S & W 686

D

davem

Moderator
I bought a "Trooper's" 686 with a 4" barrel. I did an action job that came out well but I haven't shot the revolver all that much. I think because I have several other 357 mag's with 4" barrels.
So....I'm thinking about the feasibility of swapping for a 686 with a 6" or 8 3/8" barrel or just changing the barrels if that would be doable. On the barrel. On S&W's, do they use the same heavy barrels on all their frames? In other words if I found a Model 19 with a heavy 6" barrel- would that be the same barrel as an L frame would normally have? :cool:
 
No, you need a 6" bbl off of or made for the L frame. You can prolly find a trade and just trade for a 6" gun. I did a trade just the opposite a few years ago, a 6" 586 for a 4" 586.
 
I'd recommend you just trade the gun in you don't want ...for a 6" version...the model 686's in a 4" are very popular if its in good shape...and you won't have any trouble finding a 6" model...

you say its a "troopers" model - but not sure which engineering revision you're talking about ...but up thru the dash 4's in a 6 shot, they're popular - especially in a Square Butt frame ( but late in the dash 4 series, they deleted the Square Butt frames) - in 1996 the book says. The dash 5's and later is where the MIM parts and Internal Frame locks start showing up...
 
Well then a trade is probably the best bet. I have the original magnum Grips that came with the revolver so I can put those back on as most prefer them.
Any websites you can recommend for a trade? Thanks.:cool:
 
No, not everything is best done on the web....( surprise !! )...

GunBroker is probably the best known website...but trades are difficult on gunbroker...and if transaction is out of state you have to ship with FFL's, etc...its way more trouble than it'll be worth.

Make the trade locally with a reputable shop. When you trade it in - you won't pay sales tax on the value of your current gun.
 
Some revolvers, like the Dan Wesson, are made so the barrels can be swapped; that is not true of S&W revolvers, which have barrels that should be removed only by a qualified gunsmith.

I have found that in reality, once the owner decides on the best barrel length, it will not be changed again.

Jim
 
Well, if you look on ebay there are 4" L frame stainless steel barrels for $69.95 (maybe 4-5 at that price). If I could find a 6" that would be the best I think. Anyone do a barrel change? Difficult? :cool:
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top