.357 Magnum...

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Ran across one I couldn't walk away from. It is my only S&W with the internal lock. This is the M686 SSR Pro series and is a very well put together handgun from S&W. An L frame without the full lug under the barrel and I really like the balance and feel of that. I'm a sucker for slab sided barrels...


 
Beautiful! I have a 686 no dash with a 6" barrel. One of my favorite pistols to shoot especially with light 38sp loads.
 
Yeah, I like that a lot. I could find room in my safe for that.

I have never had an L frame .357 Smith. Don't know why. K and N frame but not the L. Maybe it's time for me to get one. Too bad they do not offer it with a 5" barrel as that's my favorite length.
 
Originally Posted By: masshunterNice gun. That Askins book is a great read.

Yes it is. Askins was not a man to be trifled with!
 
Nice looking gun I've been thinking about buying one of the performance center 686s but you can't buy them all. I have a 3" and 6" 686, a model 66 and a couple other 357s. Revolvers are just fun to shoot.

Originally Posted By: Rustydust Too bad they do not offer it with a 5" barrel as that's my favorite length.
S&W does make a 5" 686 but they are not as common. The one pictured above is likely a 5" barrel.
 
Originally Posted By: BrianIDNice looking gun I've been thinking about buying one of the performance center 686s but you can't buy them all. I have a 3" and 6" 686, a model 66 and a couple other 357s. Revolvers are just fun to shoot.

Originally Posted By: Rustydust Too bad they do not offer it with a 5" barrel as that's my favorite length.
S&W does make a 5" 686 but they are not as common. The one pictured above is likely a 5" barrel.

Hey! You may be right. That does look to be 5" barrel. I would like to handle that. I rarely shoot my 5" pre M27 Smith but not because I do not like it but simply because my old eyes need red dots nowadays if I am going to hit anything. Iron sights just a thing of the past for me.
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The barrel length is 4.25". If I want a shorter barrel I have a 3" M65 round butt. If I want a longer barrel I have a 6" M19.

 
Most of my .357 revolvers have 6" or 6 1/2" barrels. One has a 3" and the old (made in 1955) pre 27 has the 5". The 3" rides in the center console of my car. My 8 3/8" is long gone and my 2 1/2" is gone too. Five or six inch .357's are the most fun to shoot so that's what I keep in my safe.
 
I'm not really sure why, maybe it's the proportions of frame to barrel length, but to my eyes there is just something special about how a revolver with a 4-5 inch barrel looks. Under 4 inches they don't look as good and when you start getting over 5 I find them less appealing.

As for shooting one, I definitely shoot them better when they have longer barrels and the best I've ever shot any revolver was years ago I had a Ruger Redhawk 44 w/7.5 barrel that shot extremely well but aesthetically I'll take them with 4-5in. barrels over anything else all day long. It wasn't particularly practical but even my S&W 500 is a 4in. model.

I need to quit looking at the pics of that Pro Series 686 because every time that I do it makes me want one!
 
RustyDust said: "I rarely shoot my 5" pre M27 Smith but not because I do not like it but simply because my old eyes need red dots nowadays if I am going to hit anything. Iron sights just a thing of the past for me.
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Just send that old 5-screw Smith to Alabama, I'll take care of it for ya. I'll even trade you a red dot sight for it. I have a 6" pre-27 that will keep it company.
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Originally Posted By: 6GUNSONLYRustyDust said: "I rarely shoot my 5" pre M27 Smith but not because I do not like it but simply because my old eyes need red dots nowadays if I am going to hit anything. Iron sights just a thing of the past for me.
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Just send that old 5-screw Smith to Alabama, I'll take care of it for ya. I'll even trade you a red dot sight for it. I have a 6" pre-27 that will keep it company.
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Aint you special? You would do that for me? What a pal!
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This is my one and only 5 screw Smith now. Last one and my favorite. I can still do OK with certain power reading glasses but that's only tolerable. But I do love to handle it and think about the people that made it some 67 years ago and how they are almost certainly all long dead by now. Something about those old handmade guns. I think I may go fondle it some more right now. Does me good to do that.
 
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