Dissatisfied new S&W owner

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I think the 686 family is one of the finest fighting revolvers available in its class. For me, They generally handle well, shoot well, and generally, imho, walk the fine line between being handsome and functional better than any other revolver in the price range. I won't fault anyone for picking a GP100 over a 686, but none of the 4 GPs I've had of various flavors had the same "hang" in the hand. That said, while I find the 686 to be a beautiful model, I can totally see how a lack of polish and cosmetic fit would be a bummer for a $700 gun.
 
I noticed the finish on my 686-6 was about like how you described yours. Not very uniform. It didn't bug me too much but after a few beers I decided to hit the entire gun with very fine grit sand paper then sit in front of the tv with a rag and Mothers Mag for a couple hours. Mirror finish.

The next day I had regrets lol. So I roughed it all back up with a worn scotch brite pad to put the brushed look back on it. Turned out better than what the factory did. That's the nice thing about stainless over bluing. It's easy to correct.
 
If the finish is all that's making you dissatisfied you could take part of that $600 you'd pay for the DW 715 and pay somebody to refinish it to you're liking.
 
Mn Fats said:
I noticed the finish on my 686-6 was about like how you described yours. Not very uniform. It didn't bug me too much but after a few beers I decided to hit the entire gun with very fine grit sand paper then sit in front of the tv with a rag and Mothers Mag for a couple hours. Mirror finish.

The next day I had regrets lol. So I roughed it all back up with a worn scotch brite pad to put the brushed look back on it. Turned out better than what the factory did. That's the nice thing about stainless over bluing. It's easy to work on.
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I cleaned up my stainless GP100 brushed finish with wet/dry 800 grit sandpaper. Like yours, it turned out better than factory by a long shot. I loved the gun but the finish bothered me.
 
You should buy that Dan Wesson and you will be happy. Fit and finish are excellent. They are of the most accurate revolvers made and these latest ones that are manufactured in Norwich are excellent in every way. There's also the danwessonforum.com with much more information. I'd love to have a newer one but at 1,300.00 it's a little bit of a stretch right now. You can get brand new barrels in different lengths from CZ-USA.
 
I'm keeping the S&W. It's too rare to get a firearm you think is totally dialed in from the first cylinder or magazine. My expectation of what this gun was going to be is what tripped me up here. The more I handle it the more I feel it's an awesome gun wrapped in some bad finishing, and the awesome gun part is winning. I was just expecting to be wowed by this gun like I was with both my Dan Wesson 1911s from the first time I opened the box, and when that didn't happen it messed with my head.

I appreciate everyone's input.
 
mlankton,
Glad you are keeping the S&W. Looks are nice, but reliability and accuracy? They make a gun a keeper.
I bought an S&W 63 b ordering it through an FFL. The stainless finish isn’t pretty. The gun had a barrel / cylinder gap problem and had to go back to S&W. I asked about maybe finishing what they started with finishing the gun. I was told “Not a warranty issue. Prepare to wait 6 months.” I opted for the repair and the 2 week turnaround. ;)
The gun shoots well and the trigger is smooth. I am changing the sights but that’s just for my preference.
I could get it polished but then I would worry about dings and such. I bought it to shoot, not to look at.
I like reliability and functionality over looks. I also shoot black plastic framed gunS that are reliable but ugly. Love reliability. :cool:
 
S&W’s QC is simply poor these days. Fortunately, at least, it sounds as though they didn’t screw up anything that bears on function.

I wouldn’t be able to abide the issues you’ve described, as both function and overall attention to detail are important to me, but that’s just how I’m wired. Refinishing may be something for you to consider here. Your 686-6 is obviously not in any way rare or collectible. Maybe you’d feel better about it if you spent a little to have someone address the finish issues.
 
it just surprised me because a long time ago I handled their base E series 1911, and it stood out to me how much nicer it felt and was finished than a comparable Springfield. I would have expected the same attention to detail in one of their revolvers.
 
Paul R Zartman said:
:what:Hmmm...like most of us who have more than one handgun, rifle or shotgun...I have to answer that as both, we love to look and clean them as much as shooting them...not to mention reload for them
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I agree with that only so far.

Perfect function with longevity has a beauty unto it's self. And to me that counts for a lot.

That beauty has, over the years, come to mean more to me than the superficial beauty of the perfect finish and having to guess what comes with it.
Now, if you luck into getting both, then your in gun Heaven no matter who made it.
 
Personally, nothing relieves me more than the first couple scratches on a new gun.

kinda like the first door ding on a new pickup...it is inevitable, sucks when I see it, but then I get over it and worry about the next one much less.

Sometimes, the outer ugly is the price for inner beauty!
 
If the grips don’t fit get new grips. If the metal is not shiny enough take it to a jeweler and let him buff it with jeweler’s rouge. If you still don’t like it, send me a personal message and we can begin negotiations.

When you are shooting it, you only see the sights. Do you like the sights?

edit:

Glad you will keep it. Good choice.
 
I buy Charter revolvers... I know what to expect..
not the best fit & finish .. gritty but good trigger .. great customer service.. if needed .. I can buy couple for the cost of one of some ...

Seems like alot of gun makers are not focusing on quality control
 
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A few years ago I to received a 686 (SSR, see post #41) that had a chip along the hammer slot and the barrel wasn't vertical.

I purchased it for competition only! I had modified the strain screw for the light loads and Federal primers only!

I sent it back for warranty repairs. The repairs were completed and it appeared to have been refinished. BUT they "locktighted" a new strain screw in the frame. A bit of a pain the replace!

