S&w 686

[257WM_CDL-SF]

i have decided if do well on my taxes to buy a S&W 686. just love how they feel and look.MY question is a 6 shot or 7 shot? Does any have a advantage over the other

 

[motorcycle-charlie]

yes. the 7 shot gives you 7 shots. the 6 shot gives you 6. 7 is one more than 6, giving you an extra shot.

 

[257WM_CDL-SF]

true I was wondering if one was stronger than the other

 

[Guillermo]

I was wondering if one was stronger than the other

the 7th shot on the 7 shooter is a lot stronger than the 7th shot on the 6 shooter

 

[ghitch75]

have had both 7 and 6 shot.....7 it what i have now....there both as tough as the other..

 

[Guillermo]

all kidding aside, both outstanding

buy one earlier than 1998 if you want to avoid MIM parts and the idiotic lock.

I picked up a police trade in for 400 bucks. Average price...I have seen them cheaper.

 

[MrBorland]

Does any have a advantage over the other

If it's purely for SD, the 7-shot has an obvious advantage.

IMO, though, a 4" 6-shot is as versatile a 686 as you can get, since it would allow you to shoot IDPA, ICORE, and/or USPSA matches if you ever get the itch. More speedloaders options, too.

 

[Person]

I recently just picked up two 686-4 7 shots. One is a 2.5" and the other is a 4". I personally would get a 7 shot over a 6 if I had the choice. Nothing wrong with the 6 shot but why not have the extra round.

Also I would look around for a nice used one without the lock. I know lock failures are few and far between but I personally just don't like how they look. Here are my two 686's.






Later,

Person

 

[ctjoe]

I just bought the 686P 6" from cabellas last week. Shot my friends and loved it.

 

[dewalt-2]

Joe, what are you going to do for friends now that you've shot them?

 

[LawofThirds]

The 7 shot is actually stronger since the locking notches are offset from the chambers. The 6 shot is easier to use if you plan on doing IDPA competition with it though.

Unless you're looking for a purely "gaming" gun or just cannot stand the idea of MIM & lock hole, the 7 shot has no real disadvantage and plenty of real advantages.

 

[ctjoe]

lmao alright I shot my friends revolver

 

[bigtubby]

you could look for a cs1 they are very nice and are basically a custom built factory gun

 

[bhp9mm]

I have a 686-4 pc 7 shot 3 inch carry comp and just sold my cs-1 3 inch.

 

[Pat M]

I bought my 686 6" from a kid I worked with, $200, original box and paperwork, two speed loaders, and two boxes of factory .357 ammo. His mother didn't want a gun in the house! And it's a very nice gun.

 

[PerryHall]

From what I've seen comparing rhe 7 shot cylinder with the 6 shot cylinder is that the wall thickness of the 6 shot is noticably thicker than the wall thickness of the 7 shot. I would assume that the 6 shot must be stronger unless the 7 shot cylinder uses a different stronger steel. Is my logic faulty? Am I way off base here?

 

[jad0110]

From what I've seen comparing rhe 7 shot cylinder with the 6 shot cylinder is that the wall thickness of the 6 shot is noticably thicker than the wall thickness of the 7 shot. I would assume that the 6 shot must be stronger unless the 7 shot cylinder uses a different stronger steel. Is my logic faulty? Am I way off base here?

As pointed out above, the 7 shooter is actually stronger because the cylinder stop notches on the 6 shooter are directly above the chamber - making that the weak point. 5 and 7 shot S&Ws do not have this weak spot because the notch is over the thickest part of the cylinder.

As a side note, Ruger offsets their notches, so that the notch is never directly over the thin wall of the chamber.