Model 686 S & W Revolver

Posts related to handguns (pistols, revolvers)
NNP
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Model 686 S & W Revolver

Post by NNP » Sat Dec 20, 2008 7:17 am

Hi guys

After my original question about .22 LR for self defense and reading the responses and reading up on the .22 LR ballistics , I feel its better to go for a bigger caliber revolver.

I am curently in US and just today i went to apply for the firearm permit :-) .... so very soon i ll have to buy one ... and thats where i need some expert suggestions.

I liked the S & W model 686 - 4 in barrel - 7 shot gun. ""It's chambered for .357 Magnum and .38 S&W Special +P calibers."""

Q1. I did read that .38 s&W long is PB. Is .38 S&W spl + P caliber PB too ??? ok guys please dont kill me for posting this ... i have read many posts asking questions about whats PB and NPB .. and i understand that .357 is surely NPB ... but .38 is the one i am concerned about. Can someone help here ? Also I read some other posts in which police use totally uneducated methods to check PB and NPB ... ie if a PB cartridge fits the gun ... the guns PB .... ie using "chamber" instead of "chamber and fire" rule. That makes me a bit scared to buy any gun which even remotely states .38 on it or its manual.

Q2. Any suggestions ??
To be frank i would love to buy a .32 Revolver since ammo is cheap and available in India , but till now i have not been able to find any revolver here in US which fits my ideal gun ....

Here is something I am looking for
Type - Revolver (Dont want a pistol)
Frame - Frame needs to be steel
BArrel length - must be 3 to 4 in
Capacity - Preferrable 6 - 8 rounds capacity.
Preferred caliber - 0.32 , 0.357 (I am chucking the idea of 0.22 LR .. did lot of thinking to arrive at this decision)

Hey , please move this post to appropriate forum if i have not put it up in the correct forum.

I am planning to get a firearm under TR rules ... so want to make sure i buy the right thing ... I will have to own the firearm for 1 more year ... and i am not in US for too long ..

Anyways , sory for a loooong message.

Thanks
NNP

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Re: Model 686 S & W Revolver

Post by Prabhath » Sat Dec 20, 2008 10:52 am

NNP,

On a broad level, any caliber that the police or the army uses is considered to be a prohibited bore. .38 is ruled out. .357 or .32 would be the caliber to go for. Among the two .32 ammunition is more readily and easily available. Read that you are interested in revolvers only and not pistols, any particular reason why? Have you considered any other brands apart from S&W? Colt has a few revolvers in both .32 and .357 that you might want to look at. Taurus is another brand that you can consider. In fact they have ample choices. Try to visit firing ranges around where you stay. Fire a few guns and then zero in on your choice. All the best.

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Post by TenX » Sat Dec 20, 2008 11:08 am

Take you passport and Green-card/SSN/etc, and goto any of the gun shops located behind most precincts. For about 10$, you can try out most of the handguns there :)
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Re: Model 686 S & W Revolver

Post by TwoRivers » Sat Dec 20, 2008 2:44 pm

NNP: Be aware that the .38 S&W, aka .380/200, a PB cartridge in India, is not the same as the .38 Special, or .357 Magnum, which have a smaller diameter case. No one chambers the .38 S&W anymore. I would suggest you look into the Ruger or Charter Arms revolvers in .32 H&R and the new .327 Ruger, both stretched and more powerfull .32 S&W Longs. That way you have a more powerfull weapon, and can still shoot the .32 S&W round. The Ruger, unfortunately, only comes with a 3 1/16" barrel; Charter Arms just announced a 4" barrel model. Cheers.

indian
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Re: Model 686 S & W Revolver

Post by indian » Sat Dec 20, 2008 9:27 pm

hi NNP :)

i would suggest you to check the night gaurd series by S&W.its an 8 shot 357mag with stainless cylinder and scandium frame with 2 1/2 inch barrel.

cheers :)

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Post by Sakobav » Sun Dec 21, 2008 4:20 am

NNP

I agree with members take a look at .32 ACP pistols CZ 83, Bersa, good old Walther PPK, NAA, Beretta .. I prefer CZ 83.

http://tinyurl.com/32calibrepistols

Charter arms and Ruger both are good companies. Although you can find NIB .32 SW revolvers on sale on some websites.
http://tinyurl.com/gunamerica32swrevolver

Best

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Re: Model 686 S & W Revolver

Post by NNP » Tue Dec 23, 2008 4:26 am

Thanks for all the responses ...

