# My 30+ year old 686...



## Slugo (Oct 9, 2019)

What can I say, the finest revolver I've owned. Complete with the Goncalo Alves combat grips!


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## Goldwing (Nov 5, 2014)

I had a 586 "Distinguished Combat Magnum" with the "Goncalo Alves" must be 25 years back. What a great gun!
If I remember correctly I sold it to finance something stupid that didn't last, regrettable being young and dumb.
Yours looks like brand new. I am guessing it is not for sale.

GW


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## Slugo (Oct 9, 2019)

Goldwing said:


> I had a 586 "Distinguished Combat Magnum" with the "Goncalo Alves" must be 25 years back. What a great gun!
> If I remember correctly I sold it to finance something stupid that didn't last, regrettable being young and dumb.
> Yours looks like brand new. I am guessing it is not for sale.
> 
> GW


No way, but thanks!


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## PhuBai70 (Sep 26, 2019)

Very nice, definitely a classic. 
This is my Model 625 N-frame Mountain Gun. It came from the factory with Hogue Monogrips. I bought it in the early 90s so it's pushing 30 years old. I definitely like S&W revolvers.


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## berettatoter (Sep 1, 2011)

Slugo said:


> What can I say, the finest revolver I've owned. Complete with the Goncalo Alves combat grips!
> View attachment 17934


Beastly! Very nice.


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## wirenut (Dec 16, 2015)

A 686 is on my bucket list.
Congrats, nice firearm.


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## Slugo (Oct 9, 2019)

wirenut said:


> A 686 is on my bucket list.
> Congrats, nice firearm.


Why thank you!


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## desertman (Aug 29, 2013)

Slugo said:


> What can I say, the finest revolver I've owned. Complete with the Goncalo Alves combat grips!
> View attachment 17934


Awesome gun! Nice picture too.

I've got a bunch of S&W revolvers too. The Model 29 at the lower right corner I bought with an 8 3/8ths inch barrel back in 1980. I hadda' get the "Dirty Harry" outta' me. I put so many rounds outta' that thing that I wore out the forcing cone. I then changed the barrel to a 4 inch one, changed the trigger and hammer then did an action job. I bought the 7 1/2 inch Redhawk at that time too, right after they first came out.

Ruger revolvers are more robust. They have heavier top straps and no removable side plates. In the fit and finish department it's S&W all the way.

Loaded with .410 shot shells the S&W Governor is great for going out into the desert. Although I've yet to have to use it yet and hope I never have to. If the snakes don't bother me then I won't bother them.


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## PhuBai70 (Sep 26, 2019)

You're right desertman, "Ruger revolvers are more robust. In the fit and finish department it's S&W all the way."
I have the large, medium and small Ruger DA magnums in stainless and I wouldn't hesitate shooting hot factory loads in any of them. 
At the same time I'm very partial to S&W N-frames in the blued finish with the full wood grips. I have the 44 magnum, 41 magnum and 357 magnum in this style and I'm very happy with all three. I gave my Model 25-5 with the 4" barrel to my daughter but I'm going to replace it with the 6 1/2" barrel Model 25 from S&Ws Classic Series.










This is one of my favorites. A 1964 first year 41 magnum presentation model. I bought it from the original owner back in the 90s. The smooth non checkered grips are interesting.


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## paratrooper (Feb 1, 2012)

I have a 6" 686 NIB. Bought it back in the early to mid 90's I think. It's only one of several various model S&W's that I have still NIB.


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## desertman (Aug 29, 2013)

PhuBai70 said:


> You're right desertman, "Ruger revolvers are more robust. In the fit and finish department it's S&W all the way."
> I have the large, medium and small Ruger DA magnums in stainless and I wouldn't hesitate shooting hot factory loads in any of them.
> At the same time I'm very partial to S&W N-frames in the blued finish with the full wood grips. I have the 44 magnum, 41 magnum and 357 magnum in this style and I'm very happy with all three. I gave my Model 25-5 with the 4" barrel to my daughter but I'm going to replace it with the 6 1/2" barrel Model 25 from S&Ws Classic Series.
> 
> ...


