Thinking of buying this 686 tomorrow...how much to bid?

[mattbiel]

I am going to be a new gun owner. I have spent time at the range and countless hours online. I know now that I want a 686 with a 3" barrel and WITHOUT an internal lock. This gun looks to be it. I am hesitant to buy something online, but the sellers says "new in box".

have three questions:

1. Does it look new to you?
2. What is a fair price to pay (bid) for this gun?
3. Any idea what year it was manufactured?

 

[chud333]

With his buy it now price of 1450.00 looks like your gonna
need to be North of 1300 bucks to meet the reserve and
maybe closer to 1400. If you want a good reliable pre-lock
.357 you do not need to spend that much money but it's
certainly your call and money. The 686 was introduced in
1980. I'd check gunbroker for "completed sales" to see what
the going rate for these are before bidding that high. It does
look to be NIB, unfired from the pictures.
Hope this helps.


chuck

 

[gumpys]

Trust me save your money and if you want a 3 inch 686 buy one of the ones with the lock for 550-600, if you pay 1,300 for that gun you will be paying about twice what its worth. Also, I see there was a member on the board that had a problem with him recently.
Eric

 

[blujax01]

I will say one thing - you are a man of your convictions!

You might contact him and ask what his reserve is.

 

[turbo38gn]

I'd buy 2 of these below before I'd pay that much for 1... Looks to have been fired to me somewhat or at least dry fired some. Turn line is noticeable. Way too much reserve in my book. If you're looking to shoot it or invest in it, also makes a difference. I recently purchased one of these by Lew Horton

 

[nipster]

Way too much. You appear to be a shooter, not a collector. This guy is selling to the collector crowd. Find another gun.

And a word of advice, get a 4" or 2 1/2" and save yourself hundreds of dollars.

 

[wewaslim]

Way too expensive, IMO. For $ 1200 you should be able to find a 3" 65 and a nice 2.5" 19 or 66.

 

[AKsRule]

I am going to be a new gun owner. I have spent time at the range and countless hours online. I know now that I want a 686 with a 3" barrel and WITHOUT an internal lock. This gun looks to be it. I am hesitant to buy something online, but the sellers says "new in box".

LINK DELETED

have three questions:
1. Does it look new to you?
2. What is a fair price to pay (bid) for this gun?
3. Any idea what year it was manufactured?

---------------

Unless you have money to burn , I suggest you just look for the
2.5" barrel six shot model.

Those are available for about HALF that price.
.

 

[Mr Pokeyman]

I paid $550 for a 4" 686 two yrs ago from a member of this great forum. I know its not the 3" inch that you want but I would not pay a whole lot more for a 3 than a 4 inch, that's just me. I didn't get the box etc but for the money I got a gun in PERFECT condition and at a fair price. Having said all that, its your money, do what you want and have a nice day. PS- I know what its like to pay too much for something you just have to have.

 

[murphydog]

It appears to be a 686-5 (MIM hammer and trigger, integral frame cylinder lug, no internal lock), which was made from 1997 to 2001. There is no way to tell if it is unfired short of a detailed hands-on inspection, and even with this a lightly fired gun can be cleaned to look NIB. It is not a good value at $1300+ but you may want it despite that, so good luck in your decision.

 

[ladder13]

I had a 7 shot 686-5 with 2 1/2 barrel in great condition, I sold it for $600. I would not pay double for another 1/2 inch.

 

[mattbiel]

I'd buy 2 of these below before I'd pay that much for 1... Looks to have been fired to me somewhat or at least dry fired some. Turn line is noticeable. Way too much reserve in my book. If you're looking to shoot it or invest in it, also makes a difference. I recently purchased one of these by Lew Horton

You said you would buy two of what's in the picture...what's that in the picture? It looks like the same gun I was asking about but with nice wood grips? Sorry if that's ignorant, I am new to this.

 

[mattbiel]

Thanks everyone for the very informative posts, and so quickly! I'm looking forward to being a S&W owner, it's obvious that there are a lot of great owners out there.

I know that it may seem unreasonable to be so set on the 3" prelock, but I do have my reasons. I am fortunate to have a good sized budget for this purchase, but don't want to overpay as I can be patient.

I didn't get a direct answer as to what would be a reasonable price to pay, but the info you all gave led me to believe that I should be paying b/w $600 and $850 depending on the condition. I'll put in a bid at around that price and see what happens. I'll also keep looking on GB and at the classifieds here if anything pops up.

