686-3 marked "Perfomance Tuned"

lazygenius

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Hey guys. I'm a newbie on this forum so go easy....I've got a 686-3 snubby with the words "Performance Tuned" engraved on the side. It's Magna Ported as well with a yellow insert on the front site. Any info? Is this a "pre-Performance Center"?
 
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This version is not listed in the standard S & W reference, so it was likely modified by or with the help of Mag-Na-Port. A call to them may let you know.
 
Hey guys. I'm a newbie on this forum so go easy....I've got a 686-3 snubby with the words "Performance Tuned" engraved on the side. It's Magna Ported as well with a yellow insert on the front site. Any info? Is this a "pre-Performance Center"?
Welcome to the Forum.

That sounds like an interesting 686, posting a pic or two would be good.
 
viewer


Thanks everyone. The guy I got it from said it was done through the factory and the "M" on the box denoted it. Just curious as to what I have.
 
Since you've got the box the following four things would really help us ID your gun:

1) Product Code (6-digit number, begins with "1").
2) S/N.
3) Spec. Ord. number (4-digit number).
4) Any letter codes on the end label. For example: S, SB, CT, TH, CS, WO. Anything like that.​

The Performance Center was formed in 1989. Your -3 was made in 1988 to 1993, so it could be a PC gun. When you share the info above we'll be able to tell for sure.
 
This was a magnaport done revolver. I'm very sure of it. They offer it still to this day I believe.

Very cool gun, just not done by smith and Wesson

The M stamp was to fix the hammer nose bushing and the "M" only denotes that not anything else.

Hope that helps. The 686's were recalled for this.

Sweet Little Handejector you have there
 
...

The M stamp was to fix the hammer nose bushing and the "M" only denotes that not anything else.

Hope that helps. The 686's were recalled for this.

Sweet Little Handejector you have there

I thought the problem was only with no-dash and -1 revolvers, and that the problem was resolved with the intro of the -2. Not sure why he would have a 686-3 with an "M" stamp.
 
Dang it I wish I could get my pic up. The "M" only appears on the original box. The driver side of the gun has the words "Performance Tuned" engraved in it.
6158339739909768354
 
That's what the "M" stamp stands for when stamped on the frame, under the yoke, adjacent to the serial and model number. I have never heard or read anything about stamping the box. It was only the no dash and dash one guns that were affected by the recall. The "M" could very well indicate that this gun was modified by MagnaPort and it would have been stamped there by MagnaPort, not S&W.

Adios,

Pizza Bob
 
Smith did not do this work. 99.999% positive. Although cool as heck. Not done by the mothership

Rats. Really thought I had a Pre-performance center. Maybe Magna port engraved it. I was offered a 327 Performance Center for it and passed cause I thought it may have had more value to it. I only have 750$ so I'm not hurting.
 
With the box and the cool features. I wouldn't settle for anything less than 4 figures. I think it's cool. You should keep and really enjoy it. MagnaPort does REALLY nice work. Top Notch
 
With the box and the cool features. I wouldn't settle for anything less than 4 figures. I think it's cool. You should keep and really enjoy it. MagnaPort does REALLY nice work. Top Notch

Thanks Mr. Brew, riddle me this. I don't know if anyone can see the pic or make out the engraving on the side but....performance tuned to me would lend it's self to trigger "tuning". Would Maganport do that? S&W? Or is the porting the tuning?
 
I would imagine the whole action including trigger has been done. Especially since they took the time to have it engraved.
 
Depends on if you are selling it or not and how fast. If you plan on selling next week. Keep it clean. If not. Shoot the snot out of it. You ain't going to hurt it. :)
 
Product code 104231
SN BBE 4XXX
Spec Ord 8273
Features RR(but above the word features is an M)

The product code is for a stock standard 2 1/2-inch M686. They used that same pc right up to and including the -5. A purpose built Performance Center gun of this era would of likely had a pc that began with "17".

The s/n looks normal. Sometimes special guns will have unique s/n's, or certain distributor's will request special s/n's.

The Spec. Ord. number indicates a ship date of September 30, 1988. Which aligns with the s/n sequence. The earliest -3 M686 I've seen was from June of 1988, so yours is from the first few months of production of that dash number.

