686-5 over the 686-6.
I have to admit that my buy decision is mainly by the S&W design and appearance I'm sure that every 686 shoots fine!

OLDSTER said:

Hi from North Dakota. Any version of the S&W 686 is world class for sure.

Click to expand...

Hi there! "World class" is the correct phrase for a 686

SLT223 said:

I would take a no lock gun over the internal lock gun. The fact that the no lock gun is a relative discount to me is attractive. That being said I haven’t seen the gun in question. If it’s in excellent condition, then I would say go for the 696-5, save a few bucks, and have a gun with no internal lock.

By the way, thanks for “trommelspalt”! Now I know how to specify my “barrel to cylinder gap” from Korth when luck shines my why and I can order one.

Click to expand...

Thanks for your opinion! I absolutely second your posting/opinion! Saving some bucks is the key and getting a 686-5 makes the deal perfect for me
You want to order a Korth? Oh my... what a dream. That's for sure a class higher than S&W but I can't afford a Korth revolver

snowman said:

Guten abend, Herr flashy('morgen' for you, by the time you see this).

Others here are more expert than I, and will correct any errors I make, but I have some knowledge and experience(and of course an opinion) since I currently own a -6 model and a -4 model(which you're calling a 'series' 6 or 4).

Opinions:
[...]
Have you been able to examine the revolvers you're considering? That would be a real help in making a decision if it is possible for you. You may find that one or the other has a rough trigger pull, for instance, or some unsightly tool marks somewhere, or the used one may have a questionable amount of 'endshake'(fore and aft wear allowing the cylinder to move back and forth too much), or something else. If you would like to know how to examine and evaluate a revolver, try the search function on this site, and there are a number of threads which will lead you through the process.

Let us know how things turn out, and show us a picture or two if possible.

Best wishes,
Andy

Click to expand...

Good morning Andy
you where absolutely right with "guten morgen" for me because I was very curious for your answers!

I was today in the store of the seller and had the chance to have the S&W 686-5 PC "hands-on"! I had a check list what to check for revolvers (timing, barrel, cylinder gap,...) and the seller was extremely helpful and explained everything for me.
What should I say? I'm in love now (haha) with the 686-5 PC! I think it's from the end of the 90s and shot around 3000-5000 bullets. Sure it's not completely new but nevertheless the revolver is in a very good condition.

I will upload some photos here in a new posting. I have now to wait about 4 weeks (bureaucracy and maybe longer due to christmas etc.) to get it!

schutz5 said:

I did not think American revolvers were so expensive in Germany.

Make sure you physically inspect it first!

Click to expand...

Oh yeah. Extremely expensive. And Germany is not the best customer for private arms in the world. So the german importer don't get the best prices for the S&W's.

HorizontalMike said:

As Andy states, that 0.008in gap is on the large size. For what it is worth, I had my second 686 No-Dash B/C gap reset from 0.009in (0.229mm), down to 0.003in (0.076mm) at a local gun shop for less than $300. USD. I am very happy with the result.

I don't know what options you have regarding German gun shops and their work, but you might want to consider such options concerning having the B/C gap adjusted.

Click to expand...

Yippe! That is something I want to read!! The seller told me that the gap is fine as you guys did and now it's even better to know that it could be fixed in the future.

cherrypointmarine said:

I have 2 686-5's , a six shot and a seven shot . I've never had a problem with either one . They are both accurate and will outlive me . Every S&W person should have at least one 686 , they are iconic .

Click to expand...

Well, well, well... I don't know if I should say thank you or not (haha) because now the waiting begins for me and I want it NOW

I buyed/reserved today this 686-5 for me. "True Beauty" for me

I hope you can view the Pictures. Please click (Maybe Right click and "open in new window/tab"!) it to have a better view:

That looks like a 686 Competitor. It is the best one of all. The retail price for that one in the US is $1400, about 2 times what a normal one is. I have 10 686 revos, one is the Competitor, and it's one of my favorite ones. Looks like some high end Nill grips, too.