S&W 686, what can you tell me?
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SAFireman
Member
Looks to have a very desirable 3" barrel, but from a later time....take the stocks off, is this a square butt?
Open the crane, do you see a marking CS-1? or CS-3?
Open the crane, do you see a marking CS-1? or CS-3?
swagmeister
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Manufactured approximately November, 1984. If that is a 3" unmodified barrel and also a CS Model, the sky is the limit in the condition it is in with those stocks. Probably $1500-$2000, depending on how bad someone wanted it. If it were mine these days with the outrageous pricing on vintage Smiths, I would take no less than $1500 for it. Good luck.
Your Dad had good taste! See if you can locate the factory grips and box. 
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I found the receipt, he bought in 2016 for $850
Gregmk
Member
from the face of the cylinder to the tip of the barrel
Ok yep 3" barrel
BillBro
Member
I'll give you $1200 for it.����
Nice piece. Enjoy it.
Nice piece. Enjoy it.
I was of the belief that 3" 686's from that era had a round butt. Being that it is a square butt, it may be a factory rebarrel, or perhaps a special run for some distributor. Someone with a little more knowledge will chime in soon.
I believe that revolver is re-barreled because the ".356 Magnum" is on the left side and "Smith & Wesson" is on the right side and for that era of 686, it should be the opposite.
The stocks are classy, but not original, they are Alatamont.
Also appears that this revolver is subject to recall but wears no "M" stamps which gives me the idea that it was not S&W that did the re-barrel work.
The stocks are classy, but not original, they are Alatamont.
Also appears that this revolver is subject to recall but wears no "M" stamps which gives me the idea that it was not S&W that did the re-barrel work.
Probably one of the finest, if not THE finest, revolvers ever made. I bought a 686+ 2 1/2" bbl a few years ago and it is an awesome shooter. An absolute keeper.
wvs&w
Member
It sure is a nice revolver, shoot it and enjoy it.
raygixxer89
Member
Very nice revolver. I have a 6 inch no dash and was looking for a snub-nose to match. I couldn't find one so I ended up with 2.5 inch 66-1. I think I like the look of the full under lug on the 686 a bit better, lol.
357 shooter
Member
Plus it has the larger barrel stamping that we see on the newer Smiths. All the older ones I have seen have the traditional smaller barrel stamping. Plus I don't recall any of that time period with a pinned red ramp sight.
Regardless , still a hec of a nice gun!!
SAFireman
Member
Not a CS-1, and 99% certain that it has a later issue barrel. The barrel alone is probably worth 250-300 right now. It likely started life as 4" or 6" barrel gun.
It is missing the recall stamp, but I probably wouldn't lose any sleep over it.
Neat gun BTW
It is missing the recall stamp, but I probably wouldn't lose any sleep over it.
Neat gun BTW
Be aware that you are on a slippery slope. These L-frame guns come in sets: 2-1/2", 4" , 6", and 8-3/8" barrels. You have the 'rare' 3" barrel, now you need to get the rest.
Don't worry about dash numbers, just find the other barrel lengths, my wife and I have 3 sets of barrels with frames -- M-19, M-586, and M-686. Good luck in your quest.
Don't worry about dash numbers, just find the other barrel lengths, my wife and I have 3 sets of barrels with frames -- M-19, M-586, and M-686. Good luck in your quest.
Dale53
Member
I am not really a collector, but a SHOOTER!
>))
When the CS-1's overruns hit the market, I was at the Indianapolis 500 Gun Show. I took one look and reached for my wallet. A distributor had a few and it looked to me like a "Pefect Packing Pistol" (as per Taffin). I took it home and that double under lugged barrel holds so well for me, that I was able to shoot that revolver better than any other .357 I had tried (and I had a few). I did a Jerry Michulek trigger job but kept it so it would reliably fire any current primers at the time (and after). After all, this was to be a "Practical Revolver" and it certainly has been for all of these years. It will shoot well under an inch at 25 yards off a rest, and I have come to call revolvers I own that seemed to about half shoot themselves, "Owner Friendly". I liked the CS-1 so well and bought a six inch 686 later and still have both.
I have taken a bushel basket of edible small game with my handguns and the 686's do an excellent job!
FWIW
Dale53
>))When the CS-1's overruns hit the market, I was at the Indianapolis 500 Gun Show. I took one look and reached for my wallet. A distributor had a few and it looked to me like a "Pefect Packing Pistol" (as per Taffin). I took it home and that double under lugged barrel holds so well for me, that I was able to shoot that revolver better than any other .357 I had tried (and I had a few). I did a Jerry Michulek trigger job but kept it so it would reliably fire any current primers at the time (and after). After all, this was to be a "Practical Revolver" and it certainly has been for all of these years. It will shoot well under an inch at 25 yards off a rest, and I have come to call revolvers I own that seemed to about half shoot themselves, "Owner Friendly". I liked the CS-1 so well and bought a six inch 686 later and still have both.
