Asking the experts for opinions here...

[RIDE-RED 350r]

Well, as you all can see, Im a brand new member here, and also a brand new owner of a 686-6, 6", 6 shot. I am extremely pleased with this first Smith in my gun collection. I think i have been striken by the disease.....Smitty-itus!!!

Currently, Im in the beginning stages of searching for Smith #2, something in .38 and K-frame.
What im wondering about is the model 67. Im partial to the stainless wheelguns and I am looking at various Smith .38's to get my wife into shooting. Being that im looking at a 4" version, and they dont have the underlug, will this be something uncomfortable for her to shoot? She shoots my Winchester 94 and Remington 700 chambered in .270 Win with no real issues. She has experienced shooting recoil, but not alot with handguns yet. I think she would do ok, but im seeking some informed advice. Im wondering if any of you own one and could give me some recommendations, comparisons and feedback on it. I really like the look of the model 67 and they seem to be fairly reasonably priced. There are a couple on GB right now for "buy it now" price under $500.

Thanks in advance for the info!

 

[brucev]

To introduce your wife to shooting handguns you can not do better than to simply take her to the range, show her how to correctly hold your new 686, load it up with .38 Special wadcutters and let her start shooting at some targets. Put the initial targets up at 5-7 yards. This way she will get immediate feed-back by seeing where her shots are hitting. Once she is able to shoot nice, well-centered groups, step back to say 10 yards and repeat the process. With practice, etc., she will become proficient at shooting your 686, and you will have a nice excuse to buy another S&W revolver! Now, how's that for a plan! P.S. - Do not let her know about the last bit of that last sentence or it may crimp your buying a new S&W revolver. Just make sure she has a nice time. Make sure she enjoys the experience. Stop before she gets tired or fatigued. Have her do some dry firing at home - - - EMPTY the revolver first. No joke! You wouldn't believe the number of folks who have shot things with "empty" revolvers. Make sure it is empty. And be looking for the next S&W revolver you might want to buy!

 

[RightWinger]

K frames are nice, and I think you would be more than pleased with a 67 or a 64....the only difference is the 67 has adjustable sights where the 64 has fixed sights. Don't buy a new one, you can get the older, better built, police trade is for as low as 250.00.....as opposed to spending 600-700 on a new one.

 

[P&R Fan]

I agree about getting an older gun. You'll save a lot of money and it's just as good, some would say better, especially a pre-lock one.
I don't think the recoil of standard pressure .38s is going to be a problem in a K-Frame and I think the M67 is a good one. But what I really think you should do is get a .22 LR model, either a M17 or M617. There is basically no real recoil and ammo is cheap. You can shoot all day for very little money and that's a good way to learn the basics, sight picture, breathing, trigger pull, grip and stance. Plus it's just a lot of fun.
Whatever you decide, let us know.

 

[scooter123]

IMO the older tapered barrel model 67 is the finest centerfire training gun you can purchase. Can't say the same for a 6 inch 686, it's heavy enough in the muzzle it'll be an issue for some women due to wrist strength issues.

As for the recoil of the 38 spl. in the model 67, it's not at all bad. However, it's not a 22 rimfire, so it does have some recoil. IMO not enough to be a problem unless the shooter has a prior wrist injury or arthritis.

I'll also pass along some suggestions on reducing the feel of the recoil. Just like when firing a shotgun, it's best to use the mass of your body to help reduce the felt recoil. With a handgun this means you use a firm grip, keep the wrist and elbow firm (not locked but firm with tension), and let the pivot point for your arm be at the shoulder. This means that the weight of the arm will be part of Sytem Mass supporting the gun. Take the time to explain this to your wife and she'll probably tell you the recoil is not at all bad. If she lets her wrist break during recoil, she won't like the experience.

I'll also note that new handgun shooters have a tendancy to grip the gun too tightly in the shooting hand. This will cause the gun to shake and really impair accuracy. Before heading to the range have her do some practicing with the gun unloaded or loaded with snap caps. BTW, I prefer using snap caps, it really reduces the wear caused by dry firing. Anyhow, have her grip the gun as hard as she can and tell her to look at how it's shaking. Then have her relax her grip until it just stops shaking, that is how hard she should grip the gun at the range with her shooting hand. Now have her bring up the support hand and wrap that hand around the shooting hand. For more stability in firing, she should apply some "extra" squeeze with that support hand.

