Customer Reviews for Smith & Wesson Model 686 Plus 5" 357 Magnum Revolver

When I inspected the revolver prior to accepting it I found a mangled, roughly two-inch long warning sticker haphazardly (but firmly) stuck to the barrel and the front sight. This was disappointing, and distracting. Nonetheless, I accepted the shipment, along with a Taurus revolver that I had ordered at the same time. On closer inspection at home, and after a good cleaning (including removing the sticker and its residue from the barrel), I noticed a couple of other issues: a small nick on the front sight ramp, and very faint "spider web" scratches on the sides of the frame. This being my first stainless firearm I am not sure if the scratches are just a byproduct of the polishing process, but I don't see them on the cylinder or the barrel, and I have never noticed such scratches on any of my blued weapons. Then I discovered that the sight elevation screw will not turn, an issue which I will need to take up with S&W. Beyond the slight cosmetic issues, I found the stock grips to be much too small for my admittedly large hands, particularly as there is a lot of weight forward. I solved that problem with a nice set of aftermarket grips which have much better feel and control. And they look great in the bargain. Nonetheless, if I had actually laid eyes and hands on the weapon before I bought it - I wouldn't have. In the end though, I quite like it, and I am going to hold on to it...now that I CAN hold on to it.

5" 686 plus....what's not to love. Only thing could make it better is if it was FREE

This is a fine piece. The grips seemed a little small to me so I replaced them with an Altamont set. Really enjoy shooting it now.

This revolver is a stunner. Single action trigger is light and crisp, double action is Smith all the way through. Rear sights are easily adjustable and front sight is nice and bright. The five inch barrel is perfect in terms of balance, being long enough to get great velocity out of 357 rounds and short enough to be handy. The full length under lug helps tame 125 grain hot loads making recoil very manageable. 38 special is a delight to shoot out of this revolver. I did not think I would like the wooden grips but they look good and fit my hands well. Accuracy is great as with most revolvers. I would imagine this revolver goes out of stock quick so if you get the chance, don't pass it up.

Wow the trigger on this revolver!! She shoots as good as she looks And as always Buds service was great

Probably my all-time favorite 357 revolver. Great trigger and action. Finish was great and the beautiful wood grips made the revolver a beauty.

Very nice revolver ! Grips are very comfortable for me. Action felt slightly rough at first, but 50 rounds and a good clean and lube fixed that.

Holly Molly... buds comes through once again. This firearm is awesome. I signed for it and put 50 rounds through it with no problems. The gun looked like it had been fired and put in the case wet, if you know what I mean... but I cleaned it up once I got her home and all was well.

I had been studying 686 Plus revolvers for months before deciding on this one. It's a beautiful gun, and it's great that it's a 7 shot. But the devil is in the details. If you're like me and care about fit and finish, check your 686 over very closely before taking delivery at your local FFL. I checked mine, but not close enough. The crane / cylinder arm doesn't match up with the frame on mine. Plus there are tooling mark / small gouges on the frame on top of the gun where the barrel is installed into the frame. I have sent it back to Smith and Wesson to be looked at, and hopefully they will fix the issues. For $750 round numbers, I was disappointed. I didn't fire the gun because I didn't know how that would affect the outcome with S&W, but the action felt top notch. The 5" barrel balances very well in hand.

I love this gun. Despite shooting 357 magnum ammo, this gun handles it extremely well. I'm especially pleased after I replaced the grips with Hogue rubber grips. Feels perfect in my hands.The look of this gun with it's stainless steel finish and unfluted cylinder is tremendous. I get looks all the time at the range.

Awesome firearm holds true to the Smith & Wesson name Buds was great as usual this is my sixth or seventh gun from buds haven't had no problems at all grips on this gun are a little on the thin side but work great it's easy to grip and pull the hammer back with one hand I am having a hard time finding a holster for a 5 inch revolver

I LOVE this revolver! It fits very comfortably in my hand, isn't too heavy or too light, has outstanding quality, and incredibly accurate! I can keep consistent 1" groups at 10 yards and 3" groups at 25 yards! I couldn't be happier!

Great target gun. I was a bit iffy at first when I looked it over but after a ton of polishing I got it looking like it should. Cleaned the guts of it and she’s runnin’ like a champ. 5” barrel is great and tames the muzzle flip. Single action is awesome and the double takes getting used to. Overall I’m pleased.

Beautiful Revolver! It is more accurate than I. It is a keeper!

love it. I'm very accurate with it and its a pleasure to shoot. great looking gun too. For target I use 38 Specials. 357 is not too bad on recoil due to gun weight. Gets dirty quickly like most revolvers but easy to clean. might by another in a different barrel length now. this one will be a long time keeper. Have about 500 rounds thru it now. no issues.

It is now my favorite revolver.trigger is wonderful out of the box. Buds has been my go to for all my guns the last few years. Thank you buds!

Gorgeous gun seven loads of ammo ds action easy to handle sights are good heavy stainless steel 5 inch barrel will go to range and shoot try it out can’t wait!

Another awesome S&W I am a big Ruger Fan but lately I have been buying S&W guns I now own 4 S&W hand guns 3 wheel guns and a 40 caliber Auto. These are excellent guns well made and reliable very nice trigger pull and a pleasure to shoot. Bud's has allowed me with there layaway plan to purchase several of these guns making it so easy to pay them off. This 357 has a 5" barrel and is a Talo edition with unfluted cylinder an amazing looking and great shooting gun. I love this gun and have changed out the grips installing Houge Rosewood checkered with stripe cap grips makes this gun look and feel so much better. Cannot say enough good things about buying from Bud's 6 guns later with no issues 2 more coming and 2 I sold and every transaction went smooth as a gravy sandwich. Thank you Bud's......KCK.

First time ordering a gun online and was very nervous. Buds kept me very informed through the process. I am very pleased with the gun it showed up in very nice condition. I have no regrets with this firearm or with Buds Gun Shop.

Superb all the way. I was not sure about the unfluted cylinder until I got it. It matches the rest of the gun perfectly. Laminated scales are very nice and, unlike most current laminated S&W revolver frames, are not too thin to be uncomfortable - their color and texture are spot on for this gun. .38 Specials feel almost like .22 LR from this gun, very pleasant to shoot and with the 5" barrel, quite easy to shoot precisely. But as any 686 this gun is in its element with Magnums. 5" is also a somewhat rarer revolver length and feels a bit more special to me than the more common 4" and 6". The unfluted cylinder is a thing of industrial beauty. Superb S&W wheel gun. Won't hesitate to buy again.

I just picked up my S&W 686, 3-5-7, 5". I've owned several S&W revolvers and love all of them. But this new "5, 686 falls into that "just how I would've done it" category. I have an 8", 586 and have two friends with 6" , 686s. So I've had some real range time with L-frames. To me the 5" has the best balance of them all. The 4" guns feel grip heavy the 6" guns feel muzzle heavy, the 5" is the Goldilocks Gun. The unfluted cylinder is a beautiful touch, it looks smooth and strong. The sights are old school....white outline/red ramp. They've always been great revolver sights but I may have to replace the front with a fiber optic....old eyes need all the help they can get. All the moving parts are smooth but tight. The double action is smooth and pretty firm, as you would expect in a new revolver. The single action is really nice. No creep, little over travel. I haven't weighed the trigger but it feels pretty light, I expect it to break-in nicely. I really love this new gun, I've wanted one since I first saw it advertised. The perfect revolver....almost. I have only one issue and it's not all that bad...easy fix. Grips are a personal fit, and beauty is in the eye (hand?) of the behold I get that. The grips are terrible. Really ugly shaped, choppy and busy. Big .357 stamped into grip and looks really cheap. Bad fit to the hand, cramped for my 2X gloves. Appear to be S&Ws attempt to be trendy. Two minutes with a screw driver and set of 30 year old Pachmayr grips and it now feels like a proper S&W. Best looking revolver since the Python or Korth ...an instant classic....really glad I got one. My first Bud's gun purchase went flawlessly. Very happy customer!

Great deal through Buds, Shipped fast, Good communication, with a great price. A good gun deal done right. The Talo offered S&W 686 357 with 5" barrel shot dead center to the point of aim at 25ft. Really impressed, Could not find a single fault with the gun. If you are a Revolver type of guy, you will be delighted with this beautiful firearm. Thanks Buds

I've been after this gun for a long time. A 5" 357 is something like chicken 's teeth, kind of rare. The gun itself is everything I expected except for the fit on the grips. For some reason the cut out in the grip for the gun frame was much too large and this let the frame rock back and forth in the grip. I would have sent it back for replacement but because the wood in the grip was so nice, I decided to glass bed the grip to the frame and keep it, not something you should have to do on a quality gun. Over all very pleased with gun, it's a real shooter.

Mixed on this review. Absolutely beautiful gun. Perfect looks, trigger, size and balance. However, the cylinder is sticking and won't release without significant effort. No way it should have left the factory in this condition. Will be sending it back to S&W for repair.

Great gun. Trigger is heavier than my gp100 match champion but overall I like it. It's definitely a show please piece. If your going to change the grips out I recommend getting the pro model instead. Only real difference is the grips and cylinder.