A special revo - S&W PC 681

[DHart]

A fellow forum member, Dave Lynk, who knew I was a lover of the 581/681 and also has a PC 681 of his own contacted me to let me know of a fellow who was selling a PC 681 which was still NIB. (THANK YOU Dave!)

Being a big fan of L-frame revos, I thought it might be sort of a cool revo to have, even though I wasn't sure I'd like the Black-T finish. I was especially excited that the gun is not ported and does not have the internal lock. That was all it took to clinch the deal for me! Well, the seller and I came to a nice agreement and I find myself the proud owner of a NIB PC681.

The gun was supplied with a pair of Hogue Bantam grips which I surprisingly liked! (Surprisingly, because I really dislike the standard and ubiquitous Hogue rubber grips.) The little Bantams are very nice indeed. But in the end, I decided to replace the rubber grips with a pair of my absolute favorite grips... Ahrends finger groove grips. On a hefty, powerful gun such as this, which I don't use as a CCW, I find the square butt, finger groove design makes for a rock solid hold, which gives me ultimate control and looks awesome. I got the Morado (aka Pau Ferro, Moradillo, etc.) grips directly from Kim Ahrends and asked that he supply them unfinished so I could give them a Formbys Gloss Tung Oil finish. That's what they have on them and I'm thrilled with the look and feel.

I wasn't so sure I would love this gun when I decided to buy it. But now that I've had it a while and done a little shooting with it... I LOVE it! The Birdsong Black-T finish is the best of it's kind and is rugged, very durable, and highly protective. This is my first gun designed to accept moonclips and I'm amazed at how quickly one can pop 7 rounds of .357 ammo into it! Pretty danged cool indeed! Though I don't use the gun as a concealed carry gun, I do rotate it into my home/RV defense group and shoot it a little now and then. Hope you enjoy the pics.

 

[Brian Williams]

They are great guns I would like to have it all black.

 

[P95Carry]

Thx Don - not I confess the most aesthetically pleasing of revo's to me but - certainly one I would relish handling and shooting. I'd not kick it out from a collection, have to admit!

Love the moonclips tho - that is a great plus.

 

[DHart]

When I first saw pictures of the gun, I wasn't really excited over the color, but since getting it in person and having it around a while, I'm really liking the look... and since I already have so many other blued and stainless beauties, I do enjoy having something which looks different (and is different in so many other ways!). The green is more muted in real life than in the pics.

 

[ruger357]

You just got my itch going for another revolver.

 

[DHart]

For comparison purposes here's my other 3" 681 with the same non-ported barrel. I had this 6-shot gun made for me by the S&W Performance Center - they replaced my 4" barrel with a 3"er and Gene rounded the butt to accept round butt grips. These are two of my very favorite revolvers. Such stout, solid performers in a fairly small, rugged package.

 

[Brasso]

If you ever decide to sell ove of those you have a buyer.

 

[Fatelvis]

Do they still make the Performance Center 681? Id really like one of those.

 

[bjbarron]

Quick question:

Does the cylinder shape allow you to be able to load rounds without moon clips and still eject properly (with the ejector rod)? I've seen revolver cylinders milled in such a way that the star ejector would either catch the moon clip, or catch a bit of the base of the round for ejection.

Beautiful pistol, by the way...nothing like a handful of American Iron.

 

[Barker45]

Holy old post, I know, but I just picked up one of these 681PCs. I have yet to take it to the range but am impressed with the revolvers size and trigger. I'm a sucker for 3" round butt smiths and just couldn't pass up the deal. It didn't come with the box or the moonclips. Where can I pick up some 7-shot moonclips and some good leather? Any opinions/experience with this model appreciated.

 

[Gunfighter123]

https://www.moonclips.com/cart/shopdisplayproducts.asp?id=154&cat=.38+Special/.357+Magnum+

 

[WC145]

S&W, Brownell's, and Midway also sell the moonclips.
I currently carry my 3" 586 L-Comp in a DeSantis thumbreak scabbard. It's a decent holster, but a little difficult to reholster the gun because the holster collapses when you draw. Black Hills Leather is making me a custom "Askins Avenger" style holster with a metal reinforced top so it will stay open and allow one hand reholstering.

 

[Barker45]

Thanks Fellas! Good info. Does anyone have any experience with Simply Rugged holsters? Anyone carry a 3" L frame .357?

 

[WC145]

No experience with Simply Rugged although I've only heard good things about them.
Yes, as mentioned above, I carry 3" L-frame.

 

[Barker45]

Thanks fellas! Any idea what one of these 681PCs are going for used in good condition? Just want to know if I got a decent deal. Also, I took it to the range today and it shot beautifuly...what a great trigger!

 

[WC145]

What did you give for it?
There's a 686 Carry Comp for sale on the S&W forum right now for $750 with the box and all of the stuff, that's a pretty good deal. I gave $575 for my 586 L-Comp, which was a very good buy, IMO. If it was in that range you probably did pretty well. Of course, if you really like it the cost vs value ratio skews a bit.