As for a particular grip, I am a proponent of the thumbs forward Combat grip for both revolvers and semi autos. Take a look at the following link for a pic of this grip.

The Combat Handgun Grip

Now, Brain has some real hams in that pic, however it illustrates the concept. Please not that there is NO FINGER placed on the front of the trigger guard. Also note, the trigger finger may "tickle" the thumb of the support hand, nothing wrong with that. I put my support hand thumb against the frame just above the trigger guard. I'll also note that this grip feels odd at first, however once you get used to it anything else feels a lot less effective. Also note the shooting hand thumb placed on the heel of the support hand thumb, doing this will keep from having your thumb rubbed raw by the cylinder release.

For shooting a revolver it's absolutely essential that every new shooter be warned to NEVER put a finger on the trigger guard and you have to watch for new shooter doing this quite closely and stop them immediately if you see them do this. Putting a finger on the trigger guard will place that finger within the "blast ring" from the Barrel/Cylinder gap and cause a severe burn can result. Warn any new revolver shooter to be VERY CAREFUL to never put any finger or extremity in the area if front of the cylinder. BTW, with a 38 spl. and a gun in good condition, a severe burn really isn't a hazzard, it'll just sting, to get burned you have to step up to a Magnum. However, you want to start them off with good habits, on a 500 Magnum, putting a finger in the "blast ring" will result in a severed finger.

 

[RIDE-RED 350r]

Thank you all for the insightful replies! Exactly what Im looking for...

 

[lemeni]

I own a M67-5, which I bought new earlier this year. I think your wife will find the full-lug 6" barrel 686 nose-heavy after a few rounds, whereas the 67 is very well balanced and extremely accurate, even for novice shooters (and I am one myself).
But I agree with all the other, more experienced advice you've been given to save a few hundred and get a good used model. Either a 64 or a 67.

 

[Wee Hooker]

67 is a VG choice. However I would start browsing shops and shows and see what you find a deal on. Lots of suitable K frame models in 357/38, 64,65,66. Deviate from stainless and you could look at 13's,14,15 and19s too.NEVER pass up a deal on a nice but inexpensive S&W .

 

[625smith]

I think that the 67 would be a great choice. Here is a picture of my no dash.

 

[stantheman86]

Nothing wrong with the newer ones, this 64-7 was $400, in like new condition. It was a security trade in that looks like it was hardly carried or fired. It's a tackdriver, and I have seen 64-8's for $350.

The older 64's are great too, they are around for $250 or so in "carried a million miles hardly shot" condition, they're a great deal and will outlast you! You won't be able to put enough .38 through one to ever see one "wear out".

 

[RIDE-RED 350r]

625Smith and Stantheman86, you guys made me drool on my keyboard a little bit there! lol!

Im currently watching a very nice looking 67-2 on GB that has a "buy it now" of $425. Does that seem steep, or a good deal?

Im not quite ready to buy yet, I burned a kitchen pass on my 686 just last week and it will be a little bit before im eligible again, lol! What im doing right now is figuring out what the next one will be and what a fair price is if i find one. I have pretty much settled on the 67, I like having adjustable sights. Not that i would pass on a great deal on a 64 or a blued k-frame .38, but i think the m67 is what i will be really looking for.....

 

[Big Cholla]

As a former instructor, I always recommend having two pistols while beginning to learn to shoot accurately and quickly. One should be the 38/357 centerfire in the model that appeals to the shooter the most. The other should be as close of a copy as possible in .22 LR. Shooting handguns is a eye/hand coordination drill until it becomes part of the shooter's muscle memory. It is fairly complicated to learn to shoot well. The shooter must learn to optimize his/her stance, grip, trigger press, sight alignment, breath control and follow thru. And then do the same things over and over again while shooting a string of shots.

