Smith and Wesson 686 Plus 25 Inch Review
Revolvers don't go plenty beloved.
We alive in an age of All Things Tactical from our poly pistols to our not-a-45-ACP 1911s.
Then at that place's the rampant wearing of 5.eleven cargo pants and 'Merica shirts. So, where has all the revolver beloved gone?
Information technology's fallen by the wayside thanks to the greater capacity and simplicity of semi-autos and I think that's a shame.
If you want to be a well-rounded shooter you need to larn to run a revolver.
Meet your "My First Revolver", revolver: the Smith and Wesson Model 686.
Editor'south Selection
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at Brownells
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Prices accurate at fourth dimension of writing
Table of Contents
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Into The Weeds
The 686 can trace its lineage back to 1981, making information technology not quite as elderly every bit other revolvers out there. It's basically the stainless version of 1980'due south blued Model 586.
Smith and Wesson designed it to be a reliable, accurate gun that gets used, not a prophylactic queen or casual pocket acquit pistol. The 686 is meant to be used.
Details for the item lovers.
The 686 was created based on the older Yard-frame .357 Magnums that were, at the fourth dimension, favored by a ton of police force enforcement (I'm speaking of the Model 19 and Model 66).
This model is built on an L frame, a size like to the Thou simply with a larger cylinder and a flake more heft in general.
In that location take been multiple iterations of the 686 – you lot're going to hear them referred to as variants and dashes – featuring different barrel lengths and cylinder capacities.
My baby is the 686+, a variant with a 7-round capacity and iv.125-inch barrel chambered in .357 Magnum. Sure, you could likewise run .38 Special through this revolver, but why skimp on oomph?
The 686P has a slim plenty grip to allow a proficient hold on the gun, magnum rounds or not, and is rather hefty. Information technology weighs in at 39.0 ounces, empty, a large chunk compared to the 21.sixteen-ounce empty weight of my Gen 4 Glock 19.
Some of that weight comes from a heavier top strap and forcing cone, important features to mitigate felt recoil and increment accuracy.
Specs include an overall length of ix.56-inches, satin terminate, and factory front blade and adaptable rear sights. The gun ships with blackness safety grips with finger grooves.
Every bit I mentioned earlier it'south chambered in .357 Magnum so you can as well fire .38 Special rounds through information technology – .38 Special +P, if you like – and is an L-frame, stainless steel, seven-shot revolver.
Here is our editor Eric shooting his 686+ with 38 Specials.
Revolvers aren't like semi-autos. There is no external safety, no mag release, and no slide lock on this DA/SA bad boy, merely the hammer and cylinder release, both checkered for smoother operation.
Granted, although revolvers appear simpler on the outside they are a bit more complex internally; if your Glock goes down odds are adept you can repair it yourself but if your revolver fails information technology frequently becomes a case for a qualified gunsmith.
Then again, you haven't lived until you lot've sorted out the internals of a revolver. Come on, I can't be the merely gun geek here.
Pew Pew
This specific 686+ has seen a lot use over the years and eaten every kind of ammo imaginable.
Barnes VOR-TX .357 Magnum 140 grain XPB HPs are a keen option only if you want a fleck less felt recoil in that location'due south always Hornady .38 Special 110 grain FTX. Don't practise yourself the disservice of using merely i or the other.
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Prices accurate at time of writing
Best .357 Mag Habitation/Self-Defense Ammo
Make use of the gun's .357 Magnum and .38 Special capabilities and learn to be fast and accurate with both every bit well. Oh, and larn to run that trigger DA and SA, not either/or.
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The mill rubber grips fit my hands well; some people immediately ditch the grips but they happen to entreatment to me. Even the finger grooves fit my hands properly which is not something I can say for the finger grooves on, say, Glocks.
The beefy pattern of the top strap does make the gun slightly heavier toward the muzzle, meaning it is not as carefully balanced as some of the semi-autos you might be used to using.
There's 1 good thing about that weight, though: recoil control.
If you run the 686P with .357 Magnum, be prepared for noticeable felt recoil. Information technology'll accept you some trigger fourth dimension to acquire to fire the gun smoothly, specially for follow up shots.
Hither is Eric again with full load .357 Magnums…
That doesn't mean it isn't accurate; this revolver is precise and performs beautifully offhand and from the bench.
Under 15 yards information technology is possible to maintain a just-barely-single-pigsty, five-shot group firing the first shot DA and all other shots SA – that requires me to take my sweetness fourth dimension.
Stretching out to 25 yards, shooting from the bench, the boilerplate five-shot grouping measures around four inches.
Double-activeness for all shots fired expands my groups at fifteen yards to an boilerplate of three inches with some exceeding four inches. Again, that's slow-burn, no blitz.
Using .38 Special does take some of the recoil-driven yikes out of the 686P. This is a gun that loves its Inceptor .38 Special 77 grain ARX; shooting offhand at ten yards the gun delivered a five-shot group of i.3 inches.
Some brands of ammo don't seem to agree with it especially when you outset using +P. For case, Federal Personal Defense .38 Special HST +P use resulted in v-shot groups at ten yards averaging six inches.
So, what happens if you stop upwardly rapid-firing the Smith and Wesson 686P? My first disclaimer is to remind you that practice is king. If you don't put the piece of work in you volition not be able to run the gun likewise; if yous put the piece of work in your revolver skills will be on bespeak.
Firing the showtime shot DA and all other shots SA I tin keep nigh shots in the A zone of an IPSC target merely I would not call it pretty. That's with .38 Special. Switch it up to .357 Magnum and I can just keep shots in the C zone. Practice, guys. We all need it.
The trigger of this gun is worth a mention. Double-activity the pull weight is around 10 pounds; single-activity it drops to iv.three pounds. The Performance Center did nice work on this trigger.