My Model 29 came in that same presentation case, I don't think they come like that anymore? My Ruger's came in a black and yellow cardboard box. I still have the issue of Gun Digest when the Redhawk first came out. Right then and there I knew I hadda' have one. The Redhawk's and Super Blackhawks in .44 Magnum can safely handle 340 grain Buffalo Bore ammo whereas the S&W will not. There's even a specific warning from the ammo manufacturer. Why anyone would want to shoot those is beyond me unless as a last resort you find yourself in bear country or in the vicinity of other large animals. But you'd still have to practice with them which is not my idea of fun.

I'm guessing that I put at least 5,000, probably more full power 240 grain Magnum loads outta' that 29 before the forcing cone started to erode. What the hell for, I don't know? At the time I just wanted to make a lot of noise and feel the concussion from the muzzle blast from what was at that time one of the most powerful handguns in the world. Those days are over, I had my fun. I rarely shoot .44 Magnums anymore.

Other than the forcing cone the gun held up well. I ended up taking it apart, replaced the trigger and hammer along with mirror polishing all of the bearing surfaces within the frame and slide plate along with the rebound slide and its tunnel. It now has one of the best double actions of all my DA revolvers. The only one that comes close is my S&W Performance Center Model 629.


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## PhuBai70 (Sep 26, 2019)

desertman said:


> My Model 29 came in that same presentation case, I don't think they come like that anymore? My Ruger's came in a black and yellow cardboard box. I still have the issue of Gun Digest when the Redhawk first came out. Right then and there I knew I hadda' have one. The Redhawk's and Super Blackhawks in .44 Magnum can safely handle 340 grain Buffalo Bore ammo whereas the S&W will not. There's even a specific warning from the ammo manufacturer. Why anyone would want to shoot those is beyond me unless as a last resort you find yourself in bear country or in the vicinity of other large animals. But you'd still have to practice with them which is not my idea of fun.
> 
> I'm guessing that I put at least 5,000, probably more full power 240 grain Magnum loads outta' that 29 before the forcing cone started to erode. What the hell for, I don't know? At the time I just wanted to make a lot of noise and feel the concussion from the muzzle blast from what was at that time one of the most powerful handguns in the world. Those days are over, I had my fun. I rarely shoot .44 Magnums anymore.
> 
> Other than the forcing cone the gun held up well. I ended up taking it apart, replaced the trigger and hammer along with mirror polishing all of the bearing surfaces within the frame and slide plate along with the rebound slide and its tunnel. It now has one of the best double actions of all my DA revolvers. The only one that comes close is my S&W Performance Center Model 629.


Yeah, it was a lot of fun shooting my 41 and 44 magnums but I was younger and more adventurous back then. I didn't shoot my Blackhawk 41 magnum that much because of the grips. They are small grips and the top front edges are squared off instead of rounded and it didn't take long for the inside of my fingers to get sore. 
What was really fun was shooting my old three screw Blackhawk in 30 Carbine. It didn't have a sharp bang but rather a loud boom and the little fireball out of the muzzle got people's attention at the range. The recoil was very manageable even though it puts out about 5,000 psi more than the 357 magnum.


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## catman4cats (Jan 14, 2020)

Here are a few pictures of some of my wheel guns I bought in 1982. 

S&W 547, 650, 651, 586 nickle and a M48. The 547 is a 9mm that doesn't need moon clips. one of my favorite revolvers.


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## Rock185 (Oct 26, 2012)

That's a beauty slugo. The L-Frames are a favorite of mine. I've owned several, the first purchased shortly after they were introduced. Only have one now, but still enjoy the L-frame.


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## RoadRamblerNJ (Mar 3, 2018)

catman4cats said:


> Here are a few pictures of some of my wheel guns I bought in 1982.
> 
> S&W 547, 650, 651, 586 nickle and a M48. The 547 is a 9mm that doesn't need moon clips. one of my favorite revolvers.


Some very fine revolvers there! Lucky man indeed.


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## aarondhgraham (Mar 17, 2011)

I'll agree that my 6" S&W 686 is a very fine handgun,,,
I like everything about it except one thing,,,
That danged full under-lug barrel.

