627 V-Comp or 686 Competitor
In my opinion this is going to be one of those “in my opinion” things.
I am not a bullseye shooter so the ability to shoot tiny holes at a distance is not important to me. Satisfying, but not important!
I found the 686 heavy and more difficult to wield, and therefore less useful to me for, say, home defense or as a trail gun. It is just a big, heavy gun. I think it was, clearly, designed for maximum bullseye accuracy and for hunting. The weight system allows setting up a balance to the weight, but I don’t see why. I’d be looking for ways to control the recoil, but for bullseye shooting I think I can do that as well with tailoring the loads. I do like the lockwork of the series, and they are easy for me to shoot well. I sold it because I don’t need its precision capability – and can’t use it – and found it too heavy and unwieldy for home defense. It is well suited for hunting, I think, though I did not use mine for that.
I prefer the feel of the 627 because it is lighter. It doesn’t feel as nose-heavy to me and therefor feels as though it is a smaller gun. As a defensive gun I also prefer having 8 rounds. It is as accurate as I can shoot it. I don’t miss the rail on top, or the selectable weights. I just don’t need them.
If you’re thinking of home defense, I suggest you reconsider the compensators. If you can, shoot one in the dark sometime and you may find the fireball that comes from the compensator to be distracting and even blinding. Some people say the increased blast is unpleasant. I fired a friend’s Wilson 1911 with a compensator – one time - in his basement with the lights down. I handed it right back to him and worked with my S&W 1911Sc (pre-E) instead.
I don't see much of the 627 these days. I loaned it to a brother-in-law who lives in the mountains and who likes it as a trail gun due to its lighter weight, eight rounds and the increasing presence of cougars.
