Evidently my 686 is "rare"

[rubiranch]

That's a good looking 686 and with all the accessories.

 

[lunger]

It is extremely rare . It is one of a kind. The only one owned and passed down by your father .

I have a lot of firearms , but none mean more tome than the ones owned by my father. Every time I pick one up I think of him and the time we spent hunting and shooting together . Can't put a price on that.

Cherish it, shoot it , Pass it to your children.

 

[ABPOS]

When I was young I usually hunted deer with my older brother and his best friend. My brother had a thing for 24 and 25 caliber rifles in light weight configurations. His friend hunted with an old mil-surp enfield. The gun had not been modified including the sights. Weighed like a pallet of bricks, but I watched him kill a lot of deer with it and a couple shots that exceeded 200 yards.

I would not want to pack a Garand around the mountains, but would love to be able to brag about shooting an elk or deer with one!!!

I only took it one day. It pretty much backfired on me. I think I was hoping to get a deer with the same kind of gun my Grandpa might have carried in the war. But two things happened that were not so great. First was part of the day I was walking through some really thick, snow covered swampy type area and up over my knees and the gun did feel heavy. Although one of the guns I've carried a lot was a sporterized mauser with a scope and it was basically only a pound and some change lighter than the Garand. Although that pound feels like a lot sometimes. But then again the other gun I had with me on that trip was my .30-30 lever gun that was lighter than either of those. And I probably would've been better off with that.

Because I did get a shot on a deer that I probably shouldn't have missed. It was moving and it was in thick stuff, but the bad thing was I saw the deer, I threw up the gun, I had it dead to rights before it was moving too much and the sun was to my back. Well, the sun lit up that aperture like a headlight on a car and then I was the one with the deer in the headlights. Cuz I couldsn't see barely anything. I took a few shots with a horrible sight picture because it was not very far away and I still missed. It was a very humbling experience and frustrating. If I would've been in a stand with a cover over top, fine. But the small ap on the garand really worked against me that day. The open sights on my .30-30 would've been much better.

Worse part about it is that was the last shot I ever got on a deer. A few years later I ended up sick with lyme disease and haven't been hunting since. I am blessed that I got to experience culling 6 deer in my lifetime and every experience was unforgettable and very cool. From the first to the last. One was a joint effort. One trip I killed 2 right next to each other. So I basically got a double. And the last deer I ever shot I was all completely alone. BUT, I christened my friends new stand he built. By rubbing some blood on the door and leaving my shells on the inside on one of window sills. He says there still there today. That was over 15 years ago.

I digress.... I'm talking about my own stuff making it about me. OP, I agree with what the one gentlemen said. Pffffffft about it being "too bad" he bead blasted it. That's just silly. I mean it is a tool. It got used. I'd say that's more endearing than some gun that just sat there that somebody just looked at and stroked. Not to take anything away from anyone who collects. But I mean to me a gun that got used getss more respect than a safe queen that someone is saving as an investment. And guns that are custom, if done respectably, are even cooler. IMHO.

 

[S&W Fan]

Got out to the range this afternoon for some pre-NYE "fireworks" LOL. Pics are from the targets fired at 15 yards. the first is the 686, the second the 17. I can't believe a mere 30 years ago I used to regularly shoot at 50 yards!!! My eyesight ain't what it was

 

[Krogen]

Just my 20 m$: Shoot it and grin. You taught your kids to shoot with it, and grin. Know that your Dad is grinning too.

 

[KEN L]

Met a friend for lunch yesterday, he brought along a guy he knows. Seemed nice enough, we got to talking guns and I brought up my no dash 686 I inherited when my dad passed in 1992. Dad bought it new in Sept. 1981, has a prefix of "AAB" as well as the "M" stamp when he sent it back.

I have the original 2 piece box, all tools, papers and even his receipt-yes, I've posted about this wonderful shooter before. Dad had it bead blasted and an action job performed on it and I used it to teach both my sons how to shoot a handgun (when they were young, now 34 & 30 respectively lol).

Anyway, this nice guy said that it's a first year production gun and with the 2 piece box it's very rare and I shouldn't shoot it anymore, also that it's too bad my dad had it bead blasted.

I mentioned that Dad carried it almost everyday until his health deteriorated, shot the hell out of it as have I though the past few years it's been about 98% .38s as I just don't enjoy the recoil of magnums. As the gun will not leave the family for at least two generations down the road what makes it "rare" to me is that it was my dad's.

Rare is a relative term. Since it is a family heirloom, rare has nothing to do with it. I say enjoy it in any manner you deem is correct. You already know what a pleasure it is to shoot. Here is mine that shipped in Aug 1981. It is an early one, and I still have everything that came with it. It was my last duty revolver before we transitioned to auto pistols. It too is now a family heirloom, as it will pass down to my children/grandchildren. I still believe it is the best revolver every designed for the .357 magnum round!

If you wouldn't mind, could you PM me the
complete serial number for my database?
Thanks!