I do not yet have an L frame, And although I doubt it will get shot much at all, And it’s mainly as part of an accumulation/collection, Which one should I start with? Variant?
I’m thinking 586 No dash 4” blue… But what would be a good starter?
Maybe a -3 after they ironed out the issues?
Or a modded no dash or -2 or -3? -4?
I’m definitely a hammer nose guy and not looking for anything with MIM parts.
Chances are I’ll end up with a blue, nickel Heyand stainless.
Thanks.

-4 is my pick. Last of the really good ones before the rot began to set in.

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-jwk-
US Army '72-'95

Blue steel 586 no dash for me, but Smith nickle is pretty nice too and 586 examples arent that hard to find

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You can't go wrong with either the 586 or 686. I have both and really like them. Great dependable guns. Just a matter if you prefer blue or stainless.

All
I have a 586 no dash. My thoughts on this to shoot it until worn out and then try a 686. Seems to be taking longer than I thought.
Bill@Yuma

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My favorites are the early production ones with the large right side trademark just because they are unique especially like the 4".
The 686-4+ seven shot is probably the high water mark in its evolution, all the early stuff , forged parts, grooved tangs but round butt grip frame.
The 686 no dash snub with finger groove combats is neat.
I saw you don't like mim parts but the 686-5+ Mountain gun gets honorable mention, has mim parts but is pre iL.

On a side note Lipseys will be offering a new production 686+ mountain gun with the iL feature deleted, these would make a nice starting point as well.

I've had this No Dash since 1996. Without the M stamp.
Has worked perfectly with all kinds of cartridges.


This 586 had an 8 3/8 barrel, but it took up too much space, so the gunsmith showed it an angle grinder


686-3

I found this at a local gun shop five years ago. It was very lightly used, it had come from an heirloom for sale.

I have had a 4" 586 and a 6" 686 in the 1990s, I can't remember which dash they were.
The 6" 686 jammed once with Lapua .357 rounds, the box said GENDARMERIE. Apparently they had a soft primer.

The alpha and the omega:
4” 586 ND
2.5” 686-4 plus

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213th FBINA

When it comes to collecting or accumulating L-frame 357's and where to start, keep in mind that there were a lot more 686's produced than 586's and factory nickel plated 586's were made in the smallest numbers.

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VCDL, GOA, NRA

I would go for a 686-4. Seems like a lot of quality went into that particular model. Good luck.

I really like blued guns so 586 would be nice or any 686 -4 or earlier would be the way to go IMO.
My first L frame was a 686-4 snub that Bubba had worked on and cut off the hammer spur and thinned the trigger. Gunsmith replaced both and bead blasted it. Couple years later I found a perfect four inch 686-4. I’m good. Just purchased some excellent VZ grips here on the forum for the 2.5 inch. I put the Uncle Mikes (Spegel) round to square conversions on the 4 inch.

Slight thread drift: if you are considering VZ revolver grips and are reading the descriptions on their website ….. these are the “tactical diamond” which they describe as being more aggressive and very grippy. They feel perfect to me compared to their standard non checkered model which I have on my 442. I don’t think they are overly agressive or grippy at all. They have a nice palm swell and fit my frame perfectly. I think they will be perfect shooting magnum loads.

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I'd start with a 586 Nickel, then a blue 586 , and lastly a 686 all in 4".
Only because I prefer the blue over stainless.
Once you have those then you can start collecting the various barrel lengths. That should keep you busy for a while.

Don't forget the possibilities, 581 and 681.

+1 for the blue 586 no dash. I’m just not a big stainless guy.

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Some Might Say.

I am an old school guy. 586 would be my 1st choice. My no dash pictured. Did have a 686-3, 6", and have a 686-6 Pro Series, 5", 7 shot. All keepers in my book! Bob

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Well, since you are specifically looking for a collector model it would probably have to be a blued or nickel 586 ND. Although the 686s are great L-frame revolvers, collector value for most SS revolvers isn't as great as the early blued or nickel ones. The exception might be the 3" or 4" Customs Service 686 CS-1s.

I recently purchased my first SS L-frame, a 3" Model 686-6 Plus. But I bought that 7-shooter to carry. You've got a tough decision...but then again you could choose to buy a few different models this year and expand your collection!

