FullEffect1911
New member
A while back i was asked to post a range report when i got my 686, so here it is 
.
First things first, this is a brand new S&W model 686 (with the lock). The lock seems to be no problem and i can ignore it just fine. Lock up is great, no end shake and very little "slop". The b/c gap is very good; stock revolver, with the .004" gage fitting pretty tight and the .003" being snug (i was able to get the .005" in but it was very tight, also this was checked after i cleaned it after firing it). The fit and finish is very good, just one or two very unnoticeable blemishes in the finish, again not a big deal at all. The rear adjustable sight blade wiggles a little bit, this doesn't seem to really matter much but i am curious if this is a common thing for S&W revolvers (feel free to let me know, and i also checked another model at the store and it did the same thing). Everything otherwise apprears as it should and feels great.
So took it out to shoot in the cold here in northeast PA:
One word: WOW. The gun shoots great, while sighting it in i found it gets excellent groups. Now i say excellent groups because i am not an experienced rest shooter, it was cold, and i was still getting around 2.5" groups with winchester 110 grain JHP's, without really trying that hard. I very much feel that with a good rest shooter and some precision ammo you could get around 1.5" groups or better. The gun fired 50 rounds with no problems and accuracy was really great in my opinion. The double action trigger seemed very smooth and i am sure it will only get better with time. The firing pin seemed to strike the primers pretty well, no misfires. Needless to say i am extreamly pleased with this revolver.
Thank you to all who helped me decide, i feel like it was a good decision.
.First things first, this is a brand new S&W model 686 (with the lock). The lock seems to be no problem and i can ignore it just fine. Lock up is great, no end shake and very little "slop". The b/c gap is very good; stock revolver, with the .004" gage fitting pretty tight and the .003" being snug (i was able to get the .005" in but it was very tight, also this was checked after i cleaned it after firing it). The fit and finish is very good, just one or two very unnoticeable blemishes in the finish, again not a big deal at all. The rear adjustable sight blade wiggles a little bit, this doesn't seem to really matter much but i am curious if this is a common thing for S&W revolvers (feel free to let me know, and i also checked another model at the store and it did the same thing). Everything otherwise apprears as it should and feels great.
So took it out to shoot in the cold here in northeast PA:
One word: WOW. The gun shoots great, while sighting it in i found it gets excellent groups. Now i say excellent groups because i am not an experienced rest shooter, it was cold, and i was still getting around 2.5" groups with winchester 110 grain JHP's, without really trying that hard. I very much feel that with a good rest shooter and some precision ammo you could get around 1.5" groups or better. The gun fired 50 rounds with no problems and accuracy was really great in my opinion. The double action trigger seemed very smooth and i am sure it will only get better with time. The firing pin seemed to strike the primers pretty well, no misfires. Needless to say i am extreamly pleased with this revolver.
Thank you to all who helped me decide, i feel like it was a good decision.
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