New to me 686

G

GRyder

New member
Just got into revolvers recently and bought myself a S&W 686 for $625. I did some research on this gun but figure I'll ask here too and learn some more knowledge about it.

how do I know what year/generation this 686 is? And was this revolver worth the money.

Lock up on the cylinders are good but a couple of scratches and dings on the gun. Everything else seems to work normally besides cosmetics. Just have to go test fire it. Anything else I need to look for would be much appreciated. Thanks folks.
 

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It is a square butt, so 1996 or older as that was the year that they changed (halfway through) to the round butt.

You should be able to contact Smith and Wesson if you want to spend a few dollars and get a letter with date of manufacture. Have you tried the S&W forums?

Great pistol by the way. I have a 686-6 (you can find the dash in the frame inside where the crane closes) in 4" that I really love.
 
Ok thanks guys. Just new to revolvers in general so didn't know where to look for or know what generation this 686 was.
 
Ok thanks guys. Just new to revolvers in general so didn't know where to look for or know what generation this 686 was.
Click to expand...

When you open the gun to load it you'll see on the frame right under the barrel/forcing cone a few numbers stamped there. Like 686-4 or such like. The number after that dash (-) is the engineering revision.
 
Not to criticize at all - but it looks like it has some dings in the cylinder (which would bother me but not bother a normal person). I checked GB about a month ago and someone had new (well - they said new) 686 cylinders with crane for around $100. Trying to fit an S&W cylinder is light years ahead of my skills but I'm going to get one, hopefully, next month...

Oh - just to add some unconfirmed trivia - I'm pretty sure S&W used to fit the revolver to the cylinder - not the other way around. To me that means the cylinders (within model and caliber) are pretty much a standard length and a replacement cylinder may only require an extractor swap ... JMTCW ...
 
It not in the best condition alright. There are some more dings and scratches on the gun but I don't mind it too much. Not much of these older (no lock) revolvers show up around this part of the state.

Replacing the cylinders could be an option but the scratches hasn't bother me enough yet.
 
Something about the front sight seems different to my eyes and the finish looks really bright to me for a 686. I'm wondering if either a previous owner polished the finish so that it's more bright than the somewhat matte finish that it originally came with? Or is it possible that we're actually looking at a nickeled 586?

Well -- maybe not. The trigger & hammer would look different if it were a 586.

And I think I have the front sight figured out...
it appears as though the original orange insert was replaced with a black insert of a different shape that sits out. It's odd and not original, that's for sure.

It's a solid workhorse of a gun and should give you a lifetime of great shooting.

Give us the first half of the serial number and maybe we can find a production date or a close guess.
 
The serial number looks like AYS4 XXX or could be AYSA XXX couldn't tell as it's a little too dim here!

I just thought the 586 is just the blued version of the 686. So what are the differences besides that?
 
That is the main difference, but the stainless 686 has the dull trigger and hammer while the 586 has the color case hardened trigger and hammer... I think?

I believe perhaps your 686 was polished to look shiny. It looks different than the 686 did as shipped.
 
586 is a steel gun and 686 is of stainless steel. The steel need more care. Both is the top of line guns. If you want to sale it let me know on here.
 
586 is a steel gun and 686 is of stainless steel. The steel need more care. Both is the top of line guns. If you want to sale it let me know on here. The 6 always tell you it is stainless steel.
 
I have a 686-4 with case hardened hammer and trigger and a 66-2 with the hard chromed setup. I'm pretty sure the 66 is older than the 686, congrates on your new sq butt 686, very nice!
 
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