Bought my 2nd S&W 686 today...

[Tony Mig]

I love the 4" 686 I have now, but my 6" .357 magnum revolver was a Ruger GP-100. Even with a spring kit and some trigger work, the action on the GP just doesn't come close to the "out of the box" action on the S&W 686. I was using this GP for Bullseye compition shooting, and it has an inherent problem with cylinder drag that caused me more than a few matches durring the timed and rapid fire stages.
Well today I fixed the problem, I traded in the GP-100 for a new 6" 686 with the 6 shot cylinder. Now I'll have a pair of 686's, one in 4", and the other in 6".......
Now I need to scrounge up enough money to get a 6" 617, and my Bullseye Match revolver arsenal will be complete.......

 

[SWMAN]

The Bullseye competition consists of .22LR (617), any centerfire (686) and what about the .45 caliber portion of Bullseye? S&W 625 in 5"?

I know traditionally the S&W models-14, 16, and 17 were the three target models differing only in .38 special, .32, and .22LR respectively.

 

[WessonSmith]

I have two 686+, one 4 inch, one 2.5 inch. I like them both very much.
However, I also like my model 66 3 inch, my 6 in model 19, and my 4 in gp100.

 

[Tony Mig]

The Bullseye competition consists of .22LR (617), any centerfire (686) and what about the .45 caliber portion of Bullseye? S&W 625 in 5"?

The Bullseye compitions at my range are two gun only matches. One rimfire, and one centerfire. Not everybody at our facility has a .45ACP, so they run things to accomodate the most shooters possible. This arrangement works great for me because I don't like semi auto handguns, and have no desire to buy one, but if I had to, I could always use my 5.5" Vaquero....it's chambered in .45....(Colt).....

 

[YodaVader]

Do you have a timed/rapid fire stage in the centerfire matches? If so , what kind of scores can you shoot with the revolver? What about slowfire scores?

 

[Tony Mig]

Do you have a timed/rapid fire stage in the centerfire matches? If so , what kind of scores can you shoot with the revolver? What about slowfire scores?

Yes we do Yoda Vader, the matches run as follows....

Rimfire (slow) 10 rounds in 10 minutes with no more than 5 rounds loaded at a time.
Rimfire (timed) 5 rounds in 20 seconds, followed by another 5 rounds in 20 seconds.
Rimfire (rapid) 5 rounds in 10 seconds, followed by another 5 rounds in 10 seconds.
These three stages are repeated in centerfire in the same exact fashion.

When this GP-100 wasn't giving me problems, I actually shot better scores in both timed and rapid fire pulling double action.
My slow fire scores averaged in the low to mid 50's, and my timed and rapid fire scores averaged in the high 50's to the low 60's. This was the first Bullseye match I have ever competed in, and it was quite a learning expirience. Once I get my new revolvers, I plan to practice with them a lot, as it's my goal to be the first club member to win this event with wheel guns......

I may actually be able to get the S&W 617 sooner than I thought. I put one of my guitars up on E-Bay, and it's drawling a lot of views, and already has three bids on it, if it hits my reserve price I'll be set......

 

[Browns Fan]

What did you pay for it? I saw 2 at the local gunshop, one was used and older (firing pin on hammer-type). Both were +/-$500. This sounds rather high to me; what do you think?

 

[TK73]

Dear Tony,

where I come from, more than 90 percent of all serious handgun shooters seem to use S&W M586/686 L-Frames for bullseye disciplines calling for a "revolver .357 Magnum". Every once in a while it's possible to encounter a Colt Python, an expensive Korth, a Manurhin MR73 or a more inexpensive Taurus on the line, sometimes a big N-Frame Smith but the M586/686s simply dominate and wins most of the time.

Here, all handgun competitors have slightly different ideas when it comes to semi-auto match pistols (you see customized 1911s, USP Experts & Elites, S&W Performance Center pistols, SIG P210s, SIG-Sauer P226 competition models or whatever), but when it comes to wheelguns most agree that the S&W L-Frame is THE revolver of choice for bullseye competition.