Why oh why did S&W decide to ugly up an otherwise beautiful revolver,,,
Were they trying to copy the Colt Python?

Aarond

.


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## RoadRamblerNJ (Mar 3, 2018)

Maybe they wanted the bad guys to think you was shootin' two at a time! ;-).

I happen to like that look about as much as you don't. Can't please all of the people all of the time. 
I don't own a 686 but I do have a 6" Python.
It was a spur of the moment impulse buy 12 yrs or so back. So far, I'm not gettin' hurt on the price I paid for it.


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## aarondhgraham (Mar 17, 2011)

I'm a little bit OCD in my personality,,,
The full lug on this 686 spoils the symmetry of my "*Harem*".










It doesn't detract from the performance,,,
I just think it's clunky looking in comparison to the semi-lug guns.

Aarond


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## PhuBai70 (Sep 26, 2019)

That's a nice harem, Aarond. 
I like full under lug barrels that are 4" or less like the GP100 or the SP101. 
On 6" and longer I prefer the semi lug look. I think my 7 1/2" Redhawk would look awkward with a full under lug not to mention the added weight to an already heavy gun.


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## aarondhgraham (Mar 17, 2011)

PhuBai70 said:


> That's a nice harem, Aarond.


Thanks PhuBai70,,,
The Harem is a set I'm very pleased to own.

*Jezebel* - S&W 629, N-frame in .44 Mag
*Brighid* - S&W 686, L-frame in .357 Magnum
*Morgana* - S&W 67, K-frame in .38 Special
*Lilith* - S&W 63, J-frame in .22 LR

All "witchy" women in one way or another.

I must admit I'm as much a collector as a shooter,,,
I'm older than some types of dirt and I have a firearms for each candle on my cake.

But in reality I only regularly shoot about 6-8 of my guns.

Aarond

.


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## PhuBai70 (Sep 26, 2019)

aarondhgraham said:


> I must admit I'm as much a collector as a shooter,,,
> I'm older than some types of dirt and I have a firearms for each candle on my cake.
> 
> But in reality I only regularly shoot about 6-8 of my guns.
> ...


I am the same way. My AR15, AK47 and Winchester Model 94 were bought back in the nineties. I bought them because I wanted them and not because I planned to shoot the heck out of them. Back then each one was fired about 100 to 150 times and all three are still in new condition. I have not fired any of my vintage S&W N-frames for several years and may keep them just as they are. I also have four replica black powder revolvers that I have not shot since the nineties. I've fired each of them enough to know that they function properly but black powder shooting is slow and dirty and requires a certain level of dedication. 
I only have about thirty firearms and maybe ten of my newer guns are regular shooters. 
I know some members might roll their eyes when it comes to owning guns that are not regularly shot but it is possible to be a shooter and a collector at the same time.


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## desertman (Aug 29, 2013)

PhuBai70 said:


> I am the same way. My AR15, AK47 and Winchester Model 94 were bought back in the nineties. I bought them because I wanted them and not because I planned to shoot the heck out of them. Back then each one was fired about 100 to 150 times and all three are still in new condition. I have not fired any of my vintage S&W N-frames for several years and may keep them just as they are. I also have four replica black powder revolvers that I have not shot since the nineties. I've fired each of them enough to know that they function properly but black powder shooting is slow and dirty and requires a certain level of dedication.
> I only have about thirty firearms and maybe ten of my newer guns are regular shooters.
> I know some members might roll their eyes when it comes to owning guns that are not regularly shot *but it is possible to be a shooter and a collector at the same time.*


Indeed it is, but when you've got a lot of guns there's always gonna' be some that never get shot. The guns that I carry (several) on a regular basis are the one's that I shoot the most. I have to have enough confidence in them to know that if my life depended on them they wouldn't fail me.

A lot of the guns I bought for no other reason except that I liked the looks of them. But I stayed away from Taurus. Some of the guns I bought have no real useful purpose at all such as those NAA mini revolvers and Bond Arms derringers. But they do have the cool factor and in the case of those mini revolvers it's amazing that those tiny little .22 mags are lethal weapons? Both the Bond Arms and NAA's are very well made. Those Bond Arms derringers in .45LC/410 are mean looking little bastard's.

