S & W 686 six or seven shot

[Smokin Gator]

I'm looking at getting a Smith and Wesson 686 4" revolver. Partly just because I want a double action revolver to shoot and maybe some IDPA or Steel Challenge later. How much stronger is the 6 shot version compared to the seven shot. Also in some of the shooting sports you can have a 7 shot revolver but are limited to loading only 6 rounds anyway. Wouldn't reloads be easier with the six shot instead of reloading 6 in a 7 shot revolver and having to make sure you indexed the cylinder correctly? How good is the Master action job from the S and W custom shop? Thanks a lot.

 

[Croyance]

I've handled an N-frame revolver from the Performance Center and both the double action and single action pulls were excellent. No slack or play, smooth. I don't know what they charge, but worth getting.

Yes, under the clock, indexing your chambers properly & consistantly isn't going to be easy. Only one choice there - the six.
However, because of where the cylinder notches line up, the seven shot cylinder is stronger - you are only as strong as your weakest point.

 

[Alan Fud]

because of where the cylinder notches line up, the seven shot cylinder is stronger

Can you explain that? Not disagreeing with you ... just trying to understand.

 

[Golddog]

The seven shot guns have a slightly quicker pull because the cylinder doesn't have to turn as far, but I've found most (not all) sevens to be grittier out of the box. Individual 686 pulls vary from gun to gun, so it's hard to generalize. In any event, you'll want to get a trigger job for competition; nothing from the factory comes close to a decent gunsmith job on the DA pull (all Smith SA pulls are excellent, but that won't be relevant for either competition or defense).

The stop notches are located on the thickest parts of the cylinder on the sevens, which is why they may be stronger than the sixes.

By the way, comparisons with N frames can be misleading, since the N's are bigger and, in my experience, function more smoothly out of the box. That said, I prefer the slightly smaller size of the L's.

 

[Ala Dan]

My 6" S&W 686-5 is the six shot model; and that is what I prefer~!

 

[Croyance]

On a six shot cylinder, the notches are lined up where the chambers are thinnest (when shot is at 12 o'clock, a notch has to be at 6 o'clock. With even numbers of shots this also means that another chamber is right above that notch.) on the seven shot they are lined up between them.

 

[Lobotomy Boy]

It may have been my imagination, but to me the trigger pull on a seven-shot S&W felt odd, like it had a wierd pull length. I didn't notice a huge difference between the single-action trigger pull of my five-shot Taurus 605C and my six-shot Ruger Blackhawk, but the one 686 Plus I shot felt strange to me. Was I just having a bad day, or is this something others have noticed?

 

[Jim Watson]

I don't know about Steel Challenge, but for IDPA you are limited to 6 rounds LOADED and for IPSC/USPSA you are limited to 6 rounds FIRED between reloads. I don't recall even having seen anybody even try to do the indexing trick necessary to use a 7- or 8-shooter in either.

 

[Smokin Gator]

686

Thanks guys. It sounds like the 6 shot would be the way to go. I wouldn't look to be shooting anything more stout than standard self defense loads and more likely just what it would take to make any required power factor in a specific sport. I have no experience with IDPA but was wondering if the revolver shooters used the 6 shot guns. Sounds like they do. thanks.