Congrats on the 686, I know you've been aching for a nice 357 for a while! I'm very happy for you. You are going to love it ... be warned though, it won't be long before you want more.
Thanks, Jad.
It's funny, I went through my first bout of .357 mag fever about a year to a year and a half ago when I looked at GP-100's, SP-101's and 686's.
I felt then that the SP's weren't right for me, but couldn't decided between GP & 686.
Then, I convinced myself that one of those wasn't the right handgun for me. I went 9mm instead.
While I loved the 9, such a sweet little pistol, when I bought and shot the 642, I just admitted I'm a wheel guy since I was liking the Smith 642 so much. (I'm actually about to part with the 9. Parting is such sweet sorrow.
)
Since I already had the 642, and liked it
so much, when I got ready to get a big brother for it, it just had to be a 686. I did continue to handle GP's, but my Smith appreciation bias had kicked in by that time.
And, truth be told, when I closed my eyes and just held each in turn, the 686 just felt better. That's why I advise people to handle both as much as possible, for as long as you need to before buying, then go with the one that feels better. They're both fine revolvers.
I think this 686+ 4" is going to be it for me for a long while. (Finances are a large part of that prediction, and relates to why I'm parting with the 9.)
If I add another later
, I'll probably add a 6" specifically for hunting. (This 4" is a dual purpose camp/outdoor gun: SD that can double as a hunting weapon in a pinch.)
Anyway, back on topic ... I spent most of last evening dry firing Mr. 686. Smooth, smooth, smooth. The trigger break is absolutely predictable. As I squeeze the trigger, I can feel it stage through those two audible "clicks" (associated with cylinder advance) on the way to hammer drop. It feels so good, and is so balanced.
And the SA is almost inconceivable. I don't have to move my trigger finger to fire it; all I have to do is
think about moving my finger. Gonna be
very, very careful with SA.
The grips are on the upper edge of "acceptable" for my size hand (I have relatively small hands), but it still feels OK + 1. I'm not stretching my grip. It feels like I can handle it fine. I'll know once I shoot a couple of boxes of rnds, some .38's and some power loads, and I know I can install a different set of thinner grips if these turn out too large.
I'm hope to take it to the range Wednesday (though it's a busy week coming, so ...). Once I do, I'll post a report back here.
Nem