Please excuse my ignorance as I am a rookie revolver shooter. I have a 686 Plus and have been thinking of shooting it for giggles in our weekly defensive pistol league (IDPA-ish). How can I tell if my cylinder will accept moon clips? What am I looking for? They're not that expensive but I didn't want to purchase any if they aren't going to work without some smithing. I'm not the original owner so I don't know what all may or may not have been done.

Thanks in advance,

Krink

The 686 Plus's cyinder was not cut for moonclips at the factory. However sevral individuals offer that conversion - TK Custom come to mind right off the bat. I use the Ranch Products moonclips which are quite inexpensive at $75 per 100.

I had one cut for clips and found them to be of little advantage with long skinny .38s flopping around in thin clips; unlike the .45s.
Maybe I did not have the technique down right.
Maybe some good speedloaders would serve you as well. They do me.

If your cylinder was cut for clips, it will have a thin "rim" around the outside and be recessed to accommodate the moons inside that. See the pictures on the first page of this site:

Welcome to TK Custom.com & Moonclips.com

.38 Special / .357 Magnum moon clips are very brass sensitive. Different brands of moons will provide acceptable "jiggle" with different brands of brass.

I find moons in the 686 about the same speed as a Safariland Comp III speedloader. The problem is, they don't make Comp III's for the 7 shot guns.

A clear advantage for moons is that they provide for positive extraction. You never get one hanger or a rim under the extractor when using moons.

I used a 686+ cut by Mark Hartshorn of Pinnacle High Performance as a low cost ICORE gun for a few years before picking up a 627. Overall, I was very pleased with the compromise. My old 686 ICORE gun: