Wheel Gun

[PutTogether]

Ok...someone school me on revolvers from S&W. I'm getting a little confused on all the models that S&W offer. And each model comes with different barrell lengths so that just adds to my confusion. For example, what is difference between the 686 vs. 620? Are they on the same frame? I need some guidance

I think I want a large frame gun (model L). Something that can handle the magnum rounds. Would like to have a 4" barrel, but still open to a sub-nose compact.....don't know how the recoil will handle? Is it much more comfortable to shoot the 4" barrel?

So what models am I looking for? I think the 686 and 620 fits my description above. Not sure of their difference. Any other models besides these two?

Also, if I want a new S&W WITHOUT the lock, is gun broker the only place or will it be impossible to find? Nothing against used guns, but I like a new one =)

Thanks!!!!

Thanks.

I can try. This system starts to fall apart, but it should get you through.... If the gun is a 3 digit model number that starts with "6" It means stainless steel. The same number without the six means blued steel. For example: A 629 is a stainless steel .44 magnum, while the 29 is a blue .44 magnum.

A 3digit model number that starts with "3" generally means it is their "scandium" alloy - super light. The 329 is a .44 magnum, made of super light scandium alloy.

Then you have frame sizes.......and frankly I'm not sure there is a "system" to how their numbers fit into frame sizes, you just kind of get used to what is what after a while.

The most common you'll hear about are: "J" - think "snub nosed" pocket sized, five shot revovlers. Note also, that they don't HAVE to be 5-shot (the .22 caliber J frame 317 holds 8 i believe because the round is so small, but you get the idea.

Next is K/L You hear these used almost interchangably, but there is a small difference. The "L" is what the newer magnum guns are built on, and it is a little stronger/bigger. An example of an L is the 686 you mentioned above. Again, capacity depends on caliber, but many different calibers will be built on the same "L" Frame. (PS - 686 has adjustable rear sights while the 620's rear sights are just a channeled groove in the frame.) There can even be variety here as you can get a 686 in 6shot, or a 686+ in 7 shot. Same frame. There are also different barrel lengths available, and to my knowledge, barrel length doesn't change model number. A 686 is still called a 686 no matter if it has a 3", 4", or 6" barrel. You would just say "I have a 3" 686."

Next frame size (and the biggest, except for the monster .500 SW mag) is called "N." N frames are your classic big revolvers. The N frames are pretty much only the larger calibers, .44, .45 colt, down to as low as .357 (of which they make a really neat 8 shot version. I don't think any calibers smaller than that come in the N frame size. The "N" is what most people think of when they think of revolvers. Big, heavy, easy to shoot, fun.


For what needs you have described, I think you want a K/L frame as well. The N is probably too big for what you want it to do (especially if you have decided to go .357) For your first gun, make sure it is steel, not scandium. And if you are packing it around camping and stuff, the 6" barrell will be mildly inconvenient, but the 4" is just about perfect. You can sneak a little more ballistically out of the .357 with a 6" barrel, but for me a mid sized steel, 4" gun is just about perfect for anything you'd want to do.

I'd opt for the 686. The 620 is fine too, but if you ever wanted to sell it you'd have a thousand people asking you "whats a 620?"

If you absolutely will not take a gun with their lock (which I think is being too paranoid) then you are stuck with the older versions. In which case you could get a 586........ same gun, but blue!

Honestly though, just get a new one, make it yours. The lock will never trouble you, and your SW education will be well on its way.

[neomedic]

PutTogether

Thank for that awesome info!!!!!!!!!!!!!! That helped me alot.

It's starting to look like the one I should get will be the 686. Would the gun be built more solid and durable if I got the 6 shot? More steel between the wheel or should I go for the extra round and get the 7 shot?

I will consider the lock....don't know why S&W went that route

Seems like the .357 will serve my purposes.

Stil would like a .44 magnum and always wanted a Desert Eagle.....maybe I'll go that route with the .44

[PutTogether]

PutTogether

Thank for that awesome info!!!!!!!!!!!!!! That helped me alot.

It's starting to look like the one I should get will be the 686. Would the gun be built more solid and durable if I got the 6 shot? More steel between the wheel or should I go for the extra round and get the 7 shot?

No problem. I find it INCREDIBLY difficult to believe the 6 shot would be any stronger than the 7 shot. The tiny little cylinders in the 5 shot .357 guns hold up just fine. All else being equal I'd prefer to have the 7 shot gun, but wouldn't pass up a good deal on a 6 shot while waiting for it. 686 in all different flavors is pretty ubiquitous on the used market, you see them for sale ALL the time new and used, so you should be able to get exactly what you want.

I know I said get a new one and make it yours, but you see barely used 686s for sale all the time on the for sale section here, you can probably get a really nice one and save a bundle.

