Is the 686 and 686+ the newest "must have" pistol

[Research Nerd]

Seems everytime I get a line on a 686 at a good price someone buys it. I know there are a lot of members here that don't buy "new" model Smiths, but it seems like the 686 is a hot item.

Your thoughts?

 

[murphydog]

These are generally popular, especially the earlier "pre-lock" versions. I don't find any shortage of new ones for sale online, and you can find lightly used ones (686 to -4) for less regularly.

 

[greenmachine]

686's are great. Especially the early ones. A seven shot revolver seems a little odd to me however.

 

[gr7070]

38 Special/.357 magnum is The revolver to have, in general. It's a great cartridge on a great platform. The 686 is S&W's current-production 38 Special of choice.

So it's going to be a popular gun for those reasons alone. It also happens to be a very good gun.

 

[ohiojerry]

IMO, the 686 has been a "must have" since their original release.

 

[Will Carry]

Why are people saying that Smith and Wesson's new pistols are inferior to their old pistols? Their new 686's are superb revolvers, they are the best in the world (for a reasonable price). If you want second best buy a Ruger, if you want third best buy a Taurus.
The .357 magnum has always been the King of handguns. Number one in one shot stops and the most versatile caliber ever.

 

[cometpx4]

686

I just picked up a 3 inch unfluted Talo and a 2.5 inch regular. Both 7 shots, both accurate and moderate in terms of recoil with magnum loads. I will probably just shoot magnums out of these as i have my PC 67 3" with power port which shoots .38's like they are .22's

They are new production and if there is something wrong with them i can't find it.

 

[shadow1]

Took me years to finally get one but a 686-4 was always on my "got to have one" list.

 

[bear7]

a s&w 686-6 6 " was my first revolvers I got late last year new love it. got a used mod. 64 also like it alot now just got a mod. 10 have not got a chance to shoot it yet. I am new to revolvers in the last year don't know why I waited so long. outside of s&w I picked up a colt trooper mk III 6 " like this one alot also.

 

[Az. revolver fan]

I suppose it must depend on what part of the country you are in. I try to "make the rounds" in the northern Az. area LGS's and gun shows, looking for pre-lock S&W revolvers and Colt handguns pretty regularly and the "L" frames (586/686) are what I run into the most often, followed by "J" frames. I own, have owned, or have been issued at least 22 of these (586/686) models. Before the Glock 22 took over the LEO market in the west, the L-frames were extremely common LEO weapons and there are lots of them out there. Ironically, I have a hard time finding clean "K" and "N" frames for reasonable prices in this area. The 2.5 inch 686 and the 696 are the only "L"-frames I don't often run across.

 

[Animal_Mother556]

A seven shot revolver seems a little odd to me however.

Why is that?

 

[youngda9]

Love my 686-4+ and it gets shot a LOT.

 

[fyimo]

My first handgun was a 686 no dash bought new that I later sold to a friend. I hunted for nearly a year last year before finding a 6 inch 686 no dash and now I will never sell this one.

 

[ckprax]

I have a 686-3, I love it. The 686 is arguably one of the best wheelguns ever made. The .357Mag is an awesome cartridge that can do just about everything you would ever need it to and the L frame is not too big or too small. Stainless is easy to maintain, what's not to love?

 

[hsmith9491]

I like the earlier 681's just as well. Built tough for
getting the job done.

 

[M2MikeGolf]

Seems everytime I get a line on a 686 at a good price someone buys it. I know there are a lot of members here that don't buy "new" model Smiths, but it seems like the 686 is a hot item.

Your thoughts?

Sure there's lots of member that don't buy new S&Ws, they are leaving them for you and me.

686s are popular because they are excellent revolvers. Hope you get one soon (and of course, post a photo when you do)!!!

 

[ladder13]

I like the earlier 681's just as well. Built tough for
getting the job done.

Likewise. I've been debating about getting mine round butted, getting a 3 inch barrel(a non-ported PC barrel if I could locate one) and having a 7 round cylinder fitted to mine. The gun is mint though, and I can't do it....but if I found another ....

 

[Brian41]

You know I was late getting into L frames but I finally bought a 586 and 686 plus. Great guns and a plus they take K frame grips as they're easy to find.
They must be popular here now as the prices have risen on them double of what they were just a few years ago. I see them for sale quite a bit now here but other K and N frames are getting hard to find.

 

[medic15al]

I just recently obtained a 686-4 Plus with a 2.5in barrel. Never knew what I was missing.

 

[trauma1]

the 686's are just a perfect marriage of size, weight, caliber, durability and controlability(is that a word?). Rarely does a design come along that incorporates all of these into a single item. Many have tried, very few have succeeded. SW did with the 686 series, new and old!