Smith and Wesson 686 - Are These Original Grips?

[Load Master]

I like to learn as much as I can about any of my firearms. My newest addition is a No Dash Smith and Wesson 686 with a 4 inch barrel.

I seem to be having issue (online) to find much information about this gun. One of the questions I have, what grip came as original with this gun? I know that it has Pachmayr Grips. Does anyone know if they were ever standard grips for the S&W 686?

Before purchasing a book with S&W info, I'm checking my local library, but I am open to suggestion of any good books that cover the revolvers made over the years by S&W.

 

[1KPerDay]

Not to my knowledge.

 

[ColtPythonElite]

Not original.


Here's a set of early 686 grips.

 

[Master Blaster]

Pachmayr after market grips.

 

[bannockburn]

The ones in ColtPythonElite's photo are the same ones that came with my Model 686-no dash.

 

[Jonesy814]

S&W did not put rubber grips on the 686 until the dash 4 and they were Hogue grips. The ones shown by ColtPythonElite would have been standard on the 686 through 686-3
The no dash 686 was produced from 1980 until 1986 when the 686-1 was introduced
They are excellent revolvers. Here is my no dash 686 with aftermarket grips from Thailand via Ebay

 

[Load Master]

View attachment 786122 S&W did not put rubber grips on the 686 until the dash 4 and they were Hogue grips. The ones shown by ColtPythonElite would have been standard on the 686 through 686-3
The no dash 686 was produced from 1980 until 1986 when the 686-1 was introduced
They are excellent revolvers. Here is my no dash 686 with aftermarket grips from Thailand via Ebay

Wow! I really like the look of your Thailand grips. Thank ColtPythonElite and Jonesy814 for the education. Now I have a better idea of what I'll be looking for in a grip.

 

[Jonesy814]

Wow! I really like the look of your Thailand grips. Thank ColtPythonElite and Jonesy814 for the education. Now I have a better idea of what I'll be looking for in a grip.

The grips from Thailand were only about $40. There are others on EBay right now that are the same style but they don't have the nice wood grain mine have.
If you want factory original grips for your 686 you will need K/L frame square butt target grips. I see people with buy it now prices on EBay of over $100 but you can often find a decent set for $50-60

 

[NIGHTLORD40K]

I like to learn as much as I can about any of my firearms. My newest addition is a No Dash Smith and Wesson 686 with a 4 inch barrel.

I seem to be having issue (online) to find much information about this gun. One of the questions I have, what grip came as original with this gun? I know that it has Pachmayr Grips. Does anyone know if they were ever standard grips for the S&W 686?

Before purchasing a book with S&W info, I'm checking my local library, but I am open to suggestion of any good books that cover the revolvers made over the years by S&W.

View attachment 786082

View attachment 786083

Should look like the one on the right. 686-1

 

[bannockburn]

Load Master

I have found the Pachmayr Gripper (like the ones on your Model 686), or their Presentation version to be great for shooting at the range. But wood grips on a revolver just look a lot classier than rubber grips so I would eventually like to get a set like the ones on Jonesy814's gun.

I would add that while the original factory target stocks look great they're not a good fit for my smaller size hands.

 

[red rick]

The first thing I did after shooting my 686-3 was replace the wood grips with the Pachmayer grips that you have on yours . It doesn't look as good , but I shoot it more accurately with the Pachmayer's . The wood grips have been sitting in my closet in the Pachmayer box for over 30 years now , just like new . I just keep them for resale , but I will never sell it .

 

[bannockburn]

red rick

The first thing I did after shooting my 686-3 was replace the wood grips with the Pachmayer grips that you have on yours . It doesn't look as good , but I shoot it more accurately with the Pachmayer's . The wood grips have been sitting in my closet in the Pachmayer box for over 30 years now , just like new . I just keep them for resale , but I will never sell it .

Sounds like the exact same thing I did with my Model 686 and with the factory wood grips after I got Pachmayrs to put on it. The S&W grips are still sitting in the Pachmayr box down in the basement!