I have taken a bushel basket of edible small game with my handguns and the 686's do an excellent job!
FWIW
Dale53
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DGNY
Member
Condolences on the passing of your dad, but congratulations on the acquisition of a wonderful revolver. That series has many many aficionados and I gather that you also are in that camp! By the way, a warm welcome to this great forum for the exchange of information and knowledge.
May you enjoy many years of shooting pleasure with that, and have the opportunity to acquire yet other examples of such fine craftsmanship to enhance your joy of ownership.
May you enjoy many years of shooting pleasure with that, and have the opportunity to acquire yet other examples of such fine craftsmanship to enhance your joy of ownership.
Funny but true. I have a 2.5", 3", and 4" 686+ and a 6" 586. Then I learned to control myself................for now, anyway.........
While an incredibly nice gun it also appears to have a square butt frame so I'd guess a rebarrel. I also inherited a 686 from my late father in 1992. He bought it new in Sept. 1981, still has the receipt with it. I've shown it many times before here
HOUSTON RICK
Member
In my completely unscientific estimation, the 686 and its variants are the most popular revolvers in the S&W line - certainly on this forum. Yours is certainly no exception. Shoot it safely and take care of it, please.
Funny but true. I have a 2.5", 3", and 4" 686+ and a 6" 586. Then I learned to control myself................for now, anyway.........
Ok I am intrigued. Where might I find the other barrel configurations for this revolver? And are they easily swapped?What are the reasons for each length? I assume the longer the barrel the more accurate the sights and bullet travel?
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It takes proper tools and knowledge to swap barrels properly without damaging the frame and setting the correct gap between the cylinder and barrel.
You can keep an eye on the classified section here to look out for other 686s. There are also a lot of online options to look for other revolvers. If you're friendly with a local shop let them know what you're looking for and hopefully when they get one in they'll set it aside until you can see it and decide if you want to get it.
You can keep an eye on the classified section here to look out for other 686s. There are also a lot of online options to look for other revolvers. If you're friendly with a local shop let them know what you're looking for and hopefully when they get one in they'll set it aside until you can see it and decide if you want to get it.
I am uncertain what you mean by "find". But this should help:
This is what S&W offers now:
Revolvers | Smith & Wesson
©2021 Smith & Wesson
Just clicking on the Model 686 Plus shows you all of the available barrel lengths:
Model 686 PLUS | Smith & Wesson
©2021 Smith & Wesson
2.5", 3", 4.125" (most folks just call it 4"), 5", 6", and 7".
In a 686+ I have these:
2.5"
3"
4"
And for a size comparison this next is an older 6" M586:
I'm no expert on barrel interchangeability but the old Dan Wesson revolvers were designed to do just that and often came with 3 different barrels that could be unscrewed and changed. I think you need a gunsmith to remove these S&W barrels, you don't just pop them off by unscrewing them BICBW.
There are two answers for the "reasons" for the different barrel lengths. The fun answer is "because". Because folks like these guns and collect them and want them.
But the technical answer is that they do have different uses but even that depends on the users. Technically, the shorter barrels are more easily concealed/easier to carry/easier to wield indoors as house guns or in the field. The longer barrels are more appropriate for hunting and long range shooting because bullets travel faster and farther from longer barrels. And they are more accurate, especially at long distances.
OTOH, you'll get comments that differ from mine from so many lovers of these guns that my advice is fasten your seat belt and pay attention to all of the comments because you'll learn something every time. There are some real experts on the Forum. I'm just a journeyman, lifetime shooter and lover of all things in the world of firearms, mostly.
Deepest condolences for your loss
Nice piece, but it has definitely been re-barreled with a much later production barrel. To my knowledge all 3" 686s are round butts and it has the newer font. Since it's not original it's hard to valuate it, so basically worth what someone wants to pay for it. I think $750 to $850 is a safe price range, but it could go higher to the right person. Nevertheless, it's a great shooter that'll last several generations.
Nice piece, but it has definitely been re-barreled with a much later production barrel. To my knowledge all 3" 686s are round butts and it has the newer font. Since it's not original it's hard to valuate it, so basically worth what someone wants to pay for it. I think $750 to $850 is a safe price range, but it could go higher to the right person. Nevertheless, it's a great shooter that'll last several generations.
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