[dale58]

I'm thinking about a S/W 686 with a 2 1/2 in barrel for home defense and carry. Any opinions on this gun for these purposes would be greatly appreciated...like weight, reliable, ease of carry etc. thanks, Dale

 

[CalvinMD]

stone reliable, not too bad to carry,..a little on the heavy side is only drawback...for home defense is great...I prefer a 66 but they are a tad more fragile

 

[dale58]

Thanks CalvinMD and Rick barker...I like the idea of a revolver instead of a semiautomatic for reliability. Dale

 

[Brian in Oregon]

A little heavy and chunky for concealed carry. But rugged and tough, able to take a steady diet of .357 loads.

Frankly, I'd be looking at the 686 Plus model, as it has seven chambers.

If you're going to stick to six chambers, might as well get a Model 66 and shed some weight and bulk.

 

[leadvail]

I ccw my 19 2 1/2" sometimes, have put a few thousand full power through it over the last 30yrs and its as tight as new. But gets heavy fast for me. 5'10 and 200lbs. Having 6 shots is not an issue at all, you"ll never need more than one 357 125gr. Evan Marshall has that rated at 96% one shot stops. So your set for 6 baddies. I carry my snub 38's more because of the weight. A L frame is heavier, over half a pound.

 

[Brian in Oregon]

And yes, you CAN get seven-shot speedloaders. HKS model 587-A.

 

[Thee Craig]

bought an lcr (couldnt find bodyguard) because of the polyframe. had a 686 in my hand ready to buy till i carried it around the shop and it was way too heavy. wanted a pocket carry (cargo pocket in khaki shorts) and it kept draggin my britches down.

my $.02

 

[Claydotter]

I have a 686 Plus with 3" barrel. My son`s been trying for years to get me to part with it. lol.

I keep mine loaded with .38 +P "Short Barrel" Gold Dots for a home defense gun. It`s a dream to shoot with those loads.

However , as much as I like the gun , they`re just too heavy and bulky for concealed carry.

Get a K frame (6 shooter) with 23/4 to 4" barrel for that. Also , consider the Gold Dots I mentioned. They have way less muzzle flash & blast with short barreled guns.

Regards , Pete

 

[Brian in Oregon]

My main carry gun is a S&W K-frame Model 12 with a 2" bbl. This is an aluminium frame version of the Model 10. I use 38 +P in it. Even if I carry something else, I've often carried this as a backup.

It weighs the same as a 2" steel J-frame, but gives me one extra shot, and fits my hand much better.

Unfortunately S&W doesn't appear to make any lightweight K-frames anymore. They seem to have limited them to J and N frames.

 

[travisalfrey]

Dale- I carry a smith 38 lightweight- hammerless. It is small enough to fit in my pocket and still light. I like not having a hammer that can get caught on my pocket. I will show it to you next Saturday.