The 686 is built on the "L" frame and is perhaps
one of the best all round Smith and Wesson .357's
- it's main competition being the Ruger GP-100.
That is probably the stronger gun.
However, I do know some history on this gun, which
was that it was shot a lot and carried, by a friend
I sadly never met, Bob Ford from Las Vegas - he
sadly died June 24th 2006. He offered it for sale
back in about 2005 and although I knew it had shot
many 100's (probably 1,000's) of very hot .357's
..... decided to get it. It in a sense replaced
the same model I had to give up in UK in 1997.
I used my old 686 for PPC and made a barrel weight
to add on - and have managed to utilize the same
with small relief changes on this 686. It adds 15
ounces and drops POI by 6 full inches at 25 yards
- so sights need reset. That coupled with light
target 38 loads make for a great controllable platform.
It shows quite marked flame cutting on the top strap
but that is self- limiting and overall the gun is
still plenty tight enough. Smooth as smooth trigger. |
