Anyone seen a SW686 like this?

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[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Anyone seen a SW686 like this?

Posted: 6/24/2005 9:17:45 PM EDT

Bought about 10 years ago, has dull matte finish, not bright stainless, front sight is different from standard 686's. Never seen this particular 686 in any of the SW catalogues

Is this cool or what?

686 from SW's web page:

Posted: 6/24/2005 11:19:08 PM EDT

[#1]

Maybe it's from the in house Custom Shop.

Posted: 6/24/2005 11:20:01 PM EDT

[#2]

I owned a 4" version exactly like that. However it was a Custom's Service trade in.

Posted: 6/24/2005 11:46:09 PM EDT

[#3]

I have a 629 euro-sport with a finish like that, and I remember seeing a 686 euro-sport in a catalog at a rod and gun club in germany, but I don't see it on the side of yours. The only other one I saw with that finish was about 3 years ago at a gunstore but it had an unfluted cylinder.

Posted: 6/25/2005 4:31:41 AM EDT

[#4]

It's the fix front sight target model, bead blasted with #150- 200 glass bead.
They offered an adjustable front sight model as well (I have one of these, but my pistol is polished, not bead blasted).

These pistols were designed as a PPC/Carry units (the fixed sight model). The idea was that it would allow the use of a 357 rounds for service duty and lighter loads for comp, where as the K-38 was just a target model only.

FYI, your front sight post is interchangeable, so you could remove the blade front post and install the ramped one if you wanted.

Posted: 6/25/2005 6:14:24 AM EDT

[#5]

Thanks for all the info, so sounds like it could be a Customs overrun or PPC gun. I saw it in my my local gunshop just sitting there NIB. Fit and finish are outstanding, trigger is sweet. I love that gun.

Posted: 6/25/2005 3:18:02 PM EDT

[#6]

www.ar15.com/forums/topic.html?b=5&f=33&t=18416

Posted: 6/25/2005 6:42:49 PM EDT

[#7]

The Customs guns were only in 3 and 4 in., with rd. butts. The 3 in. had a full length ejector rod and was as about as perfect a carry and trail magnum as I could imagine.
Around 90 or 91 I purchased a 586 identical to yours, but of course with a matte blue finish instead(almost looked parkerized it was so matte) , and I remember the dealer saying it was a Lew Horton run, and they also were doing the 686 the same way.
Wish I would have kept that one, but someone liked it ALOT more than I did at the time

Posted: 6/25/2005 7:50:05 PM EDT

[#8]

Quoted:
The Customs guns were only in 3 and 4 in., with rd. butts. The 3 in. had a full length ejector rod and was as about as perfect a carry and trail magnum as I could imagine.
Around 90 or 91 I purchased a 586 identical to yours, but of course with a matte blue finish instead(almost looked parkerized it was so matte) , and I remember the dealer saying it was a Lew Horton run, and they also were doing the 686 the same way.
Wish I would have kept that one, but someone liked it ALOT more than I did at the time

checked my records, got mine Feb 1995

Posted: 6/25/2005 8:06:54 PM EDT

[#9]

As you can see in my post, i'm not for sure about the year, but think it was the early 90's for mine. None of that really matters, though, date of manufacture and date of first sale can be way apart. In other words, when you baught it and when it was made are 2 very different dates.Back in the 80's and first half of the 90's S&W was known as the gun of the week club for all the limited runs they did, especially with L. Horton. There is a good book i've seen at Barnes and Nobles, I think written by Roy Jinks, S&W historian, that breaks them all down to when certain runs were made.

Posted: 6/25/2005 8:22:09 PM EDT

[#10]

No matter what, consider it a keeper. I have an original 6 in. 686, one that went back for the recall in the early 80's, I think it was primer flow issues and the firing pin bushing, then they stamped it 686M (modified). anyways, that one I kept, and as I said above, I got rid of the special run 586 like a dumbass.