As for revolvers I've got a whole bunch of them of all different shapes, makes and sizes but rarely if ever carry them anymore. Why carry 6 rounds when you can have 10 or more in a semi auto that's a lot flatter and less bulky? But I do like them just the same. They sure are more intimidating than a semi auto. Especially a large bore revolver as you can see those big hefty slugs staring right at you. They're guns that say: "get outta' my way".

Over the years I've brought just about all the guns that I could ever want and never sold any of them. To the point where I have a good sized collection and have no plans on getting rid of any of them. If the shit ever hits the fan and the whole economic system collapses into chaos, guns and ammo will be more valuable than gold. Especially ammo. What the hell can you do with a bar of gold? With guns and ammo you can hunt for food, protect your life against roving bands of thieves or use them to barter for other goods and services. Whether that happens here or not is anyone's guess? But it has throughout history happened all over the world, and we did come close during the Great Depression.

Seriously folks, except for the NAA .32 Guardian, what the hell can you do with these? At least with the NAA Guardian you can just point and shoot 6 rounds of .32 ACP as fast as you can pull the trigger and it conceals just about anywhere. The other's are just awkward to hold and get into action. I bought them for no other reason except for the novelty of having such guns. I have fired all of them just to see what they were like. I doubt I'll fire them again.


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## PhuBai70 (Sep 26, 2019)

desertman said:


> Indeed it is, but when you've got a lot of guns there's always gonna' be some that never get shot. The guns that I carry (several) on a regular basis are the one's that I shoot the most. I have to have enough confidence in them to know that if my life depended on them they wouldn't fail me.
> 
> A lot of the guns I bought for no other reason except that I liked the looks of them. But I stayed away from Taurus. Some of the guns I bought have no real useful purpose at all such as those NAA mini revolvers and Bond Arms derringers. But they do have the cool factor and in the case of those mini revolvers it's amazing that those tiny little .22 mags are lethal weapons? Both the Bond Arms and NAA's are very well made. Those Bond Arms derringers in .45LC/410 are mean looking little bastard's.
> 
> ...


My brother-in-law carried one of those NAA 22s in his pocket for years. He did not have a carry permit so he wanted something small that would not "print" in his front pocket. He said it was a last resort in case someone got right up in his face. 
I may never shoot any of my older guns again but they've all been shot when I first got them. I have enough new guns that I bought with the intent of shooting them regularly. When I get Gunfighter and the Cattleman SAs I don't plan on shooting them. As I said before, I'm buying them to pair up with my Winchester and Henry lever rifles. Every kid growing up in the fifties wanted a cowboy rifle and a cowboy revolver.


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## desertman (Aug 29, 2013)

PhuBai70 said:


> My brother-in-law carried one of those NAA 22s in his pocket for years. He did not have a carry permit so he wanted something small that would not "print" in his front pocket. He said it was a last resort in case someone got right up in his face.
> I may never shoot any of my older guns again but they've all been shot when I first got them. I have enough new guns that I bought with the intent of shooting them regularly. When I get Gunfighter and the Cattleman SAs I don't plan on shooting them. As I said before, I'm buying them to pair up with my Winchester and Henry lever rifles. Every kid growing up in the fifties wanted a cowboy rifle and a cowboy revolver.


I've carried the NAA mini's too, but for no other reason except for just the hell of it. It wasn't the only gun I had on me that's for sure. I put it in my shirt pocket. The NAA Guardian .32 can be hidden just as easily as it is very flat and a hell of a lot more practical. It's pretty much a Seecamp .32 without the price tag and rarity. Plus its got a push button mag release instead of the heal release. It's a solid very well made reliable little gun.

I've got a Winchester 9422 XTR .22LR and a Henry "Mare's Leg" .45LC. The 9422 I got a lot of use out of. The "Mare's Leg" not at all, it's another of one of those cool but not too practical kind of guns.


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## PhuBai70 (Sep 26, 2019)

That Mare's Leg is what Steve McQueen carried in "Wanted: Dead Or Alive".
To me, that's a good enough reason to own one. Like I said before, as a kid I watched all of the TV westerns.