The pull is smooth and consequent when shooting double-action; there is no stacking or grit. All-time of all is the crisp, clean break. This is a good factory trigger. Reset is longer than you may be used to from semi-autos, depending on your gun, only it remains workable.
Kudos to Smith and Wesson for producing a nice factory trigger.
If y'all intend to deport the 686P, be prepared for some differences from carrying a semi-auto.
First of all, is the bulk; the 686P cylinder is wider than a Glock's frame and the curves of a revolver tin be harder to conceal, too. This gun is a scrap big for concealed conduct.
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Prices accurate at time of writing
Information technology isn't that you couldn't do it just that it isn't platonic. For open behave or handgun hunting hogs it works well. You'll find your drawstroke is markedly altered from drawing a lighter, smaller pistol, then get some practice.
Everything makes it dissimilar from the weight to the shape to the overall size. Information technology might feel awkward at first but eventually, you'll become the hang of it.
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Prices accurate at time of writing
Failures
Yes, revolvers can fail. Anyone who claims otherwise either doesn't know what they're talking about or…doesn't know what they're talking out. In fact, I had a failure with the 686P.
I haven't tracked circular count also as I perhaps should have only I would approximate the gun was perhaps 1500 rounds in when it failed.
Information technology was loaded, the trigger was partially engaged, and the cylinder wouldn't move. And when I say information technology wouldn't move, I mean it would non budge at all. In the stop I pulled an old concern card out of my range purse to release the cylinder.
The ejector rod was backing out – not exactly a unique problem – and it was a fixable issue. Yet, there was no alarm; the revolver but stopped functioning.
Now imagine yourself experiencing this kind of failure while using a revolver to defend your life. You won't be able to jimmy the cylinder open with a business card and tighten the ejector rod, y'all'll be without a gun.
This makes the case for fill-in guns merely should also serve as a alert almost revolvers every bit EDCs. A revolver can make a good EDC but you lot must be familiar with the reality of failures.
We aren't talking a tap-rack-bang scenario, we're talking you're out of the fight.
Reality Of Revolvers
It'due south a good idea to exist competent with all platforms. Whether you like revolvers or not you should be able to apply one. The Smith and Wesson 686P is a preferred revolver of mine considering it's well-made, accurate, and comfortable.
Yep, .357 Magnum makes it a bit less comfy and is not my favorite cartridge always to run through a handgun with a four-inch butt, just the gun's bulk really does negate felt recoil.
That said, I would advise proficient .38 Special loads if you're going to carry this gun. In addition, learn to apply either speedloaders or speed strips. I prefer speedloaders, personally.
This is a nicely done revolver and a solid pick for your starting time – or tenth – revolver. Hey, y'all can't do Wheel Gun Wednesday if you don't ain a revolver. Spend some hands-on time with the 686P.
Information technology'll win you over!
By The Numbers
Reliability: 4/5
The 686P is a reliable gun simply I'm docking a point for the ejector rod consequence. Although it was an easy enough fix it would exist a catastrophic failure in a cocky-defense scenario. Revolvers practice tend to fail less often than semi-autos but they also fail in large ways.
Ergonomics: iv/five
Ergonomically the Smith and Wesson 686P is well-washed. If y'all don't like the safe grips it ships with, swap them out for something you do similar. I similar the angle of the grip on this revolver (in that location are revolvers out there with grip angles I despise). The gun is made for a solid grip and the accurateness that comes with it.
A word on residual. I wish this was a more than balanced gun. Having the added weight all in the front makes firing for extended periods more difficult and has a negative effect on accurateness.
Accurateness: iii/v
This one might seem harsh merely I'd prefer my deport guns be a little more precise. Information technology isn't that the 686P isn't accurate – it definitely is – it just doesn't produce groups quite as tiny every bit I'd like from a potential acquit gun.
Do I trust it to chase hogs? Aye.
Could it be used as an EDC? Of grade, information technology could, but you'd better put in the practise. Remember, accurateness degrades when adrenaline floods your system.
Customization: 3/5
In that location isn't a lot of room for customizing revolvers. Sure, you could take a gunsmithing genius like Bobby Tyler piece of work it over – and he would practice a stellar chore – but information technology'll cost yous.
If y'all're doing information technology yourself, grips are the most obvious function you tin modify. We as well have a guide to Tuning Revolvers. Otherwise, go to a professional.
Value: 4/v
This is a decent value. Yous'll probably find it around $700 at your local gun store. If you lot want a quality revolver for handgun hunting this i is a logical choice; if yous want i for EDC this gun might be a fleck oversized.
Looking for a proficient revolver for the range? This is your gun.
Overall: 4/5
Conclusion
The Smith & Wesson 686 is a fantastic revolver with utter reliability, comfortable ergonomics, and cute aesthetics. Its accuracy and customization are par for the course. But for a personal protection gun it'south perfect and comes in dissimilar barrel lengths and even a Plus model with 7 rounds of .38 Special or .357 Magnum.
So I'll go ahead and say information technology.
I love this gun.
Although my get-to for curtained carry leans toward semi-autos I do believe revolvers have their uses. Revolvers tin exist carried – but for sky's sake, behave a speedloader – or used for hunting. Or range time. It's upwardly to you.
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at Palmetto Land Armory
Prices accurate at fourth dimension of writing
Prices accurate at time of writing
.357 Magnum is a fantastic cartridge, too. Anybody should own at least one gun chambered in .357 Magnum. But proverb.
What .357 Magnum revolver do yous take? You Do have one, right? Allow united states know in the comments! For some more awesome six-shooter goodness, accept a look at the All-time Beginner Revolvers !
Source: https://www.pewpewtactical.com/smith-wesson-model-686-gun-review/
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