I had a short "honey-do" list yesterday so filled some time at a local gun show. Impulsively I bought a Smith & Wesson 686-1, 4" with wood grips, .357 Mag. (estimated mid-'80s vintage) in immaculate condition for $475. In all of my years around firearms I've only seriously handled two revolvers (Ruger Bearcat and Single Six), always buying and shooting semis (German-made Sigs in 9mm, .40 and .45). I even bought some ammo (box of .38 Spl semiwadcutters and Hornady .357 Mag LeverEvolution, both 158 gr.). I bought it to give myself an introduction to serious (read: centerfire) wheel guns. What should I expect?
You bought one of S&W's finest revolvers, and at a very good price. The 686 well digest .357 mag ammo all day long. I would avoid shooting a lot of 125gr stuff, it can cause forcing cone erosion and flame cutting. It's a L frame, basically a N frame with K frame grips. Enjoy it.
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Married men live longer than single men do, but married men are a lot more willing to die.
I bought my 686 in the mid 80's. Over 3000 rounds through her and she still looks and performs great.
Only problem is the wife likes her so much she has become "her gun".
But she bought me a 629 to make up for it.
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Griz drinks more coffee than Juan Valdez!
Smith & Wesson L-frames are great range and competition guns; very smooth and very accurate. They are a bit of a load to carry all day in the holster though.
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whats the difference between a 686 and a 586? I just acquired a 586.
586 (I have one & love it) is blued & 686 is stainless. The trigger tends to have the tension set forth by S&W's legal team. A good smith can smooth it out and you'll have a great revolver for life!
The .357 magnum L frame models are good revolvers. Some claim that S&W copied the Colt Python when they designed it. It was designed as a response to cracked forcing cones that were discovered on the the Model 19 and Model 13 in the seventies when police officers began to train on a steady basis with full power .357 magnum loads.
There is still some disagreement on this condition, but whatever the case S&W designed the L frame for that problem. The 586/686 are designed for "unlimited" magnum shooting. However you'll probably want to stick with 38 special for most of your shooting. If for no other reason then the cost involved. Even if you reload 38 special is still more affordable and more pleasent to shoot on a regular basis.
I've now had the pistol out for two range sessions. The first was two weeks ago. I put approx. 48 rounds of .38Spl and 18 rounds of .357Mag through the 686. One of the rangemasters is an old S&W fan (and former LEO) who did a minor trigger spring adjustment on it. Shot it out to 15 yards and it's easy on the trigger and dead-on accurate. After about 12 rounds of the .357Mag, the hand started registering some resistance to the recoil with the wood grips. In the interim I acquired some speedloaders (HKS and Safariland Comp IIs) as well as Hogue grips. Put the Hogues on yesterday and went to the range. Shot at least 24 .357Mags and noticed the Hogues made a huge difference in felt recoil. It's a sweet shooter.