S&W's L-Frames have already decent triggers out of the box and can be tuned to superior characteristic by a competent gunsmith without much difficulties or trouble. Sometimes, it's sufficient to install a WILSON spring kit in order to get a slightly more manageable trigger pull.

Actually, there was a time when I thought I'd like to get a Ruger GP100 (actually, the model KGP-161: 6" full lug, SS). When I examined a speciman's finish, trigger characteristic and workmanship inside and measured barrel/cylinder for correct alignment with a proper .38/.357 gauge I quickly came to my senses and selected a new, much more expensive M686 International DX. The Ruger just couldn't match my personal standards of what I expect from a good competition revolver.

IIRC, once I was asked by a novice shooter (that was eligible to purchase his first revolver) why we (the more experienced handgunners) all seem to prefer S&W L-Frames w/6" barrels and whether it isn't boring to see basically the same revolver model in the hands of shooters on the firing line. I responded to him that I don't know how boring it is for a spectator to watch similar guns on the line, but we certainly use M586/686s because we all want to win.

BTW, he also picked a S&W M686 w/6" barrel...

Just a last comment: I really like Ruger single-action revolvers and their MK-II .22 pistols!

 

[WessonSmith]

TK73:

Are the competitors using the 6 round 686, or the 7 round 686+?

 

[TK73]

Dear WessonSmith:

For bullseye shooting the competitiors over here basically use L-Frames 6" w/6-shot cylinder. We fire 5-shot strings mostly. When the commando comes to load the revolver w/five rounds they are placed into the cylinder and the empty charge hole is turned directly in front of the firing pin/hammer. Then the hammer gets cocked the cylinder w/first loaded chamber gets turned in front of the firing pin/hammer. For our form of bullseye shooting the additional charge hole of a seven round cylinder serves no purpose whatsoever. Under aforesaid circumstainces and some match pressure, it might even happen that if you use a revolver w/seven round cylinder that you hear a "click" instead of a "bang" after you've erronneously closed the cylinder on the first instead of the second empty chamber (cylinders on S&W turn to the left). Under stress everything can happen. That's not a big factor in 2 1/2 minute timed 5-shot precision shooting strings (you've just lost some time), but it might be disastrous for your score when it happens only a single time in 5 x 1-shot in 3 sec. each "duellist" strings or in 10 seconds/5-shots timed shooting.

IIRC, for IPSC "Revolver"-Division the 7-round M686+ has no advantage either as you're only allowed to load 6-rounds into it. If you insist on using the M686+ to its full capacity you'll be placed in IPSC "Open" or "Production" (depending on some other features like optics or whatever). Then you compete against compensated race guns or 9 mm/.40 factory service pistols... unless someone is as good as Jerry Miculek it'll be hard to succeed here.

All the best!

 

[Tony Mig]

What did you pay for it? I saw 2 at the local gunshop, one was used and older (firing pin on hammer-type). Both were +/-$500. This sounds rather high to me; what do you think?

Brand new in the box I paid $559.99. My choices were to either drive 8 miles and pay $630.00, or drive 40 miles and pay $560.00......unless gasoline prices top the $3.00 per gallon price, I'll keep driving the 40 miles to buy my guns from this shop.....

TK73......at my range, we only have a small turn out for the bullseye matches. This season the most to show up at any one match was 7, and it was usually 5 of us shooting. These are two gun matches with the first three stages in rimfire, and the second three stages in centerfire. Centerfire can be any centerfire caliber from 32 H&R magnum, up to .45, in either semi auto, or revolver. All other shooters here use semi auto's, either Glocks, or Kimber 1911's. Browning Buckmarks seem to dominate the .22Lr catagory, but I shot this past season with a 45 year old Colt Targetsman. This gun is too light, and not all that accurate, but I managed to place second using it, and that GP-100 with the problem cylinder. I can only assume that I'll do better with a 6" 617 for the rimfire stages, and the 6" 686 for the centerfire.
I do get heckled a lot because of my penchant for wheel guns, this only serves as incentive for me to practice, and blow these suckers off the firing line next year with an all revolver arsenal........(That'll shut'em up)....

