Opinions: S&W 686 vs 686+

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WrongHanded

WrongHanded

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It's been a long time since I owned a 686, and it was a Plus with 7 chambers. So I never experienced the 6 shot (and arguably more classic) version of this very successful model.

Which brings me to my question: For longevity, reliability, ruggedness and easy of operation, is having a 7th chamber worth it? Do you feel like it's in any way a compromise, or is it all benefit?

If you have experience with both and have come to a firm position on it, I'd like to hear what it is any why. If you don't have experience with both, but have some constructive thoughts, those are also welcome.
 
Ive had both and currently have a 2.5" plus version. I like them both, but I do think the plus has a slightly quicker action. Always figured the extra round shortened things up a tick, but I cant really prove that.

The 7th round is always a plus, but I often find live rounds in the empty piles when I pick up my brass. I guess my brain is still hard wired to the 6 shooters and I just dump them after 6 without thinking about it. :)

The main reason I kept the 7 shooter is because the only other L frame I have in 357 is a 620, which is also a 7 shooter, and the speed loaders are the same. If I had had a standard 686, Id have probably dumped the plus, for the same reason. KISS. :)
 
Revolvers are supposed to be six shooters.:)

I only have experience with some high capacity 22LR revolvers and an S&W 986 revolver (7 shot 9mm revolver). All have been reliable and as accurate as any similar 6 shot version.

I feel you won’t go wrong with either. Flip a coin to decide.

But more to the point, if you have shot a lot of six shooters, it might take a bit to reprogram your mind to the seven shot capacity. Nothing a bit of shooting won’t solve.
 
Is clearance between the rims of the case heads a concern at all? I thought I remembered hearing something about that in a 7 shot design at some point, but it may well have been the GP100 7 shot experiment.
 
WrongHanded said:
It's been a long time since I owned a 686, and it was a Plus with 7 chambers. So I never experienced the 6 shot (and arguably more classic) version of this very successful model.

Which brings me to my question: For longevity, reliability, ruggedness and easy of operation, is having a 7th chamber worth it? Do you feel like it's in any way a compromise, or is it all benefit?

If you have experience with both and have come to a firm position on it, I'd like to hear what it is any why. If you don't have experience with both, but have some constructive thoughts, those are also welcome.
Click to expand...
I shoot max 357 loads from time to time. I wonder if the cylinder walls are too thin with the 7 shot cylinder. No idea if they are, but that's always on my mind and not worth 1 extra round.
 
If you must do 357 Magnum, do it right, S&W 627, 8-shooter.

index.php
 
I have had and shot both. I highly doubt the 7 round gun will fail.before the 6 round offering. If you are in a competition which requires a 6 shooter, get that. Nothing wrong with a 7 round gun for other uses. How can an extra round of .357 Magnum be a bad thing? lol
 
The 686+ has a little more rim space than the GP100 7-shot. With the GP, I've only had issues with out-of-spec brass -- or reloads that had been through a lever action several times. Pictures below, with the 686+ first.
The Smith: sw.jpg
The Ruger: gp.jpg
 
I carry the 686+ with the 3" barrel and clearance between the case heads is not an issue, the chamber is a wee bit larger in diameter allowing you to use full loads. I shoot 158 grainers and shooting more than a box of ammo necessitates a glove for continued shooting as it is stout, not so with the 6" barrel guns. I do not think it is a compromise. I carried a 1911 for over 30 years so seven shot revolver just seemed normal to me. I did not buy the 686+ because it chambered 7 rounds, I bought it because the design of the revolver appealed to me, plus it is a .357 magnum. The other 686 with the 6 inch barrel I bought over 30+ years ago and prefer it to the python pictured. There is another python not pictured I own also. I love wheel guns and prefer Smith and Wesson, they appeal to me.

IMG_1174.jpg
 
I owned and have shot both. The 3 inch is a 7 shot. The only problem is remembering I am shooting the one that holds 7. I also sometimes unfired rounds in my empty brass range container. Sometimes me & a friend will have 2 or 3 revolvers, each at the range and my 3 inch 686 is the only 7 shot
9BBDFE30-D0D0-47AB-A220-8D15BD734A63.jpeg 05D5FA18-4916-4E7F-8408-FF9A613A4535.jpeg
 
I'd go with the 686 and shoot the 6 shooter. If I wanted extra rounds I'd buy a 627 or 929 and get 8 shots with each.

That 7th shot could help in competitions like Steel Challenge where every shot counts. If you have a miss it's nice to know you have 2 chances to make it up. Still, the 8 shooter lets you relax a little more knowing you have 3 shots to make up for your bad shooting.

In ICORE there is a separate division for 6 shooters and 8 shooters. The 686+ has to shoot against the 8 shooters but most stages have 8 shot arrays and you'd have to do a standing reload. Too much of an advantage to the 8 shooter.
 
I have a 4” 686+ that I bead blasted years ago. I had enough faith in it to carry it as a duty gun for many months as I recovered from a thumb injury.

Other than the speedloaders not matching my K frames or Dan Wessons, IMHO I don’t think there is a reason to bypass that extra round in the same package bonus the + gives a shooter. :)

9A2236BA-310D-406A-97B1-FD84356449E2.jpeg 2672D84F-88C8-4EC6-9C42-EC21CE2D826E.jpeg 901DE644-0444-47B5-9FF0-196C858D0F6A.jpeg BF1B26AD-8C21-497E-9866-238F796987A9.jpeg

Stay safe.
 
trackskippy said:
It may just be my imagination, but I swear the 7 shooters have a quicker, smoother action than the 6 shooters.
Click to expand...

I've read that in some review somewhere, and I can believe it. Though it does strike me that the teeth/gearing on the ratchet are finer, and I do wonder about how that compares to the beefier ones on the 6 shot through hard use.

The 686+ I had was used when I bought it, but had a timing issue where the cylinder did not rotate far enough to lock before the hammer fell. Or if used in SA, didn't lock when the hammer did. It went back to S&W courtesy of the LGS I bought it at, and returned in full working order. But it made me skeptical so I sent it down the road.

I'm willing to give the + another chance, I'm just not 100% convinced (yet) that it's as solid as the regular 6 shot.
 
WrongHanded said:
I've read that in some review somewhere, and I can believe it. Though it does strike me that the teeth/gearing on the ratchet are finer, and I do wonder about how that compares to the beefier ones on the 6 shot through hard use.

The 686+ I had was used when I bought it, but had a timing issue where the cylinder did not rotate far enough to lock before the hammer fell. Or if used in SA, didn't lock when the hammer did. It went back to S&W courtesy of the LGS I bought it at, and returned in full working order. But it made me skeptical so I sent it down the road.

I'm willing to give the + another chance, I'm just not 100% convinced (yet) that it's as solid as the regular 6 shot.
Click to expand...

The 7 shots are actually stronger. There's a negligible difference in the ratches, and by virtue of the cylinder locking notches being between the charge holes, the cylinder itself is actually stronger since the thinnest part of the cylinder on the 6 shot models is the cylinder locking notch, not between the charge holes themselves.
 
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