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## desertman (Aug 29, 2013)

PhuBai70 said:


> That Mare's Leg is what Steve McQueen carried in "Wanted: Dead Or Alive".
> To me, that's a good enough reason to own one. Like I said before, as a kid I watched all of the TV westerns.


That's right, I wasn't even thinking about that when I bought the "Mare's Leg". It is a pretty ridiculous weapon nonetheless. Unless of course it's fired from the hip. It's too cumbersome as a pistol and highly impractical as a rifle. But I do really like the combination of brass, wood and blued steel. That's what's great about having a gun collection. It's not about whether it's practical or not.

I haven't watched too many westerns lately. Of the TV shows we still watch "Gunsmoke". It's one of those old TV shows you never get tired of no matter how many times you watch it.


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## PhuBai70 (Sep 26, 2019)

desertman said:


> That's right, I wasn't even thinking about that when I bought the "Mare's Leg". It is a pretty ridiculous weapon nonetheless. Unless of course it's fired from the hip. It's too cumbersome as a pistol and highly impractical as a rifle. But I do really like the combination of brass, wood and blued steel. That's what's great about having a gun collection. It's not about whether it's practical or not.
> 
> I haven't watched too many westerns lately. Of the TV shows we still watch "Gunsmoke". It's one of those old TV shows you never get tired of no matter how many times you watch it.


Josh Randall usually did fire it from the hip. It was a popular show and it really boosted Steve McQueen's career. The Mare's Leg kind of set him apart from other western heroes that only had a six gun on their hip. Except, of course, the Rifleman.
Gunsmoke was my Dad's favorite so we watched it every Saturday night without fail. It was on for twenty years. We watched most of the westerns from the early black and white shows right up to Bonanza, The Big Valley and High Chaparral.


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## desertman (Aug 29, 2013)

PhuBai70 said:


> Josh Randall usually did fire it from the hip. It was a popular show and it really boosted Steve McQueen's career. The Mare's Leg kind of set him apart from other western heroes that only had a six gun on their hip. Except, of course, the Rifleman.
> Gunsmoke was my Dad's favorite so we watched it every Saturday night without fail. It was on for twenty years. We watched most of the westerns from the early black and white shows right up to Bonanza, The Big Valley and High Chaparral.


Indeed Gunsmoke ran for 20 years and was one of if not the longest running TV series with over 600 episodes. Man, that's a lot of shows. Before that it was a radio program but that was before my time.

One of our favorite Western movies is "Shane" a real classic. They don't make movies like that anymore. It seems like as time goes on this country is losing its moral values more and more.


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## PhuBai70 (Sep 26, 2019)

There's been a few modern westerns that I liked. Silverado, Unforgiven, Tombstone, Wyatt Earp, 3:10 To Yuma to name a few.
But the originals with John Wayne, Jimmy Stewart, Gary Cooper, etc, were hard to beat.
If I had to pick an all time favorite it would be The Searchers with John Wayne and Jeffrey Hunter.


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## shootbrownelk (May 18, 2014)

I've got a stainless S&W mountain gun in 41 magnum. Sweet shooter that I'd never sell.


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## PhuBai70 (Sep 26, 2019)

shootbrownelk said:


> I've got a stainless S&W mountain gun in 41 magnum. Sweet shooter that I'd never sell.


That's definitely one to keep. Those vintage Model 57s in decent shape can go anywhere from $1200 to $2200 depending on condition. 
My Mountain Gun is from '96 and my other N-Frames are from the '60s and '70s and I'll never sell any of them. If my kids sell them after I'm gone I won't know about it.


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## Ratpacker (Mar 7, 2013)

My 8 inch Mod. 29-2 nickel finish.
1st shot cold bore ...twice but on 2 dif. Occasions drilled dead center X ring. (Witness too)
1 bullseye was shot by my mechanic ( oh well)
Gave th .44 the name, "Handsome Harry".
Same .44 mag. I killed a 4 point buck, shot in the neck at 65 yds. ( The head and neck were only visible, as he was downhill in a valley).


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