Bottom line contact warranty service and discuss your dis-satisfaction!

Smiles,
 
mlankton said:
I just picked up a new 686 Plus Deluxe. I'm a Dan Wesson 1911 owner twice over, and I was inclined to go new 715 because of that. But the Youtube videos comparing the DW and the S&W made me think the DW trigger was kind of stage-y, whereas it seemed much smoother with a quicker DA reset on the S&W. That and the tradition S&W has swung me over to a brand I have no previous experience with.

Picked up the new S&W Saturday. Initial impression was that it looked like hot garbage. Just an overall lack of finesse on the finish, and it made me feel like I had picked up a mass produced revolver made by people that didn't much care for people whom maximum profit was a priority.

Took it to the range Sunday, and it functions flawlessly and puts rounds exactly where I point it every pull.

So on the one hand I couldn't be happier with how the gun works in practice, but on the other hand I am not feeling the pride of ownership that I do with my other handguns.

Do I need to learn to forgive this gun's shortcomings the way I do the Eastern European stuff I own? In those cases the firearms are far from flawless in fit and finish, but their performance is so amazing that I never give it a second thought and would never part with any of them.

Or, would I be better served looking to trade this S&W in for a new Dan Wesson 715 or a Colt Python? From what I can tell not having handled either, they appear to be much more nicely finished sidearms than this S&W, and I would be more than willing to take a small trade loss and part with the additional money to step up to either if it ended in me owning a gun that both functioned flawlessly and I was proud of when I handled it.

Everything I read online before purchase told me that the S&W was superior in almost every way to the Ruger, but from memory that Redhawk I handled looked a lot nicer than this S&W. I did notice the cylinder had more play than the S&W, but everything else about the Ruger looked and felt right.

I just want to own a 357 that I am happy to have and not having second thoughts about. I would really appreciate any feedback you guys have so I can either settle down and learn to love this perfectly good shooting S&W or get out of it while the getting's good. I was trying to be conservative for once and talked myself into saving $600 by getting the S&W and not buying the new Dan Wesson, but where I sit right now I wish I had splurged and done it. Appreciate your time, thanks.
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If you go over that revolver lightly with some Mothers Mag wheel polish or Flitz and kind of even out and lighten the swirls it will look better
 
I'll probably just take some scotch brite to it and see if I can make it uniform
 
My thoughts..
We all are big boys with these grown up toys! ( the kid never left us) ;)
I’m very visually stimulated.. cars, boats, guns, planes the list goes on. It’s got to look good!! But it needs to work too. I got lucky with my lipseys 5 inch gp100. Flawless finish ( I think as good as they can do) and it’s a tack driver
I say keep it and maybe send it somewhere for a “Dollin’ up” And buy that python when the prices come down. Problem solved and welcome to the best revolver forum IVE ever found. Super nice and knowledgeable guys here. And um.. we would t mind seeing “the piece” eh hem... :)
 
WestKentucky said:
I have done this..

And I still kick myself 10 years later. “It’s just a raggedy old Taurus, I can easily do better than that one” it’s the first revolver I killed a deer with, most accurate revolver I have ever owned, and I still have not been able to replace it. I wish I could afford the advice here... get both at the same time and get rid of the one you like less... my pockets aren’t that deep.
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My son has the same regret as you. Sold the Taurus 66 he shot a deer with.

As for the OP, There's BBQ guns, and there's working guns. You got a great working gun. I'd be happy with it.
 
The OP mentioned the DW as the "yard stick" by which he judges the quality of the finish, and as a DW 15-2 owner, I can vouch for the quality of the finish, but I wonder how the OP would feel if he ever bought his "grail" gun, only to find years later that the beautiful deep blue finish turned to plum?

Welcome to the world of Dan Wesson. I understand there are a few other guns out there that do this, but the 15-2 made in the 80's almost all turn to a plum color with age. And they don't turn plum all over, no... just the frame. The cylinder, barrel and side plate stay nice and blue.

Like The Heavy song says..." how you like now"?

upload_2020-7-27_21-7-41.png
 
I just picked up a new 686 Plus Deluxe. I'm a Dan Wesson 1911 owner twice over, and I was inclined to go new 715 because of that.
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If you base your opinion of any double action trigger made by anyone in the world, upon even a factory Dan Wesson SA 1911 trigger, you are setting yourself up for disappointment.

Most all of the old ones feel better than the new ones, to me. I’m not sure if it’s the many thousands of rounds shooting/smoothing them out and weakening the springs or they were just made better.

As a machinist, I think any design could be made better with today’s technology than they were even 20 years ago. :)

As a guy that realizes that things today are not being made to be the best but to sell the best, I know corners are cut depending on price levels.

The good news it the market is fairly hot right now, sell the one you don’t want and buy the one that you do. Life’s too short to be disappointed. I guess on that note, I’d say buy the 715 then, after you know them both, keep the one you like the best.
 
Dudemeister said:
The OP mentioned the DW as the "yard stick" by which he judges the quality of the finish, and as a DW 15-2 owner, I can vouch for the quality of the finish, but I wonder how the OP would feel if he ever bought his "grail" gun, only to find years later that the beautiful deep blue finish turned to plum?

Welcome to the world of Dan Wesson. I understand there are a few other guns out there that do this, but the 15-2 made in the 80's almost all turn to a plum color with age. And they don't turn plum all over, no... just the frame. The cylinder, barrel and side plate stay nice and blue.

Like The Heavy song says..." how you like now"?

View attachment 932318
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Only the highest quality, best shooting guns turn Barney Plum, it's oozing perfection...:scrutiny:
 
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