Thinking about selling my S&W 686P...Should I?

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inSight-NEO

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Im currently keeping my S&W 686P (stainless w/4" barrel) in "safe queen" status. I originally thought that having this around would provide a great "backup" for my "high maintenance" pistols. Now, since I hardly fire the thing, Im thinking about getting rid of it (after fewer than 80 rounds).

Ive heard, and believe, that this is a very high-quality weapon. Therefore, Im just not sure if I will regret letting this one go or not. Any thoughts? Help me decide!!!;)
 
You will eventually regret it, speaking from experience. In my opinion it's better to keep a firearm unless it is unsafe or you have duplicates. You'll eventually pull it out of the safe and it will be the perfect thing to shoot, if that makes sense.

S&W revolvers are only going up in price, anyway. Think of it as an investment.
 
I just did that very thing. I bought a barely used 686 a year or two ago. It was pristine and I thought I'd love to own such a fine specimen. Problem was that I eventually realized that it just didn't feel right in my hand and as hard as I tried, I didn't shoot it well. I bought new grips for it thinking it would solve the problem but it didn't. Eventually, it wound up in the safe and was never shot. I just didn't like the thing. I started to think, "why own it if you're not going to use it". Long story short...yesterday, I traded it in for a barely used model 64. I have no regrets and would rather have a gun I will use and enjoy than one that sits in the safe.
 
What sort of guns are your other regulars?

If you're not a revolver guy then you're not a revolver guy. There's no shame in that... well, not MUCH shame at least... :D

I'd have to say that you should probably give it a chance. Take it to the range and shoot a box of ammo through it at various ranges and pass both .38Spl and .357Mag through it.

Then go home and ask yourself if it didn't do something for you.

It's not that you NEED another gun by the sounds of it but sometimes a bit of variety in your shooting can be fun. And isn't fun a part of all this?

If you go and shoot it and come home and by the next morning it didn't mean anything special then the magic is gone and you should set her free to find a new home where her charms will be appreciated..... I'm not personifying this too much am I? :D
 
All I can say is that I have come to regret selling every gun I've ever sold, even that old reproduction flint lock I almost never took to the range. Do what you gotta do, but don't say we didn't tell ya.
 
simple answer

If it is a pre-Lock, don't give it up (or at least get a good price for it)--they are only going up in value.

If it is an ILS model, ditch it; they are still making them. If you want another later they will still be making them.
 
What sort of guns are your other regulars?
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Semi-autos ranging from 9mm to 45 ACP. My "regular" shooters would be the Sigs and my Springfield Armory XD. I have recently become a great fan of "tactical" shotguns as well.

If you're not a revolver guy then you're not a revolver guy.
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Well, I bought the 686P due to my belief that it would probably outlast my other guns, seems to require much less maintenance and is probably the more reliable gun vs the semi-autos. Unfortunately, the more I shot this gun, the more I realized just how much I hate cleaning revolvers!! In contrast, semi-autos are actually kind of fun when it comes to the whole cleaning thing. After all, cleaning is part of shooting. If you hate to do the cleaning thing, you will probably put off shooting certain weapons.

Plus, I have to admit, I seem to get "more" out of shooting the semi-autos (particularly the 45's) vs the .357. So, maybe you are right. I guess Im just not a revolver type guy.

If it is an ILS model, ditch it
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Yes..it does have the locking mechanism (unfortunately).
 
Here's how I feel about my guns: I will not sell Colts or Smith & Wessons.

I will sell any other maker unless it has a U.S Arms significance. (as Ithaca, Remington 1911, 1903a3, 1903a4 versions, Springfield (NOT Genesco,Ill) and the assorted makers of U.S. Carbine .30 Cal)
 
IMO the 686+ is the quintessential S&W revolver, maybe the quintessential DA revolver.

I'd be reluctant to sell it.
 
They're awesome revolvers, but if you really don't want it or have any attachment to it other than a forced set of logical criteria, then you should probably sell it and put the money towards something else. I don't know about most people, but the only firearms I own that I don't shoot and won't sell are heirlooms; otherwise, I shoot everything I own from time to time, for specific reasons, and still get enjoyment out of them.

That being said, give the members on THR first dibs. :)
 
That being said, give the members on THR first dibs
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Will do! Now, Im just wondering what is the "fair" market value for this weapon. Its essentially new (only 80 rounds through it, give or take). BUT...it is only a year old (since bought new) and therefore, has the "dreaded" lock. Im sure this will drive the price down, unfortunately.

BTW- I appreciate all of the input. Im still not sure which direction to go. However, seeing as how this gun is not of the "pre-lock" variety (not truly a concern of mine, however) and I no longer consider myself a revolver guy, Im leaning towards letting it go...for the right price. Maybe you all will be seeing a new thread, w/in the "guns for sale" forum, sometime soon.
 
If you are not in need of cash, or have enough space in the safe, I'd say keep the 686, lock and all.

Someday you may just re-discover the inner beauty of Smith revolvers and thus regret selling your 686.
 
