S&W 686-4 $600, Worth it? - Page 1

Site Notices

[ARCHIVED THREAD] - S&W 686-4 $600, Worth it?

Posted: 2/19/2011 5:53:49 AM EDT

Local pawn has the above, 6" nickled stainless, no lock obviously.

Looks like it has been shot very little.

Good buy, or no?

Posted: 2/19/2011 6:04:49 AM EDT

[#1]

That seems a little high but if you don't have a 686 and want one it sounds like a good one.

Posted: 2/19/2011 6:49:41 AM EDT

[#2]

I don't have one, and I would like to have one.

I was torn between a 4" and 6", but this one without the lock has my interest.

I think I'll go back and offer $500 and work from there, they have $650 on the tag...

Posted: 2/19/2011 6:58:08 AM EDT

[#3]

I believe the (carbon steel) 586's were nickle'd
686's are stainless

You need to inspect the crown, the endshake, and the Timing on a used S&W to help determine value

you-tube can teach you how to check these.

$600 seems a bit high to me

Posted: 2/19/2011 6:59:16 AM EDT

[#4]

Just picked up a 686-4 a month ago for $500, which had a trigger job and grips plus included a galco holster (which I later sold for $60). Ended up costing a total of $440. I'd go back for a lower price.

Posted: 2/19/2011 7:31:42 AM EDT

[#5]

Yes, if it's really nickel, it would have to be a 586, unless you can nickel plate stainless steel. The 686 is stainless steel. Could be someone highly polished it to resemble nickel, which is entirely possible. I have a nickel Python and a Python ultimate (high polish stainless steel) and you can hardly tell them apart.

Posted: 2/19/2011 7:38:05 AM EDT

[#6]

id get either a SS or Blued one. im not a fan of plating.

also, price will vary with local. and i use google and the gun auction/selling sites to see what they are going for.

Posted: 2/19/2011 7:44:09 AM EDT

[#7]

I don't think I paid much more then that for a a brand new one like 2 years ago(has the lock a lot of people hate though). I'd have cash in hand and offer less and see if the shop bites. My 686+ 6inch is one of my favorite guns.

Posted: 2/19/2011 8:13:54 AM EDT

[#8]

$600 is too much for a used stainless 686 or a nickel 586. The only ones in that range are the CS-1 686s built for the Customs Service in the 1980s.

Posted: 2/19/2011 9:56:52 AM EDT

[#9]

Posted a 4" 686-4, 98% gun, in original box...on the S&W Forum for $575 +20 shipping. It lasted 22 minutes before it sold. Then I had THREE other interested buyers PM me in case the original deal fell through.

Older S&W revolvers, NO LOCK/non MIM..... are currently bringing far higher prices than in the past. Take a look at what $600 will buy you in the current S&W line up. Not much.

FN in MT

Posted: 2/19/2011 9:59:46 AM EDT

[#10]

Quoted:
$600 is too much for a used stainless 686 or a nickel 586. The only ones in that range are the CS-1 686s built for the Customs Service in the 1980s.

How many CS-1 686's have you seen in the last YEAR for $600?? IF the seller has NO IDEA he has a CS-1 gun..possibly.

They are bringing far more than six right now.

FN in MT

Posted: 2/19/2011 12:42:47 PM EDT

[#11]

Yep, it is stainless. I don't know whether it was worth $600 or not.

Evidently it was worth $575.......

To me ;)

Gonna take it now and run some .38's through it. I don't have any .357

Posted: 2/19/2011 12:58:23 PM EDT

[#12]

Pics ?

here's some tips on inspecting a used S&W revolver....

Posted: 2/19/2011 1:27:30 PM EDT

[#13]

Quoted:
Yep, it is stainless. I don't know whether it was worth $600 or not.

Evidently it was worth $575.......

To me ;)

Gonna take it now and run some .38's through it. I don't have any .357

I have yet to shoot a 38 round through my 686+. I've put a few hundred rounds of .357 though it. Since I've had it I've bought one box of 38s and a friend shot it with some of them. Gave the rest to my mom for target ammo(she has a 357 stubby that she generally only shoots 357 out of).

Anyway congrats on the gun.

Posted: 2/19/2011 1:42:16 PM EDT

[#14]

I had watched many videos like the one posted. I do not consider myself an expert by any stretch of the imagination, but, this thing looks good.

This thing feels pretty anemic with .38 spcl run through it. NOTHING like the J frames I am accustomed to. I ran 100 rds through it since I last posted.

I definitely need some work with the DA trigger. Shooting approx 40-45 feet, I favored the right side of the paper I was shooting at. Could be my pull, could need adjusted, probably need to spend more time with it.

I'll post pics whenever my slow ass DSL gets uploaded to Photobucket

Posted: 2/19/2011 1:46:36 PM EDT

[#15]

Posted: 2/19/2011 6:31:13 PM EDT

[#16]

Congrats! That's a beauty.

Posted: 2/19/2011 6:53:16 PM EDT

[#17]

I picked up a 686-4, 4" last year at a local pawn shop for $400 OTD. Appeared to have been shot very little, but did need some cleaning (mostly 38s through it). I have fed nothing but .357s thru it, and it has been impressively accurate! $575 was not a bad price, but you might have been able to get'em down lower.

Posted: 2/19/2011 6:59:59 PM EDT

[#18]

Quoted:
Yep, it is stainless. I don't know whether it was worth $600 or not.

Evidently it was worth $575.......

