My New 686-6

[Hylander]

So my new 686-6 came today, did a pretty thorough inspection.
First the good:
Feels good, well balanced.
Barrel looks straight, no can't.
BC gap is .006, Crown looks nice
No detectable end shake, Lock up is tight

The Bad:
Trigger is lacking, I thought the Smiths were suppose to have the best triggers
Single is #5 5oz and double is #11 12oz, creepy and really stacks.
Next, all the chambers measure uniform but are way to small.
In the pic the cast boolits are .358, the plated bullet is .357, I can not force them in the chambers.
With the calipers the chambers measure .355
I have some 9mm boolits that measure .3555 and are a perfect finger press fit.
With Calipers the Muzzle measures .353
Don't want to send it to S&W.
I will do the trigger myself, however the cylinder will need opened up and think someone else (A Pro) should do that.

Would you try to shoot it as is ?

 

[HughD1]

I have three 686-6s. All have very good triggers. They will smooth out with use. The cylinder is above my pay grade. Someone more knowledgeable than me will need to help you with that.

Hugh


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[BLUEDOT37]

S&W triggers are easy to tune to your individual liking & for me it's part of the fun of getting a new one.

Don't trust calipers for such readings of your bullets. Comparing caliper readings to micrometer readings is an eye opener. I made the same mistake originally too.

You need to invest in some pin gages though to use to confirm throat sizing & don't depend on bullets for that.

Typically, the S&W 357s have had proper sizing, certainly all of mine, but of course stuff happens.

Trust but verify.

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[riverrat38]

Presumably, it has been fired at the factory, so I think I would make a range trip to check for function and accuracy with your ammo before sending it back to factory.

73,
Rick

 

[sheppard]

My experience with new revolver triggers is that they leave a lot to be desired. Most will improve dramatically if shot/dry fired about 1-2 thousand times.

 

[PeterJ]

Would you try to shoot it as is ?[/QUOTE]

Well,,, that's a tough one. A brand new revolver bought from a well known, reputable manufacturer, no obstructions in the barrel, trigger works, bullets do go into the cylinder from the proper end, nothing loose or falling off,,,, yep, I think I'd shoot it.

 

[stansdds]

It has been my experience with revolvers that when new, the triggers tend to be a little heavy and sometimes gritty. A cleaning and proper lubrication may eliminate a little of this, but with cycling the action, either dry or live fire, it becomes smoother.
As for the cylinders, trying to drop bullets through the throats may work, but the bullet needs to be perfectly concentric and a whole lot of commercially cast and plated bullets are not. A set of pin gauges is the most accurate measurement, although slugging the throats with soft, swaged lead and a set of accurate calipers can also do that job.

 

[ZGrand]

Dumb question -- have you tried inserting factory 357 Magnum or 38 Special into the chambers from the right end?

 

[reddogs]

Having no idea where you live you may have to send cylinder off.One option is to find Doug Guy - dougtheguitarguy on cast boolits forum.He has sunnen equipment to get your throats even and size you want.Maybe there is someone local to save on time and shipping.

 

[Shark Bait]

A spring kit will help the trigger a lot. As for the chambers, shoot it to see if there really is a problem before having work done.

 

[jaguargolf]

Put 500 rounds through it and call us in the morning

 

[K Harris]

Get some snap caps and dry fire it a bunch. Then, take it out and shoot it a bunch more. It will smooth out nicely. The cylinder is fine.

 

[Hylander]

Dumb question -- have you tried inserting factory 357 Magnum or 38 Special into the chambers from the right end?

Yes, ammo loads fine, just the chamber mouths are tight.

 

[Hylander]

Slugged the chambers..
.357

 

[SWFan27]

I have three 686-6s. All have very good triggers. They will smooth out with use. The cylinder is above my pay grade. Someone more knowledgeable than me will need to help you with that.

Hugh


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I love mine and the trigger is great. My dad has had his share of old S&W's and he was impressed with my 686-6 Plus model. He has an old model 29 and he considers that one to have the best trigger on any revolver he has ever shot. I have tried the 29 and it is like butter and beats my 686. That said, the trigger on my 686 is not that much different.

 

[stansdds]

The true test will come at a target range. Take it to the range and see how it shoots.

 

[Bumpus13]

The DA trigger pull on my 686-6 was very heavy too.

Roughly 10 years and thousands of rounds later … it was still very heavy.

I recently changed the mainspring to a Wolff Type 1 reduced power, and it dropped from not registering on my Lyman (over 12 lbs) to an average of 8lbs. - Now she's perfect.

 

[jcs266]

Shoot it first and then see from there.

