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New 686p

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bikerbill

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Joined
Aug 28, 2005
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62
Location
Near Austin, TX
The latest addition to my modest arsenal is an S&W 686 Plus with a 4-inch barrel. It's already proving to be the most accurate gun I own, and a lot of fun to shoot. Anybody have experience with this model? Any bugs to be aware of?
 
Had mine for three years (pre-lock). One of my best shooters. No bugs that I can find.
 
Mine came with a smooth trigger.

I sold my 686+ after a few months to finance my .44. I kind of miss it sometimes, but I'm really a big-bore shooter at heart.

I had only two troubles with mine. One was that the ejector rod unscrewed itself while firing. A cleaning and a dab of Blue Loc-Tite solved that.

The other was the grips. The Hogue monogrip interferes with ejection and the use of a speedloader on a seven shooter. I replaced my grips with Pachys and that aleviated that problem.

I liked the seemingly shorter trigger stroke that the seven-shooter provided.
 
I wouldn't buy a full shroud GP100 or a 686/686P... they have those full length shrouds/lugs, which I don't like. I bought new a 2" 10 and a 6" 66 (With 'Lock'!) as my first .38 & .357M's 9/03. I made some .38's and .38-level .357M's for them - before they arrived. I also bought a HiVis front sight and Ahrends square conversion f.g. cocobolo stocks for the 66, installing same when they arrived. I fired my first ever .38's and .357M's, albeit mild ones, the next day - wow! The only commercial ammo either has seen is the Rem 'FBI' load, 158gr LHPSWC +P's.

Skip ahead... S&W produces a 'Stocking Dealer Exclusive' - a 5" HALF LUG 686+... with the same Ahrends and HiViz, not to mention a V-notch rear... and marked $30 less than a regular 4" 686 - go figure! I did some horse-trading, and brought it home. Despite it's similarities to that 6" 66, it is different. I like them both, but the 686+ will be here long after my old friend 66 goes. It feels fine... actually, balances/points as well as the 6" 66. Sadly, I have since shot the range's rental 4" 686+... even with the dreaded OEM Hogue's, it was quite good. I feel that even with .357M's, a set of Ahrend's cocobolo square conversion stocks will be sufficient - and feel and look great! And, the Uncle Mike's Combats, rounded or squared, as delivered on the K-frames, cover the backstrap for a better feel, at least to me, than those OEM's - and, they are still available from S&W Accessories. The HKS 587 7-shooter speedloader works fine with either grip - and a couple of them should be your first purchase.

Yeah, as someone told me - after finally getting my 5" h-l 686+ - you don't 'see' that full lug when you are shooting. You'll enjoy that 686+, believe me.

Stainz

PS I had one nagging problem... difficulty shutting the cylinder earlier this year. I traced it down to a piece of brass wire, from a bore or chamber brush, wrapped in the crotch between the ejector star and around the rod. So little, yet so important... gotta wear my reading glasses when I clean!
 
Bikerbill, I have dozens of handguns, in fact my carry gun is a Kimber Raptor Pro, but if I had limit myself to only one handgun, it would be my 686+. It will outshoot that I have and completely dependable. Gotta love it.
 
686P 5"

I have thirteen revolvers all together. I like this 686P 5" the best. She is beautiful,well balanced and easy to shoot. I like the fibre optic front sights too. The 7 shoots cylinder just makes the DA prefect. My good friend is looking for one too but it is not easy to get one. Any suggestions ?
 
Have you guys had to have the trigger smoothed on yours???
On my 686PP I did have a trigger job done using Wolff springs. Made a world of difference. The trigger was really light. Maybe too light, because I was having a couple FTF issues. I had my gunsmith reuse the factory mainspring. I hardly noticed a change in the trigger pull and it corrected the FTF problem.
 
Used to have semi-autos. Fine, but not as entertaining as my 686+ model -5 (no lock) w/ 4-inch barrel. And it's UTTERLY reliable.

You made a good choice.
 
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