686 no dash 2.5 barrel

[mike42]

I need help finding year of manufacture serial ALV8***,2.5" barrel
686 no dash.
Some sources say 1988 was first year produced.

" , " , " , 1990 , " , " , " , ",

Lew Horton Special 1984 2500 made.

Lew Horton says it didn't ship through them.

Year 1985, or 86, ?????? I have 3rd edition of S&W Catalog.

maybe I don't know how to use it.

 

[BLUEDOT37]

I can't say when your's was made but here's a letter I got from Lew Horton's with some info on them.

Lew Horton 686-0 letter.jpg

.

 

[jframejoey]

Letter

Try [email protected]. Thats how I got my letter.

 

[mike42]

The information I recieved was an E-mail from Earl Minot stating that it
did not ship through Lew Horton Dist. 686 no dash 2.5"barrel.
What year did S&W production start a 2.5" barrel 686?????????

 

[Kernel Crittenden]

....serial ALV8***, 2.5" barrel 686 no dash....

June - September of 1985.​

The month of June is most likely for your gun. The earliest 2 1/2-inch M686 that I've ever seen had a ship date in September of 1984. The s/n prefix was "AEZ" and it was a Lew Horton gun. It was part of an order of 6,000 guns, so there are quite a few of the 2 1/2-inchers out there.

 

[mike42]

Thanks for the June 1985 date. I guessed 85 or 86, also thanks to BLUEDOT37,and jframejoey for their info about Lew Horton. I think the
one I have must be a Lew Horton if the standard 21/2 was not produced until 1988 or 1990. Earl Minot (Lew Horton) says no. I am still confused.

 

[Kernel Crittenden]

Just to clear, Lew Horton doesn't make or modify guns. They're not gunsmiths. They're a distributor. For the most part, the guns they sell ARE standard production guns. Made side-by-side with all the other S&W guns. The LH guns received no "secret sauce" or "foo-foo fairy dust".

What LH did do, and what made them famous, was spec'ing guns with features traditional S&W product did not have. Like lots of Magnum snubbies in all frame sized. Frequently these "LH Specials" had Combat Stocks which are so desirable today. LH also Mag-Na-Ported a lot of these snubbies -- then sold the guns to consumers.

So, LH sold a lot of cools guns, but the innards are no different than any other random Smith. Often times when S&W fills these special orders there are OVERRUNS. The overrun guns are sold off in Smith's normal distribution channels. Also, S&W's marketing department will take notice when a LH Speical sells well. Smith will then put out there own "me-too" version.

You probably have one of these overrun guns, or a S&W "me-too" gun.

 

[BLUEDOT37]

The earliest 2 1/2-inch M686 that I've ever seen had a ship date in September of 1984.

In my letter from Lew Horton, above, Earl said they started being delivered to them in 1983.

.

 

[Kernel Crittenden]

In my letter from Lew Horton, above, Earl said they started being delivered to them in 1983..

Interesting. That's right up there in the dawn of the L-frame (okay, mid-morning). Did he say the month? What was the s/n, and did it have Combats?

 

[mike42]

686 2.5" no dash

Thanks for all the information. I was aware that Lew Horton
was a distributor and orders some special editions for promotions
without any internal magic changes to standard models.
My confusion came from the 3rd edition of SCS&W not showing
normal production for a 686 2.5 barrel until 1987. That would
make it a 686-2. I was unaware that S&W would make over-runs,
and me to productions. Mine is 2.5" 686 no dash ALV8***.
Special thanks to Kernel Crittenden for his info on over-runs. and
me-to versions. Thanks to all.
Mike42

 

[Kernel Crittenden]

The SCoSW isn't perfect. Sometimes it's wrong. Especially, dates. And sometimes it's interpreted incorrectly. For example, it might say something like, "300 units were made for XYZ Company.". People see that and think "S&W made only 300 of those!". When in fact Smith made another 5,000 the next year and flooded the market. It doesn't make the first statement untrue.

 

[BLUEDOT37]

Did he say the month? What was the s/n, and did it have Combats?

Are you not able to open my link in post #2 ? Everthing he said is in there.

.

 

[mike42]

BLUEDOT37 Thanks again for the information. Mike 42

 

[Kernel Crittenden]

Are you not able to open my link in post #2 ? Everthing he said is in there..

Yeah. I saw the letter. Thanks for sharing it. I doesn't mention the month in 1983. I was just wondering if you knew, or if Earl had mentioned it.

 

[mike42]

I don't know, Earl did not mention anything except mine did not go through
LH.
Mine has rubber grips,not the wood combat version.