The main concern i had was the fact that the .357 gun i liked also mentioned it can shoot .38 special .... which sounds very simillar to .38 S&W long (PB). TwoRivers ... thanks for clearing that doubt.

Also in .32 I see various different calibers .. .32 mag etc. ... any thing specific i should lookout for to make sure that i ll get that cartridge in India too ?

Is .32 ACP the standard in India (manifactured by IOF) ?

hey Indian ,, i liked your suggestion of Night Guard .357 , cost looks a bit too much , but i ll check it out.

and TenX ... i ll head to a gun range and actually try out a few guns before i actually buy.

Thanks again to all
NNP

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Re: Model 686 S & W Revolver

Post by indian » Tue Dec 23, 2008 8:18 am

NNP :)

the iof makes .22,.32ACP and 32S&Wlong ammo.imported ammo for 380ACP is available and it would be a better choice than the .32 for self defense.380 ammo is available easily compared to 357mag and do check out the beretta pistols.this is just a personal opinion.

cheers
Ravi teja :)

indian
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Re: Model 686 S & W Revolver

Post by indian » Tue Dec 23, 2008 8:21 am

and i forgot to add,searching for .32H&R MAG ammo in india would be like finding a needle in a haystack :)

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Post by coltpython » Wed Dec 24, 2008 5:33 pm

Hi NNP,
why dont you go for taurus .32?

penpusher

Re: Model 686 S & W Revolver

Post by penpusher » Wed Dec 24, 2008 5:45 pm

My choice http://www.taurususa.com/newsreviews/CH1203_000.cfm with a custom job to port and shorten the barrel to 5".I have no idea if this is practical but you can always consult a gunsmith.

Or you can try to find a Smith & Wesson - Model 544 in .44-40.You can get .44-40 ammo quite easily here.

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Post by Rottmeister » Thu Dec 25, 2008 7:36 pm

Please allow me to put up here a little excerpt from Charter Arms in support of TwoRivers:

Advantages of a Charter Arms Revolver for Civilian Personal Self Defense and Professional Back UpAs a deterrent, revolvers are easily recognized as a firearm, even in reduced light, especially if manufactured in a visible finish. The revolver’s quick recognition, especially in reduced light by the threat (bad guy), even a dumb one, that this is a real gun and not something else may save the owner from having to fire to convince otherwise. No normal person wants to shoot someone. Many folks forget that even if everything goes their way in a shooting, there are legal costs, potential lawsuits, and the long-term mental stress and strain of having shot someone. And if the DA feels it was not necessary, the problems get worse. The mere sight of a recognizable real-looking and loaded firearm will stop many an attacker in their tracks!

There is little doubt a revolver is loaded and many times the threat/attacker will see it’s loaded by simply looking at the cylinder with the ammunition in it. This visual adds to a deterrent impact.

Revolvers are easy and quick to operate. Simply aim and fire. No switches or tricky functioning, stoppages or other malfunctions; they work when they are most needed!

Any trainer will tell you that revolvers require far less training than semi-autos to fire accurately and safely, thus making them the best firearm for the average citizen for self-defense purposes.
Revolvers are very fast to get into action, incredibly reliable and nearly foolproof.

Revolvers are generally recognized by most experts as safer to operate than semi-automatics.