For god's sake though, put wood stocks on it. Nice revolvers weren't made to have ugly *** hogue stupid rubber things on them. It irks me to no end the stupid "monogrip" that is standard on almost all models now. A mid size steel .357 isn't enough recoil to necessitate nice soft rubber ugly grips.

Last piece of advice: After you get your magnum, pair it with a smith and wesson 617. Same size, heft, weight, trigger (for the most part) as a 686, but 10 shots of .22 for cheap practice.

[trashman]

Hiking around for days with a big .44 is not really all that much fun, especially when you won't be shooting it.

It's not that bad - just get a 629-6 "Trail Boss" in .44 Magnum. This is my go-to backpacking gun in bear country. 3" barrel with an unfluted cylnder.

And as long as you don't get a Scandium or otherwise-lightweight alloy gun, you don't need to worry about the lock. The lightweight 329PD .44 magnum appears to be the gun that has had repeatable lock failures.

--Neill

[pyromensch]

bigdogatplay.. I can't argue that a 44 mag requires you to reload unless you are rich.

I would put it to you that so does a .357 these days.

As for the 44 special being anemic and without much selection.. the 38 spl is no world beater.. I can find 44 special factory fodder that is more potent than even plus p 38's

But that it not the point.. if you are going to have +p stuff.. why not just go to the real magnum?

Army.. the 44 mag is too heavy for you to hike with? So you will use an inferior gun because of a few ounces? I guess all those guides that pack 44 mags all day in bear and hog hunting areas must be supermen to carry that half a pound extra all day? hell.. you could leave a few granola bars behind to make it up. If you really are so infirm then I might suggest some of the alloy 44 mag guns.

pyromenche..  if noise and blast are what you use to defend yourself why not just get an airhorn?

The only real argument for getting a .357 instead of a 44 mag is one that we are dancing around here...

It is far easier to shoot a .357 well for newbies. The 44 mag is capable of at least as good and better at range, accuracy BUT it takes dedication. Few will shoot it well right from the start.

And.. truth is.. some will simply never be able to handle the recoil well. It will never be an accurate round for them. Desert eagle guys are a good example.. almost every one that I have met bought the gun because it "looks cool" and was in a few movies they liked. I have yet to see one of em shoot the thing well. I have not seen one that know how to or cares to learn to reload. They all shoot whatever factory ammo they find and know nothing about the ballistics of the round.

Obviously..that is generalization. but it is what I have run into. 44 mag revolvers are popular enough now that we don't see that as much. I would say that most if not all of the guys who shoot 44 mag these days at least dabbles in reloading.

Myself? I cast my own slugs from free wheel weights.. have for many years. A box of 44 mags runs me about $4 these days.

I don't really bother with .357 much these days and even at my advanced age.. I can carry an extra half a pound around "hiking all day".

If I want to just throw something in my pocket for social work I have a 340PD in .357 with compact grips. It would probly make me deaf if I had to shoot it without hearing protection and I doubt most would want to shoot more than 5 rounds out of it without going home and soaking their hand. I would not want to shoot a bear with it or choose it as a gun to hunt hogs with.

I have killed hogs with a 44 mag.. I would not really want much less of a gun. I have not killed a bear.. the little black bears we have are not really dangerous and if you find a griz or a coastal bear you better not be stuck with a .357.. big cats can be taken with a 22. but in a desperate situation I would rather put a 300 grain 44 slug into em to stop em from doing bad things before they knew they were dead.

because airhorns "BLOW"!

so many issues with you, and so little space

[six10]

(PS - 686 has adjustable rear sights while the 620's rear sights are just a channeled groove in the frame.)

The 620 has the same fully adjustable white outline rear sights as the 686. It's the 619 that has the fixed rear sights. (Think M66 versus M65 -same gun, one has adjustable sights, one doesn't.)

I'd opt for the 686. The 620 is fine too, but if you ever wanted to sell it you'd have a thousand people asking you "whats a 620?"

Or, "Oh, wow, where did you ever find one of those rare 620s? I'll take it!"

@Trashman: I declare, you have some beauties! Always enjoy your pics

[bombadillo]

Awww, come on .44mag alaskan 2.5" would be the shiz!

[subijitsu]

Thinking of a getting a first wheel gun. Most likely to be used when going camping, thus protection from 4 legged creatures (bears, large cats, etc.) and self defense if the need arises.

For this use, does it mean I should only look at .44 magnum guns? If so, how long a barrel should the gun be (keeping in mind I want a balance of compactness since its for camping and hiking but should be accurate enough so that I don't have to wait to point blank range).

Thanks.

I shoot a Ruger Redhawk .44 and a S&W mod 27 .357. The Ruger shoots smoother, shoots tighter groups, and packs more punch. I have much more trigger time with the Smith due to (like many have said above) being able to shoot .38s at the range for much cheaper. Since cost is a factor for me while shooting, I feel more comfortable with the .357 because I shoot it way more.

