My first Revolver (Night Sights and what’s best?)

[cams]

Picked up my first revolver recently, SW 686 w/6” barrel (has the lock unfortunately but it’s a start).

There is so much I don’t know about revolvers I’ll be reading for weeks here (thank you NES for being a virtual encyclopedia of knowledge).

Was thinking the first thing I’d do is take it to a smith and have it checked out inside and out for cracks or any issues that need to be fixed.

I’d like to have them completely break it down and clean/polish/check everything and put on some new night sights.

With a 6” barrel and my lack of knowledge and training with it I won’t be carrying this around, range gun and coffee table oh sh*t gun most likely.

What sights are best as far as general range use and home defense combined (I’m not a competition shooter by any means) and what should I be looking for as far as problem areas?

It locks up tight, visual inspection shows no great wear or cracks (it came cerakotex/used) but then again my eyes suck nowadays.

Trigger feels good (to me) in DA (drydire only so far) and is incredibly light in SA to the point I don’t even feel like I applied any pressure to it before it releases.

In a hard learning curve with it and I’m open to any advice and thoughts to make sure it’s a reliable and effective option for the home.

 

[M1911]

Have a good gunsmith do a trigger job and chamfer the charge holes. I wouldn’t bother with night sites.

 

[golden chicken]

My H&K came with Meprolight night sights so when I added a tritium front bead to my Mossberg 500, I went with another Meprolight. I like them, but I would like to try a pistol with XS big dot night sights on them. I have a feeling I'd like the lollipop sight picture better than 3 dots.

 

[M1911]

I had a big dot front sight on a gun once. I hated it. The top of the big dot site is rounded, not flat. So when trying to make a precision shot, it was very hard for me to get the elevation correct, as you can’t easily line up the top of the front site with the top of the rear site.

It didn’t take me long to pay gunsmith to replace the big dot sight.

 

[greencobra]

mr. cams, a revolver is not the great mystery of life. take the foolish thing out and shoot it before you start pouring money into it. s&w still makes a nice revolver despite the lock.

What sights are best as far as general range use and home defense combined

the ones that are on it if they're still stock.

 

[Enzo]

There are a lot of great videos on YouTube that show how to take apart, clean and put back together (the most important part....) a 686. Btw my favorite revolver. Enjoy!

 

[greencobra]

There are a lot of great videos on YouTube that show how to take apart....

mr. cams, make damn sure you know how to get a sideplate off and back on before attempting. a bunch of good revolvers have been ruined by people trying to remove the sideplate. a lot of them don't just fall off after the screws are removed.

 

[slap shot]

I wouldn't take any chances. Send it here.

Metallurgical Evaluation, Testing & Analysis Services

Creep and Stress Rupture Testing
Creep and Rupture tests are essential to evaluate the time-dependent behavior of metals and composites at elevated temperatures under applied stress. Deformation is measured as a function of time.

 

[cjmass]

With a revolver be sure to keep the hand and fingers of your weak hand (the one not holding the gun's grip) away from the cylinder gap (space between the front of the cylinder and the back of the barrel) ...otherwise you can get a pretty bad burn from the hot gasses and flame which blows out thru that gap.

 

[cams]

I had a big dot front sight on a gun once. I hated it. The top of the big dot site is rounded, not flat. So when trying to make a precision shot, it was very hard for me to get the elevation correct, as you can’t easily line up the top of the front site with the top of the rear site.

It didn’t take me long to pay gunsmith to replace the big dot sight.

Good info, I was looking at the big dots and now will rethink that for sure.

The stock sights on it even with the red ramp (barely visible) are hard for me to get a good sight picture (maybe my eyes), I’m so used to night sights on all my pistols it feels foreign to me to leave them blacked out.

 

[cams]

mr. cams, a revolver is not the great mystery of life. take the foolish thing out and shoot it before you start pouring money into it. s&w still makes a nice revolver despite the lock.

the ones that are on it if they're still stock.

Understood, I’m not over thinking this just trying to learn as much as possible so I’m confident with it inside and out. I’ve read so many threads on revolvers now I realized there’s a lot of things I just don’t know about them. Things to check and look out for, certain terminology on parts that have already been used here that I have to look up, etc. Just arming myself (no pun intended) with knowledge from those that know a whole lot more than I do right now.

 

[Wickedcoolname]

I wouldn't waste money on a trigger job or sights. I find the S&W revolver triggers are excellent and their sights are plenty good enough. I also wouldn't waste any money on gunsmithing. Just shoot it.

 

[Dibbs]

I have a couple of 686s and I did this to improve the trigger and it worked great.


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H9gn7zE5b3g


I took pictures of everything as I took things apart so I could see if I messed up something. After watching the video it wasn't hard. I would shoot it before I did any modifications.

 

[M1911]

I wouldn't waste money on a trigger job or sights. I find the S&W revolver triggers are excellent and their sights are plenty good enough.

I really, really disagree. I’ve got three older K-frames, which had better triggers out of the box than most S&W revolvers. I’ve gotten trigger jobs on all three and each one is better than the factory triggers on both of my Performance Center revolvers. I’ve got three J-frames and the factory DA triggers on those are pretty bad out of the box — I’ve done trigger jobs on all three.

I suppose if all you are going to do is shoot single-action that it might not bother you. But a 12 lb double-action trigger just sucks and it can be improved dramatically by a good gunsmith.

 

[Wickedcoolname]

I really, really disagree. I’ve got three older K-frames, which had better triggers out of the box than most S&W revolvers. I’ve gotten trigger jobs on all three and each one is better than the factory triggers on both of my Performance Center revolvers. I’ve got three J-frames and the factory DA triggers on those are pretty bad out of the box — I’ve done trigger jobs on all three.

I suppose if all you are going to do is shoot single-action that it might not bother you. But a 12 lb double-action trigger just sucks and it can be improved dramatically by a good gunsmith.

Maybe I've just been lucky. I've been collecting Smith revolvers for many years and I've never had a trigger I didn't like. The only exception was a 3" model 65 that was slightly out of time and would occasionally have light primer strikes. Turned out to be the victim of an amateur gun smith. I sent it to S&W and they brought it back to factory spec.

 

[M1911]

Measure the DA pull of your revolvers. I bet they are near 12 lbs. That’s simply too high.

 

[jct61765]

mr. cams, make damn sure you know how to get a sideplate off and back on before attempting. a bunch of good revolvers have been ruined by people trying to remove the sideplate. a lot of them don't just fall off after the screws are removed.

I’ve picked up so many cheap revolvers because people can’t leave them alone. Also a lot of ruger mk2s. Most people can’t get them back together after cleaning.

 

[enbloc]

My best and only advice I have for you is, because it is a .357mag, and you will eventually start shooting .38's out of it for cost/fun,
stay on top of making sure your "wheel" cylinder's chambers are clean and free from build-up...
~Matt

Nomenclature is key also, so here are some names of parts...

 

[falcon123]

Just throw one of these on it. It's a hell of a deal. Hurry before they're all gone

 

[Retired-LEO]

For "Carry Guns" I prefer/use XS Big Dot Sights.

For "Range Guns" I prefer/recommend Target Sights

 

[drgrant]

I wouldn't waste money on a trigger job or sights. I find the S&W revolver triggers are excellent and their sights are plenty good enough. I also wouldn't waste any money on gunsmithing. Just shoot it.

Not sure if serious a lot of the S&W products come with terrible triggers.... there's also a big luck of the draw factor depending on what model you're buying. My sw640 had a "passable" trigger but mt 642's trigger was a stiff dumpster fire....