686-5: Sell, Trade or Hold?

[E-Squared]

New to the Forum, but have been shooting off and on my whole life, rifles, shotguns and handguns.
I own a 686-5, 4" barrel, 6-shot cylinder, Hogue rubber grips, blue lock/keys, blue hard-box, as well as a pretty good handful of accessories (2 speedloaders, Uncle Mike's speedloader belt carrier, leather OWB holster, soft carrying case) and about 3-1/2 boxes of ammo, manual, etc. Purchased new in about 1998.
Have put less than 300 rounds through it.
Am focusing more on CCW now, and this gun, for me, is just not all that pleasant to shoot, so it will see almost no daylight (also have a Sig P225).
Questions for all you experts are: should I sell it outright (and if so, what's the best way to do that?), try to trade it for whatever CCW I decide on (or is that just asking for a severe haircut?) or just hold onto it? Has it gone up in value vs. the roughly $500+ I paid? is there demand for this lightly used but still 15-17 year old firearm?
Any thoughts welcome and thanks in advance!

 

[markeb]

DO NOT SELL!!! Just my opinion.

 

[Kernel Crittenden]

Just to be clear, the lock you have is for the box or the trigger. A -5 gun should not have the S&W Internal Lock System (ILS).

You have one of the greatest .357's ever made. It's got the MIM hammer and trigger, some may knock that, but it's shouldn't have the lock. These guns are exceptionally well made. In my view the late '90's was the pinnacle of S&W manufacturing. By this time many small changes had been made to the gun to make it much stronger than earlier models. CNC machines were being used for almost all machine operations and parts and fit was extremely precise.

That said, if you don't shoot it, and it doesn't do anything for you, sell or trade it. In the condition you describe $600 to $750 is not uncommon. An older gun like this will be offered to sell at retails stores much higher. Find out what brand new M686's sell for in your area. It would sell quickly if you priced it right below that price. Price it a bit higher, it will take longer to sell, but I bet you get it.

If you want to sell it here, put it out at a price you want. If it doesn't sell, drop the price $25 a week (or every few days) until it does.

 

[flyguy958]

I vote for don't sell. There are very few guns I have sold that I have not regretted.

 

[Rpg]

I'd hang onto it as trade fodder.

Many like this revolver, so it is better trade bait than lots of other revolvers.

If you need the money, sell it here or on gunbroker.

I'm not interested in these revolvers , so I'd have no reason to keep it for myself, but lots of folks prize them, hence their value in trade.

 

[dave7v7]

Depends on your personal system? What are you going to use for Home defense?I would argue there is no better Firearm suited for home defense than a .357 magnum revolver.But if your system of thought has you in the Shotgun frame of mind for that POU then make sure you get atleast $600 in trade value or cash if you decide to part with it.no need to hang onto something that will collect dust.

 

[DEG]

Sounds like you don't really care for the gun and that is not likely to change. Sell it here, on gunbroker or post it on a bulletin board at your local club. You should be able to easily get more than the $500 you paid for it. Trading a gun is like trading a car; you loose.

 

[rbert0005]

I agree with the 650/700 value.

Post it here with some nice pics and it will go quick.

Bob

 

[wantmoresmiths]

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