Anybody know where else I can look for one of these please let me know. I live in Los Angeles so there is pretty much nothing locally so I think I'm gonna have to buy online.

 

[Robinett_11B]

That isn't even a collector's piece, and he's certainly selling it at a collector's price. It's just a 3" 686 with MIM parts and the integral frame lug. I'd say somewhere between $550-$650 for that gun is what it'd sell for on our local WA forums. Me personally though, I wouldn't pay $400 for it....I would just rather wait it out a little and find a pre-MIM example for much cheaper. I mean, you could find a CS-1 for cheaper than that.

It's 100% up to you though and if you're happy, then it's all good....we already know the seller would be elated to sell his piece at his "optimistic" reserve price.

 

[lebomm]

One more time - his price is too high. Keep looking.

Larry

 

[flgolfer29]

I didn't get a direct answer as to what would be a reasonable price to pay, but the info you all gave led me to believe that I should be paying b/w $600 and $850 depending on the condition. I'll put in a bid at around that price and see what happens. I'll also keep looking on GB and at the classifieds here if anything pops up.

Anybody know where else I can look for one of these please let me know. I live in Los Angeles so there is pretty much nothing locally so I think I'm gonna have to buy online.

I recently purchased from Gunbroker.com a 6" 686-2 for $515 that is near flawless. $600 - $850 seems a little high, as others have stated. On being NIB(?) I have a two year old 3" 636-6 plus with over 1000 rounds down range that looks as new as the one shown in the photo.

Just wanted to share.

joe

 

[vytoland]

dont fall in love with that one....................walk on by....another will be coming along

 

[kennyb]

as others mentioned...that gun is not just priced a bit high...thats robbery...wayyyyyy high...in addition to gunbroker there are other on line auction sites as well as placing an ad here in the want to buy section...also be very clear if its an online purchase the seller can/will ship to ca.the majority do not...

 

[nipster]

Gunbroker prices for a lot of things right now are just ridiculous.

 

[Nick B]

Waaaaay too much money . Just last December (2011) I bought at a gun shop a 4" 686 no dash with the factory wood grips for $425.00 . Looks and shoots great .

 

[gumpys]

Waaaaay too much money . Just last December (2011) I bought at a gun shop a 4" 686 no dash with the factory wood grips for $425.00 . Looks and shoots great .

Very good buy.

 

[Avery11]

To the OP,

You have good taste and seem to have done your homework on which gun you want to buy. Add that you have a realistic expectation that you will not get something for nothing and not only are you way ahead of the game, you have instantly made lots of friends here.

That said, you sound like a man who deserves an honest deal and I think everyone is looking out for you in hopes that you get one.

We've all had the "fever" when we make up our minds and the gun we want seems to be extinct.

BE PATIENT. Your gun will come along sooner than you think though the search will seem to go on forever.

The search is the best part so savor it.

You asked for a price so I will answer your question directly. If I really had my heart set on a 3" 686, I would look for a -4 or earlier version as I believe the MIM parts started with the -5 I could be and likely am wrong so verify this.

To get one like new with box and original grips I would pay up to $800. I think anything less than $700 for a 3" would be a great deal in today's market.

At $1400 you are well past what any 686 is worth including the 3" 686 CS-1.

If you were going $100 over value, no big deal. We've all done it.

However, the seller is waiting for someone just like you to come along and triple his money if not more. That's just wrong. Take a pass and you will absolutely get a better deal.

Please let us know how it works out.

A.

 

[JamesArthur60]

If you want a 686 that bad, I'd sell you my 686-5PP (c:2000) no IL, with a 6" barrel and a trigger job. Great gun and you could have the barrel cut (for example by SDM Fabricating) to your size and save lots of cash over the one posted. Keep looking...

 

[2hawk]

To the OP,

You have good taste and seem to have done your homework on which gun you want to buy. Add that you have a realistic expectation that you will not get something for nothing and not only are you way ahead of the game, you have instantly made lots of friends here.

That said, you sound like a man who deserves an honest deal and I think everyone is looking out for you in hopes that you get one.

We've all had the "fever" when we make up our minds and the gun we want seems to be extinct.

BE PATIENT. Your gun will come along sooner than you think though the search will seem to go on forever.

....
A.

