New Hampshire Gun Forum

Smith & Wesson 686


The 686 is a lot handier moniker than Distinguished Combat Magnum, but Smith & Wesson used both to describe a .357 Mag. revolver introduced in 1980. Made on a new frame, bigger than the K and smaller than the N, the 686 came in various lengths over the 30-plus years of its continuing production. They’re all accurate, but the early ones were scary accurate. My 6-inch 686 produced the smallest six-shot group I have ever seen—.29 inches at 25 yards. This is a great all-purpose revolver, and if you are put off by the size and weight of a 6-inch gun, S&W makes them with shorter barrels and even with lightweight Scandium frames. It’s a classic gun of a classic style.

Back in the 1980s I was one of our police dept. firearms instructors. One of our officers had just gotten a S&W model 686 and I was watching about a dozen officers firing at targets and I was watching from the side and saw that the 686 in the officer's hands was not recoiling as much as the combination of S&W model 19, model 66 and model 13, Ruger Security Six revolvers. My first thought was "I have to get one of those model 686s" As soon as I could find one I bought it.