Smith & Wesson 686 Revolver

The handgun home defense advocate. This is the best-case scenario from a practical perspective for this revolver. The only other thing that makes more sense, is using it for the fun of it. This is a great gun to shoot at the range or in the desert or with friends. So, ultimately if you just enjoy shooting fun guns, the Smith & Wesson 686 Plus is a great choice.

Additionally, the variants that are available make this gun a very good candidate for hunting, with the right barrel size and modifications. You might also find it a serious choice as a concealed carry, or a full-time open carry firearm if you are a bigger individual or prefer the revolver and want the extra shot capacity.

How is the Smith & Wesson 686 Plus better than the rest of the field?

It’s made out of 100% stainless steel for the frame, cylinder, barrel and associated core components. This makes it durable and rust resistant. It might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but it’s a work horse. The internal components are made out of a combination of high-quality steels that have a good retention capability, so the trigger maintains the feel; the lockup stays true and the performance doesn’t degrade over time really.

It’s got seven shots, in the same size platform as other guns that are only capable of shooting 5 or 6 shots of .357 Magnum.

It has history that proves the design is impeccable. 30+ years of proven reliability and solid accuracy has made this a very special revolver.

It can be modified heavily if you wish, which makes it a unicorn in the revolver segment. You can find aftermarket parts very easily for it, and some of it can be done by normal consumers with basic knowledge, without the need for a gunsmith (things like spring kits, etc.).

You are not going to have to worry about shooting it. It’s not a safe queen, but it has classic lines and great aesthetics anyways.

What are some of the things about the Smith & Wesson 686 Plus that underperform?

The trigger that used to be amazing from factory, isn’t as great as it once was (and admittedly, some model releases also changed the trigger feel from model to model). You will need to do some deburring and spring work to make it as smooth as you can get on a 1,000+ revolver.

It’s heavy, though it absolutely feels more balanced than most revolvers at this weight, so this may end up a draw across the board.

The grips are fairly pedestrian on some variants.

The sights are very good, but they are not specialty sights they are all-purpose sights.

Why do I care about the Company that makes this?

Smith & Wesson has legitimate history. They did start to cut some corners about a decade ago during some strategic shifts in the consolidating market, and they sometimes don’t champion some of the underlying second amendment concepts that some hardcore shooters do. From the perspective of the gun in this review, none of that matters, because they are still putting out a fantastic product in this model (the 686 Plus).

Smith & Wesson is also one of the only revolver makers that are producing factory full customs and they are legitimately the only company that has as deep a bench in the revolver field as they do. They are serious about wheel guns.

They make guns that last generations if you take them seriously. Smith & Wesson has produced a line of revolvers that is hard to beat in value for the price point. I don’t care what some hater might say about the brand, I challenge them to find a better value on the market that can consistently deliver in the .357 Magnum spectrum at this price point like the 686 Plus can. They will have a hard time finding ANY competitor, let alone a viable one.

What are the “X-Factors” for the Smith & Wesson 686 Plus, that I need to know about?

7 shots. Enough said. It’s the same size as your normal six shot revolvers, but it has seven.

It doesn’t have a problem with any ammunition. Lead, wadcutters, hollow points, different grain weights, it doesn’t care it digests it all and it does so accurately.

Durability is hard to match by any other revolver. Sure, you have tighter, more accurate high tolerance revolvers, but they cost twice as much. Sure, you have guns that can be replaced at half the cost, or serviced for a pittance, but you give up the durability. The 686 Plus can last lifetimes if cared for in the most basic ways.

With the volume of guns that S&W is pushing out of the factory, the instance of bad guns that come through the pipeline is miniscule. Yes, you might read a bad review here or there, but Smith & Wesson deals in millions of firearms per year. The relative issues with guns are only a handful of those. You cannot find that with most high-volume producers regardless of cost.

Is there any history about the Smith & Wesson 686 Plus that I need to understand?

There were some major changes that you will hear people grumbling about online. If you are new to revolvers, this is about as good as it gets as a first revolver in a Double action platform with proven history.

Most of what they grumble about has political roots and/or stems from the basic hammer bar/transfer bar safety that Smith & Wesson added in the middle round of model releases in the nineties and early 2000’s. There is also some issue with the MiM hammer and other core components. This is a complaint that doesn’t make sense. Yes, it’s a cost cutting measure, but it shouldn’t be a complaint because it doesn’t change the durability or the performance of the product. It simply doesn’t cause problems. It doesn’t force recalls. It is a non-issue.

The gun is more than 38 years old if you factor in all variants. There was a legitimate concern in the past while the company fixed a problem with guns made before about 1986-7, where there was a cylinder binding issue. None of the 686 Plus models have this problem. You will see some simple modifications that have changes as new iterations have been released, like the “bosses” inside the side plate, and the shim concept that has been around since the 1990’s regarding the yoke and cylinder float.

Our only legitimate gripe with the guns in this model range, is that the trigger has been historically inconsistent over the model releases generally, though it really isn’t that bad.