Well stated Avery.
I might add that if you buy this one you'll see one similar to it at a much better price almost immediately- if your luck is anything like mine

 

[lhump1961]

Avery11 hit it pretty good on the price expectation. Up to $800 I could live with for my perfect gun...any more than that is unreasonable. The advice in this thread is right on IMHO. Paying a little too much is one thing (I've done it myself!) but then there is getting taken advantage of.

I can understand pining after a 3", I really can! I have a 3" 66 and several 2.5" K frames and a 2.5" 686-1. I can honestly say I like my 2.5's just as much as my lone 3". If you aren't stuck too hard on a 3" maybe take a look at the 686 in 2.5"...they are around at less than half the price and are just as good if not better than anything else Smith ever made. Here's a pic if you haven't looked much at the 2.5".

Good luck in your search...your gun will be along shortly!

 

[UDR2]

I had a 7 shot 686-5 with 2 1/2 barrel in great condition, I sold it for $600. I would not pay double for another 1/2 inch.

Well, I might pay a lot for an extra 1/2 inch, but not in a gun barrel.

 

[gumpys]

To the OP,

You have good taste and seem to have done your homework on which gun you want to buy. Add that you have a realistic expectation that you will not get something for nothing and not only are you way ahead of the game, you have instantly made lots of friends here.

That said, you sound like a man who deserves an honest deal and I think everyone is looking out for you in hopes that you get one.

We've all had the "fever" when we make up our minds and the gun we want seems to be extinct.

BE PATIENT. Your gun will come along sooner than you think though the search will seem to go on forever.

The search is the best part so savor it.

You asked for a price so I will answer your question directly. If I really had my heart set on a 3" 686, I would look for a -4 or earlier version as I believe the MIM parts started with the -5 I could be and likely am wrong so verify this.

To get one like new with box and original grips I would pay up to $800. I think anything less than $700 for a 3" would be a great deal in today's market.

At $1400 you are well past what any 686 is worth including the 3" 686 CS-1.

If you were going $100 over value, no big deal. We've all done it.

However, the seller is waiting for someone just like you to come along and triple his money if not more. That's just wrong. Take a pass and you will absolutely get a better deal.

Please let us know how it works out.

A.

Could not have said it better especially the part about tripling his money on that gun

 

[mattbiel]

To the OP,

You have good taste and seem to have done your homework on which gun you want to buy. Add that you have a realistic expectation that you will not get something for nothing and not only are you way ahead of the game, you have instantly made lots of friends here.

That said, you sound like a man who deserves an honest deal and I think everyone is looking out for you in hopes that you get one.

We've all had the "fever" when we make up our minds and the gun we want seems to be extinct.

BE PATIENT. Your gun will come along sooner than you think though the search will seem to go on forever.

The search is the best part so savor it.

You asked for a price so I will answer your question directly. If I really had my heart set on a 3" 686, I would look for a -4 or earlier version as I believe the MIM parts started with the -5 I could be and likely am wrong so verify this.

To get one like new with box and original grips I would pay up to $800. I think anything less than $700 for a 3" would be a great deal in today's market.

At $1400 you are well past what any 686 is worth including the 3" 686 CS-1.

If you were going $100 over value, no big deal. We've all done it.

However, the seller is waiting for someone just like you to come along and triple his money if not more. That's just wrong. Take a pass and you will absolutely get a better deal.

Please let us know how it works out.

A.

Thank you so much Avery11 and everyone else! I have gained so much knowledge I feel like I owe everyone here a beer. I will use $800 as the top of my range. I will be patient. I will savor the hunt for "my" gun. I will search and scour and get the word out to my local shops and when the time comes I just may pay $100 too much for that extra 1/2" (thanks for that one, UDR2!) but I'm not going to triple anyone's money just because I have to have something.

I'll post when I have made a purchase to say thank you again and let you know how it went.

 

[ckprax]

So is the reason for wanting a 3" because you can import it into CA using the single action exemption or just personal preference?

 

[trauma1]

I picked up a 4" model in the box with everything for $500 OTD!!! 3x's the money for 1"< barrel. Don't do it. Keep looking around and go to as many LGS and Pawn shops as possible. Go at least twice a week as new items are usually put out for sale daily after the mandatory 30 day hold period for pawns/sold/traded guns. Patience is the key. you can buy 2-3 686's for the "buy it now" price.