To me ;)

Gonna take it now and run some .38's through it. I don't have any .357

Worth it means different things to differnt people. some people are tightwads and will spend $$$$ on crap, but not a decent gun. Theres a saying too that they dont have the $$$ to do it right the first time, but have the $$$ do to it 2x to fix the FU on the first.

also, Pre IL S&Ws are more desireable to some people.

why worry about the $$? you have the gun in your hands now. Its water under the bridge.

shoot it and enjoy it!

Posted: 2/19/2011 9:09:09 PM EDT

[#19]

Quoted:
Just picked up a 686-4 a month ago for $500, which had a trigger job and grips plus included a galco holster (which I later sold for $60). Ended up costing a total of $440. I'd go back for a lower price.

http://img600.imageshack.us/img600/2747/686small2.jpg

Nice grip. What is it and where can I find it? Thanks.

Posted: 2/20/2011 6:30:22 AM EDT

[#20]

Quoted:
http://i165.photobucket.com/albums/u45/charlieho_2007/guns/IMG_2769.jpg

http://i165.photobucket.com/albums/u45/charlieho_2007/guns/IMG_2771.jpg

Looks GREAT

that's stainless, not nickle, which is a plus, in my opinion.

Look inside the frame, when you open the cylinder, there should be the model number and serial number.

Is it a...
686
686-M
686-2
686-4
etc.

early "686 dash nothing", had a recall notice, that S&W will pay shipping and upgrade.

Posted: 2/20/2011 6:41:06 AM EDT

[#21]

Thanks.

It's a -4.

I'm gonna have to go to Wally World and see if they have any WWB in .357 for this thing. I went through my components last night, and I only have like 9 pieces of .357 brass

I feel I paid a fair price. Maybe nationally it was high, but I feel locally I got a bargain. It's what I was looking for, especially the no lock.

I'm happy with it. In the end, I guess that's what matters most

ETA: Just curious, would anyone happen to know the approximate age of this revo?

Posted: 2/20/2011 7:01:24 AM EDT

[#22]

I think the dash-4's came out in 1994

My dash -2 is 1987

This is the golden age of the 586/686, in my opinion.

After the recall, and before the cast MIM and stupid key / lock

To fully appreciate the .357, you need to handload.

Factory ammo is mostly watered down.

Back in the 1980's -1990's, once fired brass was cheap and plenty-full, now it's getting hard to find.

with handloads, you can run bunny farts with w231, or fire breathing monster loads with H110/w296

My local FFL has one just like yours, and his firm price was $575

Mine is very similar to yours, except it's a Blued 586

There is something magical about a 6" L-frame, I LOVE THEM

Posted: 2/20/2011 7:37:02 AM EDT

[#23]

$600 is about $100 high in my opinion. I bought a 4" 686-4 last year for $500

Posted: 2/20/2011 9:31:14 AM EDT

[#24]

Quoted:
$600 is about $100 high in my opinion. I bought a 4" 686-4 last year for $500

I grabbed one without thought about 18 months back... 6" 686-4 for 400$. No thought required other thanto recall my ATM pin. Grabbed a 686-6 4" (with several hundred rounds of ammo thrown in) for 300$ a few months ago... It was de-MIM'd and de-locked already.

Pricing on SW revolvers can be all over the place. Prelock certainly gets a premium and it seems that premium just continues to grow. My local shops seem to price pre-locks right at new MSRP or perhaps a touch higher currently. The best deals are obviously on the private market from folks who have no idea what "pre lock" and such words as "Hillary hole" and "MIM" mean.

Was 600$ a steal for a 6" 686-4? Nope. But it isn't a gouging either... Oh, and OP.... Beautiful gun you got yourself there.

Posted: 2/20/2011 10:16:56 AM EDT

[#25]

Thanks all, I look forward to many years with it. I like the blued 586, she's purty

Now that I have my first, I may be more apt to drive a harder bargain on the next one

Posted: 2/20/2011 12:24:21 PM EDT

[#26]

FWIW Here are three K frames I've bought in the last couple of years.

The middle one is a Model 66 I paid $300 for two and a half years ago.
The top one is a Model 65 I bought about a year ago for $380.
The bottom one is a Model 66 that cost me $525 out the door 6 months ago.
It has a target trigger, target hammer, front sight insert, white outline rear sight, so I paid a bit more for it.
The older ones that are not MIM or locked are getting higher every day.
So you did good getting one now before they get higher!

Posted: 2/23/2011 8:52:31 PM EDT

[#27]

$600 is about $100 high in my opinion. I bought a 4" 686-4 last year for $500

About the same time, I bought a 6-inch 686-3 for $425. Sometimes we fall into great deals, and sometimes we don't. My first revolver was a brand new, store bought, S&W 10 that I got for $140. A month later, it and $100 went into a brand new Mod. 27, 3.5 inch.

Have you seen the commercial where "mom gets air" on a jet ski? The tag line in the commercial is "The important thing is 'Mom got air'."

The important thing here is he's got a great firearm… in hand. Even at $575, it will depreciate less than any Ford, Chevy or Honda on the lot.

Congratulations! Enjoy shooting it for the next decade or so!

Posted: 2/24/2011 7:56:35 AM EDT

[#28]

My friend bought a pre lock 686 in 98% condition for $300.00. .357 with 4" barrel and adjustable sights with two grips.

[ARCHIVED THREAD] - S&W 686-4 $600, Worth it?

Handguns » Revolvers

Warning

Confirm Action

About AR15.COM

Stay Connected

Newsletter

Contact Us