 

[TK73]

Dear Tony:

Oh, traditionally we have quite a few of active bullseye participants where I live (Germany). The shooting associations most of us belong to offer different match categories specifically for the various handgun types and calibers on the market.

Routinely I enter matches in the following 25 meter disciplines offered by German shooting association Bund Deutscher Sportschuetzen / Bund Bayerischer Schuetzen e.V.:

- "Centerfire Pistol cal. 9 mm/.38" (most logical caliber is 9 mm Luger, but you may also enter with a .38 Super, 9x21 IMI, 9x23, 9x25, ...);

- "Centerfire Pistol larger than cal. 9 mm/.38" (eligible calibers .45 ACP, 10 mm Auto, .40 S&W and others);

- "Rimfire Pistol/Revolver cal. 5,6 mm/.22 w/Open Sights" (self-explanatory);

- "Centerfire Revolver cal. .38"; (nearly everybody shots .38 Special);

- "Centerfire Revolver over cal. .38" (most popular calibers are .45 "long" Colt and .44 S.&.W. Special);

- "Centerfire Revolver Magnum cal. .357" (= .357 Magnum);

- "Centerfire Revolver Magnum over cal. .357" (= .44 Mag., .41 Mag., .454 Casull, ...)

- (older) Military Sidearms (competition especially for Pistole Marine 04, Pistole 08 Artillerie, Pistole 08 (standard issue), Walther P.38, FN Hi-Power, Colt M1911 and M1911A1, Walther PP or PPK, S&W Victory and M&P models, Radom VIS 35, Mauser C96, Tokarev and others).

There are a couple of other I currently don't participate in like "Centerfire pistol/revolver .32 S&W long", "Rimfire Pistol/Revolver cal. 5,6 mm/.22 w/Optics", "Pistol Magnum" (for Desert Eagles, L.A.R. Grizzly or Coonan) and "Any Centerfire Pistol w/Optics minimum cal. .30/7,62 mm". Every handgun category, except those for cal. 5,6 mm/.22, prescribes specific technical specs for the guns and a minimum power floor (based on the IPSC formula) the ammunition must meet. Each category is scored separately, of course.

It's great fun seeing how well I can do with an assortment of different firearms and calibers. Bullseye shooting certainly demands some concentration and mental discipline, let alone skill from the shooter. I personally enjoy it a lot.

BTW, this year I used the only .22 l.r. pistol I own - an inexpensive Ruger KMK-678GC "Competition Model" - and won the Bavarian Championship with it. Most other competitors brought much more refined match pistols to the match, like Haemmerli 208 and 280, ERMA ESP-85A, Walther GSPs, Benelli MP 90S and whatever... That made my day!

 

[YodaVader]

I do get heckled a lot because of my penchant for wheel guns, this only serves as incentive for me to practice, and blow these suckers off the firing line next year with an all revolver arsenal........(That'll shut'em up)....

I have to admire your determination to be proficient at bullseye with a revolver. Not many can do this anymore. I sure as hell could not in the timed and rapid stages even if they allowed me to use 2 hands! One advantage the centerfire revolver has over most stock semi-auto centerfires is match accuracy right out of the box.

I still practice 22lr bullseye but it is hard to find matches to compete in unless I drive close to 100 miles. My bullseye 22s are a Smith 41 and a Ruger MKII with Clark trigger work.

 

[Tony Mig]

I sure as hell could not in the timed and rapid stages even if they allowed me to use 2 hands!

Yoda, I finally got out to the range today with this new 6" 686. Took 20 rounds to get the sights zero'ed in, and I shot a couple of slow fire targets, then a couple of rapid fire. I scored a 76 on one, and an 80 on the other, and this is my first time shooting this particular gun. With several months to practice before the next matches start up, I think if I really apply myself, I can be very competitive with the guys here.

The real test will be how I do with the 617 (.22 revolver) when I get that (hopefully in a couple of weeks). I'll be competing against my own scores from that Colt semi auto.

I'm real happy with this new 686, it's a real sweet wheel gun, and really look forward to getting the 617. I have a feeling they will be the only two guns going to the range with me for a while.....

 

[YodaVader]

Pretty good scores! I'll have to start shooting my 686 again one of these days!