 

[Coop45]

Damn, I miss my 686. I seem to have sellers remorse more often then buyers remorse.

 

[ColtPythonElite]

The reason why the grips in my pic aren't on a gun is because I put Pachmayrs on my 686's first thing....The woods are nice to look at, but the Pachs are better for shooting.

 

[Load Master]

Thanks for posting your photos of the wood grips. Coop45, I can understand missing your 686. I doubt this one will get away from my grip! I think sometimes of selling some of my pistols, but I never have.

 

[Driftwood Johnson]

Before purchasing a book with S&W info, I'm checking my local library, but I am open to suggestion of any good books that cover the revolvers made over the years by S&W.

The Standard Catalog of Smith and Wesson by Supica and Nahas. Currently in its 4th edition. The best book there is about everything S&W has made since 1857. It covers everything.

 

[Load Master]

The Standard Catalog of Smith and Wesson by Supica and Nahas. Currently in its 4th edition. The best book there is about everything S&W has made since 1857. It covers everything.

Thanks Driftwood Johnson for this. The crane and the grip area of the frame have a number of stamped letters and numbers.

I went ahead and purchased the latest version in electronic form of this book.

 

[Driftwood Johnson]

hanks Driftwood Johnson for this. The crane and the grip area of the frame have a number of stamped letters and numbers.

On a revolver of that vintage, the model number will be stamped on the frame under the yoke. It should read something like MOD 686. Other numbers stamped in that area are assembly numbers and have no meaning.

An electronic version? Perish the thought. My 3rd edition is so dog eared I know where just about everything is in it.

 

[Load Master]

On a revolver of that vintage, the model number will be stamped on the frame under the yoke. It should read something like MOD 686. Other numbers stamped in that area are assembly numbers and have no meaning.

An electronic version? Perish the thought. My 3rd edition is so dog eared I know where just about everything is in it.

My wife said the exact same thing. I like the electronic as I can always access it no matter where I am. I can search the entire book with a few key words. I never have to worry about misplacing the book. I've done that a few times. This is all the numbers stamped into the frame and other parts. Far more than I would have thought. Wish I knew what they all mean. I'll keep searching.

 

[Tallball]

My friend has one just like that. He got it from his dad. Coincidentally, it has the exact same Pachmayr grips on it. It's a very good shooter with an excellent trigger. The grips feel great.

I'm also a fan of the Thai eBay hardwood grips. I have a set on my Taurus 689, a set on my Ruger SP101, and gave my FiL a set for his CZ75. All of them look great and fit well.


Here's the Taurus 689. The grips are some kind of rosewood, IIRC. My friend's S&W has a slightly better trigger, but when we switch them back and forth, the practical accuracy is the same. We both keep them handy as our primary HD firearms. Yeah, we're both kinda old-school like that. Autoloaders are okay, but I still feel more comfortable with a tried-and-true revolver in my hand.

Taurus Model 689

• Tallball
• Jan 7, 2018
• 1

And here's the SP101. It's the 327 magnum version. The original grips were WAY too small for me, as was the Hogue monogrip. These ones fit my man-paws pretty well. I forget what kind of wood they are.

Ruger SP101 327

• Tallball
• Feb 23, 2018

 

[Driftwood Johnson]

My wife said the exact same thing. I like the electronic as I can always access it no matter where I am. I can search the entire book with a few key words. I never have to worry about misplacing the book. I've done that a few times. This is all the numbers stamped into the frame and other parts. Far more than I would have thought. Wish I knew what they all mean. I'll keep searching.

The number with the AJ prefix is the gun's serial number. Traditionally S&W always stamped this on the butt of the gun, but in recent years they have begun stamping it under the cylinder yoke too. Makes finding the SN simpler with guns that have grips that cover the butt.

The Model Number is self explanatory. However, prior to 1957 S&W did not use the present model numbering system, so you had to know something about the gun to know what model it was.

