Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Handguns S&W 686 - YES..NO..??

I agree, it's about $200-300 to high. That being said they don't make them like that anymore. The old saying is "you didn't pay to much, you just bought it to soon".

Good Call

I had a 686+ (7-rounder) pre-lock 4-inch barrel that I sold to a friend. Very nice revolver, but not worth that much.

Jerry

Forty years old would be first year production. Maybe a 19?

I sold my 6" 686 on here several years ago for $600 I think. It was near perfect condition. Should have kept that one.

Nice shape in my area runs about 700. They are becoming a little harder to find. Hasbeen

Sold a Python 6" SS for a 1/3 of what they sell for now...and a 4" 686 pre-lock.........miss both but the 686 seemed more durable. A 5 or 6" would be a great all around.

Pdman: "I" absolutely love the/my S&W Model 686's!
They are great pistols and I shoot them well.
They are also a very good investment of ones dollars I have learned.
But the picture you were painting had me very happy until the "price" was mentioned.
I would advise to keep looking - main reason - price to high - that is a $750.00 pistol MAYBE $800.00 nowadays.
I was hoping you were gonna ask about "barrel length" and that is an easy one for me anyway - I prefer my 686's with 6" barrels.
Remind me to update my online and hard copy gun inventories and evaluations - these do seem to be "appreciating" in value annually.
Good luck what ever you do - I am very sure you will enjoy the 686 when you get one.
For "investment" purposes stay away from the lawyer lock models.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

The two best Smith revovlers I have are a 6", 686 in .357 that has had about 25,000 rounds thru it and still going strong , and a K-22 ,6" barrel,about 10k thru it . However, I would not give that amount for a new one

6" for shooting. 4" for carrying. Less than 4", get a K frame. I will admit to liking some 3" 586's and 686's I've seen though. I remember shooting a f u cking rattler at a strip pit one time with a 6" 686. He must've flown 12' in the air and landed in the water!

Mine is a 586 no dash,I forgot to put that in my post

Saddlesore: Good for you on the number of rounds downrange and downfield with your 686!
I have to admit back when I was on the "PD" and got free pistol ammo I would easily go through 2,000 rounds a year of centerfire pistol ammo - now that I am "paying" for the centerfire pistol ammo I only clip off maybe 400 rounds of it a year.
That is to my detriment.
Efficient/praisable pistol shooting takes continued practice.
In my old age I guess I am just getting "cheap" - I do run a "lot" of pistol rimfire ammo down range every year but most of that is off of sandbags or bipod rests at Varmints.
Probably shoot well over 1,000 rimfire rounds a year in my various rimfire pistols thusly.
Keep up the good work with those two Smiths!
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

I bought a lightly used 3" 686+ (7-shot) post lock off of GB last year. Paid $625. I'm loving it so far.

Unless you are planning to turn the gun soon, I would instead be focused on the very best gun I could find. When it speaks to you, just buy it even if by today’s standards it’s high.

I bought a brand new 6” Model 57 (no dash), with all the goodies and mahogany box in 1985 for $350. It had languished in a small town gun shop in Idaho for at least five years; at that time they were less popular than now, and I was counseled that I had over paid, and maybe I did. I liked it then, like it better now.

Don’t pole vault over mouse turds; if you like it, buy it, keep it.

My shooting has suffered because of my age too.I know I have shot my 686 that much because I bought two large quantities of cast bullets of 15,000 each and they are all gone. My K-22 was when I had my NRA Instructor's Cert and I was teaching classes for CCW. Now days, I try to run 300-400 rounds thru the 686 and my Sig 320 once or twice a month.

A friend passed away a few years back and the estate gave me three canisters or .357 and 9 mm bullets each was about 5" in diameter and 12 " tall. One was full of 135 gr semi jacketed .357, one was 9mm FMJ, and one was 9mm soft points. I have about 500 of the.357 left, all of the FMJ are gone and I have about 300 of the 9MM soft points left. For some reason, I can't get the hang of the Sig .I have mostly been messing around with some old lever guns.Current project is 1900 era Winchester 94 in 38-88. That is hoot to shoot