I've posted these on other forums (DHart) and thought some here might like to see the pics if they don't visit the other forums.
I have been wanting a regular 686 snubby in addition to my 3" 686 CS-1 and found this one on the internet a couple of weeks ago. What really attracted me to this one is that it's old enough to have a hammer mounted firing pin and be without lock, but new enough to be a 7-shot. After a long wait, it arrived yesterday and I very quickly fell in love with it.
It didn't look quite this nice, however, when I received it. (Here's where the real charm of a stainless finish comes into play.) There was a fairly significant scratch on the side plate (which I didn't think I would be able to get out) and a number of smaller scuffs, minor scratches, and discolorations all around from just general use. It was pretty dirty as well around the sides of the hammer and internally a littly dirty.
So I completely dismantled the gun down to the bare frame, spent a couple of hours with a Scotch-brite pad, some bore swabs and Flitz, some FP-10 and tender loving care.
All the scratches and discoloration came out and the finish took on a beautiful, bright gleam. The gun looks even better than new now. I did a minor action job, cleaned it all up, put it back together, put on a nice pair of Ahrends round butt grips, and test fired it. Very comfy to shoot... absorbs heavy loads with ease and accuracy is awesome.
The gun came out even better than I expected. In short order, this gun has become more of a favorite than I had any idea it would. The balance and feel in the hand is awesome.
I wanted a snubby .357 that I could shoot fairly stout loads through without much concern (something I do little of with my classic K-frames) so this 686 fits the bill perfectly. The lack of an internal lock is great. And holding seven rounds is a wonderful bonus. Here are some pics of it from today:
Smith & Wesson Model 686-4 .357 Magnum 2.5" barrel ~ Ahrends Grips
I have been wanting a regular 686 snubby in addition to my 3" 686 CS-1 and found this one on the internet a couple of weeks ago. What really attracted me to this one is that it's old enough to have a hammer mounted firing pin and be without lock, but new enough to be a 7-shot. After a long wait, it arrived yesterday and I very quickly fell in love with it.
It didn't look quite this nice, however, when I received it. (Here's where the real charm of a stainless finish comes into play.) There was a fairly significant scratch on the side plate (which I didn't think I would be able to get out) and a number of smaller scuffs, minor scratches, and discolorations all around from just general use. It was pretty dirty as well around the sides of the hammer and internally a littly dirty.
So I completely dismantled the gun down to the bare frame, spent a couple of hours with a Scotch-brite pad, some bore swabs and Flitz, some FP-10 and tender loving care.
All the scratches and discoloration came out and the finish took on a beautiful, bright gleam. The gun looks even better than new now. I did a minor action job, cleaned it all up, put it back together, put on a nice pair of Ahrends round butt grips, and test fired it. Very comfy to shoot... absorbs heavy loads with ease and accuracy is awesome.
The gun came out even better than I expected. In short order, this gun has become more of a favorite than I had any idea it would. The balance and feel in the hand is awesome.
I wanted a snubby .357 that I could shoot fairly stout loads through without much concern (something I do little of with my classic K-frames) so this 686 fits the bill perfectly. The lack of an internal lock is great. And holding seven rounds is a wonderful bonus. Here are some pics of it from today:
Smith & Wesson Model 686-4 .357 Magnum 2.5" barrel ~ Ahrends Grips
She wasn't really "beat up" to begin with, but definitely had some scratches, discoloration, and scuffs. The recoil shield was discolored and wouldn't come clean with solvents. The bottom of the grip frame was discolored and no solvents could clean it up either. There was a fairly deep scratch on the sideplate and numerous light scratches and scuffs... as you would expect from a used gun. They all went away with the ScotchBITE pad!