686 S&W vs 586 S&W

I would not hesitate to buy a new 586. You probably wouldn't notice a difference in action IMO. I'm sure others with more personal experience with both will chime in. In my area finding a pre lock 586 in good condition for the price of a new 586 could take a while. Good luck

I know it is probably B.S. but I bought a 586 new in about 1985 and then a 686 in 1987. I swear the 586 shot better. It wasn't the mechanics but it just somehow felt better in my hand. I lost the 586 in a burglary and never got another. I still have the 686 and bought a 686+ a year or so ago. Different guns but I cannot fault either one.

The only difference is blued vs stainless. Both can be had in 7 shot versions. Both can handle heavy loads. It's just a matter of preference.

The 586-8 features a redesigned and improved yoke.

With a -8 there had to be many improvements. Some good & some not. (Lock?)

Huntolive

My Model 686 no dash still has the best DA/SA trigger right out of the box of any S&W revolver I have owned.

A couple of years later I got another one just like it but it didn't have anywhere near as nice of a trigger or as good of an overall fit and finish.

With your eyes closed you’d be hard pressed to tell the difference between a similar-era 586/686 (or the newer + models). Whichever one sings to you the loudest is the one to go for.

I’m about split down the middle between my numbers of blued and stainless handguns. I prefer the looks of deep blued steel and walnut stocks, but I find the stainless/synthetic grip ones easier to cosmetically maintain.

Stay safe.

Huntolive said:

So my 686+ should shoot just as well as a similar 586, right? And I already have a 686, do is a 586 just re- covering same ground?

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Pretty much YEP
One is silver one is blued. That is if comparing guns from the same time period and capacity. I prefer stainless as it is pretty much "forever"
A new 586 and a new 686 6 shot
https://www.smith-wesson.com/firearms/model-586-4-barrel
https://www.smith-wesson.com/firearms/model-686

Now there are those that favor the older pre lock "hand crafted" by Guss the gun smith no dash and all that.

Huntolive

Well the nickel plating on the Model 19 might require some additional care if you use any sort of copper solvent (like Hoppes No.9), to clean your guns. Typically nickel plating will not bond with a gun's surface unless a layer of copper plating is first applied to the gun. What happens when you clean the gun with a copper solvent is that it gets into the plating and goes after the layer of copper plating, essentially removing it along with the nickel plating on top of it.

My old 686 no dash, 4" barrel, is a shooter. Best action of any S&W I have ever held in my hands. Bought it new, back in the day. I would like to have a 586 also, but the ole 686 has the job covered.

Have a blessed day,

Leon

I bought a 686 (no dash) back in the mid 80s and love it. There is absolutely nothing critical I can say about it. It's bank vault tight, exceptional trigger and as accurate as any centerfire I've ever fired. Plus it has taken quite a few deer. I would suspect a comparable 586 would be as good.

Huntolive said:

Thanks.
So if I have 686 6 inch and a Dan Wesson 15-2 with 6 and 8 in barrels, and a 3in Colt King Cobra and 4 in Smith & Wesson model 65 - 2 then I really have no need for 586 or a model 19. Correct? 686 just as Functionally good as 586?

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Yup, the Model 686 with the 6" barrel will do about anything a Model 586 or a Model 19 will do.

If you want a 4" barreled 357 Magnum with adjustable sights, then you may want another revolver than what you already have. Then you have decide which to choose.

A 4" barreled gun is a bit easier to carry while a 6" barreled gun is a bit easier to aim with its longer sight distance.

My wife has a 4" Model 586 while I have a 6" Model 586 and an 8-3/8" Model 686. Except for the difference in handling due to the different barrel lengths, they all shoot about the same with the same ammunition.

The Model 686 is a bit easier to care for due to the stainless steel construction versus the blued Model 586. But, bear in mind, it is "stainless steel", not "stain proof" steel so some care in handling and cleaning is still in order.

Huntolive

So if I have 686 6 inch and a Dan Wesson 15-2 with 6 and 8 in barrels, and a 3in Colt King Cobra and 4 in Smith & Wesson model 65 - 2 then I really have no need for 586 or a model 19. Correct?

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With that line-up I would say you have all of your bases pretty well covered when it comes to quality .357 revolvers!

And yep, the Model 686 is just as functionally good as the Model 586. And maybe a tad easier to take care of since it's made with stainless steel!

The difference between a 586 and 686, aside finish/metallurgy is the individual variation from gun to gun.
I’ve shot 586’s, carried several different 686’s (issued duty firearm), and shot a national record in PPC (off duty revolver, 2-1/2” bbl.) with a 686.

I looked at over 100 individual guns before I selected the one I have. After breaking in and tuning the action, it has arguably the most perfect action possible in a d/a revolver. The extra 15% weight over a K-frame improves shootability.

However, for edc, I’ll take a M19 or 66 any day...
All my other competition revolvers are on K-frames...

Huntolive said:

Thanks.
So if I have 686 6 inch and a Dan Wesson 15-2 with 6 and 8 in barrels, and a 3in Colt King Cobra and 4 in Smith & Wesson model 65 - 2 then I really have no need for 586 or a model 19. Correct? 686 just as Functionally good as 586?

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As someone said: "Whatever floats your boat, boils your water, cranks your tractor............"

Have a blessed day,

Leon

I'm a blue junky. I think the blued pistol is more aesthetically pleasing to the eye.
That being said, here's my 2 586's.
A 6" 586 and my 586 L-Comp PC.

If you like a blue and walnut revolver better than a stainless gun the M586 is for you.

The only difference in the two is the finish. Any trigger variation or accuracy differences are due to gun to gun variations, not from the model number.

Next older M586 I find for sale that is offered at a fair price will have a new home, well after I find a M625 in 45 Colt lol.

This is the only one of these I ever saw.







It is a black finish M686 and it was not for sale. I know the owner, and he could tell from my drool, that I hungered for his pistol. I prefer the hammer mounted firing pin to the latter frame mounted striker. I talked to a S&W Customer Rep about this, he claimed milling the slot in the frame for the hammer mounted firing pin took a dedicated machine and person, they had not figured out a means to mill it without the dedicated worker.

I do own a M586, the previous owner fired 60,000 rounds of 148 LWC with 2.7 grs Bullseye, Federal primers, in PPC competition. I only had to replace the mainspring. The finish is badly worn, the previous owner was one of those who cleaned only when he had to.



He did make the claim that the blued barrels were more accurate than the stainless barrels, and he was an excellent pistol shot, but I had a stainless M686, and it shot great. I don't know one way or another. I do know a 10 times PPC champ, and he claimed that Colt barrels were tighter, and therefore more accurate, and it was not uncommon to see a Smolt on the firing line. That is a K frame Smith with a Colt barrel. His primary competition K frame had a premium barrel, can't remember the maker, was not a Douglas, or I would have remembered that.

they had not figured out a means to mill it without the dedicated worker.

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I have to wonder why?

I do remember a few “Smythons” / “smolts” though and even have a bullet or two I fired from both S&W and Colt barrels, after capturing and reloading for the 2nd firing, that have both left and right hand rifling twists in them. I was a kid and had too much time on my hands...