And despite an above post neither was ever pinned and recessed. My 686 was bought new by my late dad in Sept. 1981, AAB prefix. I can’t say how many thousands of magnum rounds let alone 38s have been fired and it’s still running just fine with no issues.

Back in 1983 when I bought my 6" M586 I did so for several specific reasons. First, I never intended this as a SD or CCW revolver - too big and heavy for that IMO. Secondly, while stainless will hold up a bit better constantly exposed being to inclement weather, that is something I was not worried about since I am not going to stand in the rain shooting it. I much prefer shooting blued guns, especially in the bright sunlight. Back when I purchased mine new, their blued finish was just beautiful and I really lied the way it looked as well. I primarily wanted a gun that I could shoot as many magnums as I wanted to without fear of frame stretching, excessive wearing and the M586 fit the bill for me. I also wanted a gun that could handle any recoil from any magnum load - again, the 6" L frames are well suited for that.

In the accuracy department the M586 is a champ! It hits anywhere I aim assuming I do my part and the 6" barrel is in my opinion exactly what the 357 magnum cartridge was designed for. After owning it for 42 years I would buy that same configuration in that model all over again.

Bought a 686-4 new in 1994 , a 6" model , has been the 357 that I have shot the most , most likely more than all the other 357s I have ever owned in the past 35+ years combined.

A few years ago picked up a 4" 586-4 , a fantastic shooter - this 586 and the above 686 would be the last 357 revolvers I would ever part with.

I'm gunna just straight up vote 586. It's a bit more rare, and back in the day, they had some pretty impressive bluing. Additionally, If I've read correctly-It holds a bit of a rare historical distinction in that S&W introduced the 686 before the 586 was ever produced. I don't know when else they may have done that, but it seems a rare occasion, if what I've read is correct.

I'm like minded here an apparently, alot with of company. If and when I see a 568 4" I'll be buying. A 686 just doesn't appeal to me the way a blued model does.

What I don't understand, wanting A nickel 586. Why not just buy a 686? That just me.

Yes, I was going to point out that fact as well but decided to let it slide.

If you get a chance, behold them side by side. Also, I just dont think the stainless alloy is as hard as the carbon steel used in blue guns. Maybe thats from a bad experience years ago with a Model 63 I had.

I have a couple L-frames; favorites are a 4" 586-4 factory round butt and a 4" 686 no dash I had round butted in the 80s.

The 686 is my go to .357; the 586 w/ Spegel Birdseye maple grips is my BBQ gun!

There's a certain beauty in a blue 586 with those wood stocks that just isn't there in a 686.

Here's my Nickel 586 No Dash vs. my 686. I like the Nickel better myself. But I will give the durability edge to the 686.

I have 5 L frame 586/686 guns all of them have a 4” or a 6” barrel. It just doesn’t get much better than these.

686 no dash no M. AAD serial

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N.R.A. BENEFACTOR Member

I found the heavy barrel full lug 686 to be a little front heavy for my liking. That's why I'm excited about the new tapered barrel half lug 686+ that was introduced at SHOT last week. I have already asked my dealer to get one for me.

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Only a cold warrior

I had been carrying a model 66 in uniform, but bought a new 586 soon after they were introduced. A fine revolver, but I soon replaced it with a 686. I don't think you can go wrong with any of the 586 or 686 pre lock guns for your accumulation/collection. I still have a couple 686s.

I did have one 686-6 with the lock. It had a warranty issue, but the lock wasn't the problem

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NRA Life, COTEP 640

I second this. If you are going to wear the gun in a holster, I’d favor a 686, but for the purposes you mention, I’d buy the nicest blue or nickel 586 you can find.

I’d also second the “most used” statement. I have “a few” .357s and the ones I’ve always enjoyed firing the most have been L-frames. They strike a nice trade off between the recoil “violence” of a K-frame when used with magnum ammunition and the excess (MHO) weight of the N-frames. That said, you ought to have at least one of all of them.

I have a 586 no dash, a 686 Pro, a 681-1, and a 686-6 Plus.

They all work. The 686 Pro is probably the best of the lot.

This is one of my 686 no dashes and my favorite. It is a retired police duty gun from a small suburban department near me. The wood grips got replaced with the Pachmayr grips back in the day.. I left it like this, it's cool history. The timing and lock up are great on this gun despite being an old LE duty gun. The police department that carried these guns did so with full magnum loads.

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