29445 is an assembly number. When the gun is first assembled, some of the parts are fitted specifically to that gun. An assembly number was stamped on the parts. This was called soft fitting because the parts had not been hardened yet. The gun was then disassembled and different parts were sent to different departments for further operations such as hardening or blueing. Then the parts were sent back for final assembly and the assembly number told the assembler what parts went to what gun.

Most of the other markings are inspector's marks. At several stages of assembly the gun would be sent to an inspector to make sure everything was up to snuff.

By the way, I learned all this the old fashioned way, by reading books. Real books printed on real paper.

I have never lost a gun book, I always know where they are, they are usually in my gun book bookcase.






Or on my gunsmithing shelf.







Except for my 3rd Edition of SCSW which is usually right next to my computer for quick, easy access for answers to questions on gun forums.

 

[bannockburn]

Driftwood

Looks like my bookcase, though you have about three times as many books as I do! I remember reading somewhere that every time you bought a gun you should buy a book. Didn't necessarily have to be about that particular gun; just a book that had something to do with guns. That way you increased your knowledge about guns while increasing your collection of guns.

 

[Load Master]

The number with the AJ prefix is the gun's serial number. Traditionally S&W always stamped this on the butt of the gun, but in recent years they have begun stamping it under the cylinder yoke too. Makes finding the SN simpler with guns that have grips that cover the butt.

The Model Number is self explanatory. However, prior to 1957 S&W did not use the present model numbering system, so you had to know something about the gun to know what model it was.

29445 is an assembly number. When the gun is first assembled, some of the parts are fitted specifically to that gun. An assembly number was stamped on the parts. This was called soft fitting because the parts had not been hardened yet. The gun was then disassembled and different parts were sent to different departments for further operations such as hardening or blueing. Then the parts were sent back for final assembly and the assembly number told the assembler what parts went to what gun.

Most of the other markings are inspector's marks. At several stages of assembly the gun would be sent to an inspector to make sure everything was up to snuff.

By the way, I learned all this the old fashioned way, by reading books. Real books printed on real paper.

I have never lost a gun book, I always know where they are, they are usually in my gun book bookcase.

View attachment 786556




Or on my gunsmithing shelf.

View attachment 786557





Except for my 3rd Edition of SCSW which is usually right next to my computer for quick, easy access to questions on gun forums.

View attachment 786558

Thank you for the added information and the photos of your personal library. Very nice!

I have a number of books on reloading that I've acquired over the years. Not as many as in your bookcase.

Thanks again for your info on this Smith and Wesson 686. I think it has become a favorite of mine after having a chance to shoot it yesterday. It is a very nice shooter.

 

[Load Master]

My friend has one just like that. He got it from his dad. Coincidentally, it has the exact same Pachmayr grips on it. It's a very good shooter with an excellent trigger. The grips feel great.

I'm also a fan of the Thai eBay hardwood grips. I have a set on my Taurus 689, a set on my Ruger SP101, and gave my FiL a set for his CZ75. All of them look great and fit well.


Here's the Taurus 689. The grips are some kind of rosewood, IIRC. My friend's S&W has a slightly better trigger, but when we switch them back and forth, the practical accuracy is the same. We both keep them handy as our primary HD firearms. Yeah, we're both kinda old-school like that. Autoloaders are okay, but I still feel more comfortable with a tried-and-true revolver in my hand.

Taurus Model 689

• Tallball
• Jan 7, 2018
• 1

And here's the SP101. It's the 327 magnum version. The original grips were WAY too small for me, as was the Hogue monogrip. These ones fit my man-paws pretty well. I forget what kind of wood they are.

Ruger SP101 327

• Tallball
• Feb 23, 2018

Thanks for sharing the photos! Very nice looking revolvers.

 

[Driftwood Johnson]

Ooops.

Forgot about the reloading books.






Bannockburn:

If I bought a new book every time I bought a gun, my house would sink.

I try to limit new book purchases to when I buy a new type of gun that I don't have any experience with yet.




For those who are interested in Smith and Wessons, these are the essentials:










If you can find a copy, this little book is terrific too.