Some feel revolver trigger pulls, especially in double-action self-defense modes are heavy (you read about it in every gun test magazine article). But in life and death adrenalin-filled situations the pull of a revolver trigger is not even noticed by the shooter. This is one reason why accidental semi-auto discharges are so common when people are under stress; those triggers are much lighter and under high stress almost anything can cause an accidental discharge. Light triggers and stress also are related to contagious firing which we see when many police officers with auto pistols drawn, fire and keep firing after somehow being set off at the sound of one shot being fired or a loud noise. The double action revolver is actually safer from so-called accidental discharges.

Revolvers are generally much more affordably priced (less parts, less development time, less complicated to make, etc.) than most semi-automatic pistols.

Today’s revolver ammunition is much more effective than that of just 20 years ago. Charter Arms revolvers offer powerful loadings in compact and lightweight packages that you can actually use without undue target losing recoil. They include: 32 H&R Magnum, .38 Special +P, .357 Magnum and .44 Special calibers. Typically a 2” barrel will lose only 30-85 fps velocity over a 5-inch barrel, so snub barrels are not a big velocity disadvantage but do present a definite easy carry advantage.

Ammunition mix can be significant and tailored for use. A revolver can digest and fire any ammunition chambered for that particular firearm. This can be any type of bullet design or ammunition mix you may wish to carry, such as perhaps the first two shots being frangible ammunition followed by heavier hollow-point or even solid loads. Revolvers are not sensitive to the bullet design and when it comes to defending one’s life, this can be a very significant matter.

While high-capacity autos are popular, well known shooters like Jeff Cooper and many other professional shooters have argued for years (and we paraphrase) it’s accuracy that counts, not all of those high-capacity magazine, liability loaded, people-and- property damaging misses.
http://www.charterfirearms.com/communit ... olve1.html
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Post by Sakobav » Thu Dec 25, 2008 8:44 pm

Charter arms make great revolvers they are relatively unknown in India. My uncle owns one in .32. They are worth a look.

Best

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Re: Model 686 S & W Revolver

Post by NNP » Thu Dec 25, 2008 8:52 pm

ColtPython .. I did not find any Taurus .32 ACP Revolver ... they do have pistol though , but i sort of feel that a revolver is much more dependable and mechanically flawless compared to a pistol.

Indian ... thanks for your suggestion. I will stay away from .32 H&R Mag !

RottLord .. thanks for the detailed writeup from Charter arms. Let me tell u i have never used a revolver , but from what i understand of the mechanics (just a little to be frank) , i too feel that a revolver is better than a pistol ...

hey guys , one more question.

My understanding is that longer the barrel the better , ofcourse there is a limit after which the barrel length will infact start adding more friction.
Anyways , looking at various guns , like S&W Night Guard , and charter arms 2 in barrel guns , I feel its a good idea to get a shorter barrel gun.
What do you all feel ? Is a 3 or 2 in barel length enough for self defence ?

Let me tell you my reasons for getting a gun which will help you suggest me the correct barrel length:
1. I like shooting ... but dont have much experience in firearms (have a airgun though and like shooting it) .. but am not very crazy about target shooting..
2. MAin reason is that i love hiking \ rock climbing etc and i do end up going on treks to remote places in Maharashtra , often just with my wife. Especially when i am with my wife i would really feel comfortable if i have some sort of protection ... Dont want to be camping in some forest without any protection !

Keeping the above in mind i feel a shorter barrel revolver will easily fit into my back pack.

Please let me know if you have any suggestions.

Thanks a lot all of you for replying to all my queries
NNP

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Re: Model 686 S & W Revolver

Post by indian » Thu Dec 25, 2008 9:12 pm

hi NNP :)

a 2 or 3 inch barrel chambered for 357 mag would be my choice.ruger GP100 revolvers are good ones too.357 ammo may be hard to find in india but not impossible.the nightgaurds are expensive but give an advantage of higher capacity and finally,please check out the rules before entering any indian forest with a gun :)

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