Personally, when choosing a firearm for self defense whether it be from bears, zombies, or from burglars, I want something that is nothing more than an extension of my hand. Training will take over in a stressful situation and having a gun you have shot a LOT may make the difference between hitting your target and missing.

If you can afford to shot a good amount of .44, that would be the way to go for stopping power alone. If you are more budget minded, a solid .357 will do the job just fine and will enable you more (cheaper) range time to get familiar with your weapon.

Just my $.02

BTW, when I go camping, the .357 is at my side with no reservations.

[ArmednReady]

First of all if you plan on killing a bear with anything less than a .454 or a .500 mag or a nice rifle good luck 95% of the time when you encounter a bear your number 1 defense is the sound of the round going off not the round itself. I have a ruger sp101 chambered in .357 and I love it. I use .38 spl +p's for home defense and when I go backpacking I put some high grain .357's and about 2 months back a friend and I ran into a not so nice mountain lion luckily he was at a distance he kept staring at us as if we were on the menu so I pulled out my ruger and shot a round of .357 into the dirt and the noise was more than enough to scare him off it was the last we saw of him. It would have been enough to take him down (i think) but luckily for us it didnt come to that.

[PutTogether]

That unfluted 629 is SWEET. Are those Ahrends grips or something else?

I have no use whatsoever for a .44 magnum, but of course I own one. Mine is the 4" tapered barrel Model 29 mountain gun.

[trashman]

Ooh - love the factory combats on that mountain gun!!

The grips on my trail boss are "retro combats" from ahrends.

@six10 - thank you sir

--neill

[Trapper]

Over the years I've carried a number of different pistols and revolvers ranging in calliber from .22lr-.44mag. My go to revolver for the past ten years has been my 3" S&W model 66 in .357mag. It offers a good accuracy, reliability, and stopping power with out the extra bulk and weight of a larger firearms.

[lazs]

As big a fan as I am of the 44 mag for all around use.. I would stay away from the real snubbies.. 4" is about the perfect length with 5" and 6" pretty close for handy.

I have shot many many 38 specials and one of my favorite guns was a K 38 masterpiece but.. for a go to gun for anything under the sun.. I would go to any of my 44 mag guns. On a police range I shot through cars and mailboxes and all sorts of barriers that would be "cover" for lesser guns.

I used to shoot about 1,000 44 mag rounds a month or more.. now it is like 300. The cut down redhawk and a superblackhawk and a Dan Wesson heavy vent rib are like extensions of my hand.

As I look.. I have 5 different bullet molds for 44 mag.. and only 3 for 38/357 and one has never been used.

The very best idea for 44 mag was the Dan wesson with interchangeable barrels.. I have one in stainless with both a 4" and an 8" barrel. I have about 1,000 loaded rounds of 44 mag normally. 38/357 is a mix of factory and reloads with a lot of 125 HP factory stuff for my 340 PD smith.. A j frame .357 that weighs 12 ounces and will fit in your front pocket as well as a cell phone will.

44 mag is simply the best compromise between power and useable size and recoil for me.. and a lot of folks.

I also have a Henry lever gun in 44 mag. You could do that with a .357 too of course.. a good revolver and a lever gun.

The 44 is simply twice as powerful with double the energy and.. with cast bullets can have rifle like killing power at short range (under 125 yards) while still packing comfortably.

I know pyro did not want to address this but.. it remains a gun that is not for everyone.. but then... sorry to say.. neither is the .357.. when the .357 came out or even the 38/40 outdoorsman.. The gun writers of the day were talking about the almost unmanageable recoil and blast from these guns. They were "expert only" guns.

Now.. of course.. everyone thinks they can pick up a hot .357 (in a lighter gun btw) and shoot it accurately and with not problems.

The truth is as I have said.. if you can't shoot mid range 44 mag loads.. you will certainly not be able to shoot hot .357 loads.

If all you do is practice with 38 special guns.. the gun may become "an extension of your hand"... for the first shot... after that it will feel like it you never seen the gun before in your life. The difference between 38 special practice rounds and hot .357 rounds is such that it completely changes the way the gun feels. You may have even developed a grip for 38 specials that will make it impossible to get off another shot with the .357 without rethinking the whole thing and a new grip.. hardly conducive to getting good.

Also.. my hands are big. Most 44 mags fit them better.. I even put on thicker grips.

For various reasons.. I would take a good 357 revolver over any semi auto for any reason that I might want or need a handgun for (kinda like the 7 and 8 shooters) but....

I would still take a good 44 mag revolver over a .357 any day for any reason other than j frame size to fit in a front pants pocket.

[six10]

@six10 - thank you ma'am

--neill

Fixed it for ye

[green grunt]

Ruger Blackhawk............ in Colt 45/45acp ........sometimes just having a Big Bore in camp is a good thing.....
what ever you pick , get some range time in with it , nothing like having a bear/bad guy in camp to get the blood flow going.....jmho