Well, I bought the 686P due to my belief that it would probably outlast my other guns, seems to require much less maintenance and is probably the more reliable gun vs the semi-autos. Unfortunately, the more I shot this gun, the more I realized just how much I hate cleaning revolvers!! In contrast, semi-autos are actually kind of fun when it comes to the whole cleaning thing. After all, cleaning is part of shooting. If you hate to do the cleaning thing, you will probably put off shooting certain weapons.

Plus, I have to admit, I seem to get "more" out of shooting the semi-autos (particularly the 45's) vs the .357. So, maybe you are right. I guess Im just not a revolver type guy.
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Well, you're obviously not a revovler guy from the sounds of it. This is in contrast to myself.

Before I started shooting I thought revolvers were odd looking ducks and that they were a holdover from bygone days of flintlock pistol shapes..... Then after shooting a few semi autos and having bought my first semi (CZ Shadow) I thought it would be fun to try one of the range's S&W Model 19's with a box of .38Spl. About half way through the second cylinder's worth of 6 rounds I was in love. Not enough to ditch the semis but enough to know that I had a soft spot in my heart and head for some revolvers. For me the slower pace and the option of DA or SA from the S&W's and Rugers and such just makes for a more involving experience.

For my own shooting a revolver is just a lot of fun.... and it doesn't hurt that my groups improve when I cock the hammer with my off hand thumb for each shot.... :D

Sounds like you've tried it and decided. Sell it to a more appreciative home and don't feel guilty or any less of a true shooter for your own tastes. Hell, I wouldn't pay a plugged nickel for a Glock and that makes ME a rare bird. Tried a couple for a box each (the second one was just in case I got a dud) and after the shuddering of intense revulsion and loathing stopped I moved on....:D
 
I'm on a fairly tight budget, and I sold a 629 hunter (prelock, unfluted, 8 3/8) thinking I'd buy another gun with it. I ended up using the money for lawn equipment...sucks. I completely regret it.
 
My suggestion would be, use that revolver for HD. I feel a revolver is best for HD especially in the dark where racking or clearing a semi-auto might be difficult.

If you really don't think you will want to use it then sell it. It's not like that revolver is a classic that will be hard to replace. If in the future you feel the need for a .357 Magnum it's easily replaced. Now, if it were a really nice M19... well I think you get it!! LOL
 
I was an "auto only" guy for, oh, more than 20 years. 1911s almost exclusively. About that time I bought a 4" S&W .38 to train a new shooter, and over time I just started falling in love with the revolver - kinda just like BCrider said.

Revolvers also taught me to shoot better, and now I own almost twice as many revolvers as I do autos, maybe more. I also have a serious need to use handguns for protection in the wilderness which I never had before, and revolvers make a much better tool (simpler manual of arms, and a more compact power/size ratio for carrying).

I also think that cleaning them vs. autos is a pain, but I don't mind it much anymore- you get used to it and it becomes a satisfying part of the shooting experience.

As a huge S&W fan, I would rarely sell one, but I would have little regrets selling a 686-6P. If you like the platform, go get a pristine 686-0 through -4, which will be the collectible ones later on. -5, I believe is where they added the ridiculous "speed bump" cylinder stop and deleted the wooden grips (and square butt, too, I think), and then the -6 was the first IL model. Nothing after this will be as desirable as the -0 to -4 models.

You are correct that the 686 IS a high-quality handgun - the 4" square butt is a particularly well-balanced and proportioned piece - a rival to the Python in that regard - and still affordable. I have two, both an early production 4" and a -4 2.5" snubbie.
 
One advantage to the locked S&W is that, should you sell it and later come to regret it, it can usually be replaced with current production. The same can not be said of discontinued product.

Nevertheless, t'were me, I'd probably keep it. But this only makes sense if you come to be shooting the thing and enjoying it.

Unfortunately, the more I shot this gun, the more I realized just how much I hate cleaning revolvers!!
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I'd submit you might be over-obsessing. The scorch marks on the cylinder face are something one can learn to live with or, with a stainless revolver, make short work of with Scotch-Brite or similar. Embracing the scorch marks in a Zen fashion, I feel, is superior - become one with the burn marks. The sideplate should be removed for maintenance not more than every third leap year.

The newer models have eliminated the pins under the extractor star. While this offers distress to the more traditional minded, keeping the area clean enough to not wrap its skirts around the axle is now easier.

.38 special costs around what 9mm does and lets you blast away on the cheap. Knocking out "38 crud rings" for the return to .357 is no biggie.

If your idea of a good time isn't plopping in rounds one or two at a time while everybody else is perforating targets you might go wild and rig for moon clips - though personally I see less improvement with .357 than .45.

Don't worry about not being a revolver guy. As Mr. Ayoob wisely counsels us, guns aren't matrimony. There's a lot of good ones and promiscuity is OK. I didn't abandon semis when I got interested in revolvers and even though most of my time is spent with revolvers I still get conspicuously uncomfortable with "revolver love" threads and sometimes feel compelled to interject what I feel is a reality check - even got called "anti-revolver" once. I could stand some company - those of us that appreciate both platforms appear to be dwindling in numbers.
 
you may make other mistakes in life...............but this is one that you can avoid..............KEEP the 686
 
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