 

[pantannojack]

I believe the cylinder throats should be larger than the bbl dia, but not by much. I heard horror stories about some .45 colt revolvers being .454 bbls with .452 cyl throats.

 

[Hylander]

I took it apart last night.
Polished a couple of areas and removed the lock plate. Trigger is still horrible.
Will hit the range in the morning.
Loading up some .358 plain based swc on top of 7.4 of BE86.
So these are .001 larger than the chambers.

 

[Hylander]

Sorry forgot to update the thread.
First Range day was a success.
Fired a total of 54 rounds, 30 of 357 and 24 of 38's.
Only fired single action because trigger is still horrible. Revolver shot and handled well. Had to adjust rear sight to the right more than I like and will be replacing the front with a green fiber. The 38's were a load I just threw together and did not do well.
However, the 357 load did great.
Gave her a thorough cleaning and no leading found, however I did shoot jacketed after the cast loads.
Overall, I like it and think I will do well at the matches, well for me anyways (lol).

 

[Protocall_Design]

I've had good luck with Bayou Bullets 138 gr. wadcutter running around 920 fps. In my 686, those are shooting about 1-1/2" groups at 50 yards. That is in a Ransom Rest, I can't do quite that well offhand.

 

[BabaBlueJay]

Sorry forgot to update the thread.
First Range day was a success.
Fired a total of 54 rounds, 30 of 357 and 24 of 38's.
Only fired single action because trigger is still horrible. Revolver shot and handled well. Had to adjust rear sight to the right more than I like and will be replacing the front with a green fiber. The 38's were a load I just threw together and did not do well.
However, the 357 load did great.
Gave her a thorough cleaning and no leading found, however I did shoot jacketed after the cast loads.
Overall, I like it and think I will do well at the matches, well for me anyways (lol).

Single action is where the trigger shines, but with time the double will break in as others have mentioned. Great shooting!

 

[Hylander]

S&W triggers are easy to tune to your individual liking & for me it's part of the fun of getting a new one.

Don't trust calipers for such readings of your bullets. Comparing caliper readings to micrometer readings is an eye opener. I made the same mistake originally too.

You need to invest in some pin gages though to use to confirm throat sizing & don't depend on bullets for that.

Typically, the S&W 357s have had proper sizing, certainly all of mine, but of course stuff happens.

Trust but verify.



.

That is a Sweet looking Smith, Love the two tone.
an I ask what brand the Pin Gauges are and where you got them. I want to get a set.
Thanks

 

[Protocall_Design]

Check out Home page for the pin gages. They have different levels of precision, but even the cheapest ones will do fine for gunsmith work. You want at least the .251 - .500 minus set.

 

[357 shooter]

Sorry forgot to update the thread.
First Range day was a success.
Fired a total of 54 rounds, 30 of 357 and 24 of 38's.
Only fired single action because trigger is still horrible. Revolver shot and handled well. Had to adjust rear sight to the right more than I like and will be replacing the front with a green fiber. The 38's were a load I just threw together and did not do well.
However, the 357 load did great.
Gave her a thorough cleaning and no leading found, however I did shoot jacketed after the cast loads.
Overall, I like it and think I will do well at the matches, well for me anyways (lol).

Great to hear it shot well for you! I sure would not have contemplated any kind of cylinder work without firing it first regardless of measurements or bullet fit. How the gun puts shots on target is the first thing I would have done too. I've owned at least 5 686s and all have shot extremely well for me . The trigger on my most fired 686 is right at 4lbs 4oz and is as crisp as any handgun trigger I have owned.

 

[BLUEDOT37]

an I ask what brand the Pin Gauges are and where you got them. I want to get a set.

I bought my .251"-.500" minus set from Enco Tools.

My .011"-.060" set & .061"-.250" minus sets came from Shars Tools.



.

That is a Sweet looking Smith, Love the two tone.

Thanks! Here's the pretty side.



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[Hylander]

Cleaned up the trigger a bit and installed the Wilson main spring and #13 trigger spring.
Single is now #4.9 and breaks like glass, feels more like #3
Double is #9.6 and is about a 75% improvement but not as good as I would like, but I can live with it.
She loves 158swc but hates Extreme plated.
Just need some better grips.

 

[stansdds]

I've had good success with plated bullets in semi-automatic pistols, not so good in revolvers.

 

[BLUEDOT37]

Plated certainly aren't as consistently good shooters as jacketed & they might require a bit more testing with to find the right powder/bullet combo but it's doable.

I cleaned up the muzzle & forcing cone on mine & it made a good shooter even better.

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Ten rounds
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Muzzle before
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Muzzle after
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FC before
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FC after
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