Posted: 6/26/2005 4:49:27 AM EDT

[#11]

Very nice. I love my 686

Posted: 6/26/2005 8:19:42 AM EDT

[#12]

more clues:

owners manual says revised 6/93

label on box has Features WISCHO SPEC
Product code 104257
Serial begins with BRExxxx

Looks like my hammer is different than the std 686's if you look closely you can see the differences

Posted: 6/26/2005 8:44:10 AM EDT

[#13]

with that info., you could pin down date and quantity made pretty easy in the book I was refering to--I used it to figure out when a 3 in. 66 was made, it listed who the special run was ordered by, quantity and time frame. From what I noticed in the book, all the runs were around 2000-2500 pieces, so I figure they must of had a 2000 min. to tool up----A S&W site might help too, if you hadn't already looked there-good luck

Posted: 7/12/2005 8:54:01 AM EDT

[#14]

Quoted:
more clues:

owners manual says revised 6/93

label on box has Features WISCHO SPEC
Product code 104257
Serial begins with BRExxxx

Looks like my hammer is different than the std 686's if you look closely you can see the differences

Assault Rifler,

My amatuer take on this is that your 686 was intended for a foriegn market. I am fairly certain that WISCHO is, or was, the S&W importer for Germany. There are quite a few choice pieces, such as the 686 International DX, that will never, or rarely see these shores, but are enjoyed elsewhere. If you really want to research your gun try these folks;

www.smith-wessonforum.com

They really know Smith and Wessons!

BTW-Your revolver is quite the looker, enjoy it forever.
chissel

Posted: 7/12/2005 9:07:32 AM EDT

[#15]

Quoted:
Quoted:
more clues:

owners manual says revised 6/93

label on box has Features WISCHO SPEC
Product code 104257
Serial begins with BRExxxx

Looks like my hammer is different than the std 686's if you look closely you can see the differences

Assault Rifler,

My amatuer take on this is that your 686 was intended for a foriegn market. I am fairly certain that WISCHO is, or was, the S&W importer for Germany. There are quite a few choice pieces, such as the 686 International DX, that will never, or rarely see these shores, but are enjoyed elsewhere. If you really want to research your gun try these folks;

www.smith-wessonforum.com

They really know Smith and Wessons!

BTW-Your revolver is quite the looker, enjoy it forever.
chissel

Wow, mystery solved! Googled on WISCHO and found out a site that sells WISCHO hangguns with all types of SW's you don't see here in the states:

Linky

In one sense I feel that since it's an export model it's cheapened somewhat. But the gun is great looking in person, shoots great, and different than almost every other 686 I've seen.

Posted: 7/13/2005 9:12:42 AM EDT

[#16]

Quoted:

Wow, mystery solved! Googled on WISCHO and found out a site that sells WISCHO hangguns with all types of SW's you don't see here in the states:

Linky

In one sense I feel that since it's an export model it's cheapened somewhat. But the gun is great looking in person, shoots great, and different than almost every other 686 I've seen.

Cheapened?!?!

To me it would be quite to the contrary. I would feel that chunck of American steel was drooled over by poor SOB's in Germany, looking in one of their gun rags or fondling it at a gunstore or range, wishing they could convince their girlfriend that they "Needed" just one more PPC gun, even though they couldn't afford it. Hey that kind of reminds me of my life!

I would think of anything American made that was highly desired by europeans as a prize.
chissel

Posted: 7/13/2005 9:22:45 AM EDT

[#17]

Quoted:
Quoted:

In one sense I feel that since it's an export model it's cheapened somewhat. But the gun is great looking in person, shoots great, and different than almost every other 686 I've seen.

Cheapened?!?!

To me it would be quite to the contrary. I would feel that chunck of American steel was drooled over by poor SOB's in Germany, looking in one of their gun rags or fondling it at a gunstore or range, wishing they could convince their girlfriend that they "Needed" just one more PPC gun, even though they couldn't afford it. Hey that kind of reminds me of my life!

I would think of anything American made that was highly desired by europeans as a prize.
chissel

I sort of meant cheapened in the sense it wasn't a special, rare production run, but instead a normal production run albeit for export use only. Was kind of hoping it was from the Custom Shop or something.

I do love that 686 though

[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Anyone seen a SW686 like this?

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