"RR" means the gun left the factor with a "Red Ramp" front sight insert. So the yellow/ivory color one it wears now is an aftermarket replacement. I have a ivory insert on a pre-Model 15 and really like it on that blue gun.

The "M" along the top of the label, I don't know. Could be an inspection mark, acceptance, or an inventory mark. Might not mean anything about the gun.

Sometimes there will be a Mag-Na-Port sticker under the foam liner of the box. I've seen that a few times. You should check and see if there's one there, but I don't think there's any doubt MP did the work. I heard at one point MP put the sticker on the outside of the box and S&W didn't like that. That's why they put their sticker under the foam. Probably an internet myth.

That stocks it has now are not original. Those laminate wood Targets are a fairly recent thing. A 2 1/2-inch -3 would of come from the factory with Hogue neoprene grips.
 
The product code is for a stock standard 2 1/2-inch M686. They used that same pc right up to and including the -5. A purpose built Performance Center gun of this era would of likely had a pc that began with "17".

The s/n looks normal. Sometimes special guns will have unique s/n's, or certain distributor's will request special s/n's.

The Spec. Ord. number indicates a ship date of September 30, 1988. Which aligns with the s/n sequence. The earliest -3 M686 I've seen was from June of 1988, so yours is from the first few months of production of that dash number.

"RR" means the gun left the factor with a "Red Ramp" front sight insert. So the yellow/ivory color one it wears now is an aftermarket replacement. I have a ivory insert on a pre-Model 15 and really like it on that blue gun.

The "M" along the top of the label, I don't know. Could be an inspection mark, acceptance, or an inventory mark. Might not mean anything about the gun.

Sometimes there will be a Mag-Na-Port sticker under the foam liner of the box. I've seen that a few times. You should check and see if there's one there, but I don't think there's any doubt MP did the work. I heard at one point MP put the sticker on the outside of the box and S&W didn't like that. That's why they put their sticker under the foam. Probably an internet myth.

That stocks it has now are not original. Those laminate wood Targets are a fairly recent thing. A 2 1/2-inch -3 would of come from the factory with Hogue neoprene grips.

Thanks kernel. I changed the stocks(I saved the original) A Smith doesn't look right to me without a wood stock. No sticker and the box has no foam, I think I'm not going to shoot it. It's a sweet Smith but it would make a heck of a carrot to dangle on a trade to the right guy....
 
The product code is for a stock standard 2 1/2-inch M686. They used that same pc right up to and including the -5. A purpose built Performance Center gun of this era would of likely had a pc that began with "17".



The s/n looks normal. Sometimes special guns will have unique s/n's, or certain distributor's will request special s/n's.



The Spec. Ord. number indicates a ship date of September 30, 1988. Which aligns with the s/n sequence. The earliest -3 M686 I've seen was from June of 1988, so yours is from the first few months of production of that dash number.



"RR" means the gun left the factor with a "Red Ramp" front sight insert. So the yellow/ivory color one it wears now is an aftermarket replacement. I have a ivory insert on a pre-Model 15 and really like it on that blue gun.



The "M" along the top of the label, I don't know. Could be an inspection mark, acceptance, or an inventory mark. Might not mean anything about the gun.



Sometimes there will be a Mag-Na-Port sticker under the foam liner of the box. I've seen that a few times. You should check and see if there's one there, but I don't think there's any doubt MP did the work. I heard at one point MP put the sticker on the outside of the box and S&W didn't like that. That's why they put their sticker under the foam. Probably an internet myth.



That stocks it has now are not original. Those laminate wood Targets are a fairly recent thing. A 2 1/2-inch -3 would of come from the factory with Hogue neoprene grips.


I agree 100%. But most -3 2.5" came with combat grips. Like these. :) The longer barrel had the wood targets.

93725fe40d13b70a39d471d17375f6f2.jpg


d0b16599694bcfc7096b7b234668b433.jpg
 
Thanks kernel. I changed the stocks(I saved the original) A Smith doesn't look right to me without a wood stock. No sticker and the box has no foam, I think I'm not going to shoot it. It's a sweet Smith but it would make a heck of a carrot to dangle on a trade to the right guy....


-3 guns came with cardboard boxes like this one.

fbf74722f1ad1d2001d3415820835b5f.jpg


a387f6c7b211ea17fa555eddc0ab935e.jpg
 

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