While, there are several good instructional videos and books available, I recommend getting good personal instruction before too many incorrect habits are formed. The use of a .22 LR pistol will allow the shooter to 'see' the results of good form and/or bad form much quicker than the big bore pistol will. We all have the tendency to flinch, jerk and shut our eyes at a big explosive sound and recoil. The .22 LR eliminates that. Good trigger control comes quickly using the .22 LR. The student can shoot longer and enjoy the experience more. Lessons learned and habits formed with the .22 LR are more likely to be absorbed correctly. After 40 years of pistol shooting, 50% of my practice is still with a .22 LR. ........... Big Cholla

 

[RIDE-RED 350r]

Big Cholla: Good advice. I also have an old H. Schmidt single action .22 that i had before getting my 686. Its actually a descent shooting little pistol for its age and probable 10's of thousands of rounds its had fired down the pipe. I do plan on getting her out plinking with that in the meantime till we are ready to look for a nice m67....

 

[ladder13]

All things being equal, always look for a lock free gun, they'll hold their value much better than the same model with the lock.
Get the 67 without the lock, sounds like a decent deal.

 

[RIDE-RED 350r]

Well, i grabbed a box of 130 grain .38's and went out in the woods with the wife today. We were shooting at a pepsi can stuck on a stick about 2 feet off the ground at about 25-30 feet. I gotta say, she did real descent. We each shot 3 cylinders and she scored a half dozen or so hits on the can, with the misses hitting the backstop not too far off the mark. She tried DA and SA, and her only complaint was that my 6 inch 686 was heavy. Aside from that she did good for her first time shooting centerfire out of a handgun. I even loaded a single .357 in it for her to shoot once, (yes i told her what was in it) and while she didnt care for the sharper recoil she did well. After things went the way they did today, im convinced a 4 inch M-67 will be perfect for her. I would also look at a 4 inch M-19 too.

And boy oh boy do those .38's shoot dirty! Will they shoot that dirty in the M67, or is that just something that happens shooting 38's out of a 357? I noticed my dads M-19 gets quite dirty after a few cyls of 38's as well...

 

[scooter123]

Cleanliness is largely determined by your choice of ammunition.

If you want ammo that is extremely clean shooting I've found the Speer Lawman TMJ to be the cleanest shooting ammo I've ever used. It's also the most accurate ammunition I've tried in my 620 at this point. Basically, while it's a bit spendy it is a superbly made ammunition.

Another option that is pretty clean shooting but not quite as accurate is the American Eagle FMJ. While it's accuracy is decent, I've seen 3 to 4 times as much vertical stringing with this ammo compared the Speer Lawman, which indicates it exhibits more variation in velocity than the Speer.

Now, if you want to spend 4 or 5 hours cleaning your gun after just 50 rounds, the absolutely FOULEST ammo I've used in the 38 spl. is the aluminum cased Blaser LRN. Quite simply it's just plain NASTY.

 

[stantheman86]

I shot some A-Merc .38 in my Dad's 2.5" 66 about 6 years ago and it still has black stains on the stainless.......they just never came out, someday I will have to soak it in Hoppe's to get that crap off of there.

I'm a 4" fixed sight revolver fanatic so I'm a bit biased. I do have a 67-1 and it's an awesome revolver. But my 64's and 10's do not lack for accuracy at all, I have taken the 64-7 in my last photo out to 100 yards with 130 gr. +P with surprising results.

 

[rodell]

I load 3.3 grains of Clays behind a 125 grain Berry's for new shooters and it bridges the .22 or .38 gap nicely. The shooter gets bigger holes with mild recoil. I loaded some at 3 grains and the shooters said it wasn't enough!

If you shoot small caliber for new shooters, using a bright circle or a marking target make it much easier to see the bullet hole.

I prefer the 67 as a trainer because I like the adjustable sights to compensate for the varying loads and the "conventional" target picture. I don't think you can go wrong.

I built one earlier this year from police trade in parts - I put $250 in it and it looks nice and shoots well.

 

[pointman1970]

In my opione, and i am no expert, these other repys are very informative, I do think teh main thing how does teh revlover feel in her hand? does seh like it . diff in buying a hand gun yuo like and one seh is comortable with, just athough no disrespect.

 

[RIDE-RED 350r]

Well, the only thing she didnt like about my 686 was the weight. Other than that it seemed a descent fit. I do plan to have her handle a 67 before i buy it. If she doesnt like it, she doesnt like it and ill look for another model thats pleasing to her. I dont have a shooting instructors eye, but the L-frame did look a little bit big in her hand, so im thinking that m-67 might just be what the doc ordered...