I had the opportunity to review the Smith and Wesson 686 .357 Magnum
revolver with a 6 inch barrel, while I was at the local firing range.

I found the weapon to be asthetically pleasing, only finding a minor flaw
in the cylinder release.

The 686 fit reasonably well in my hands, with my only concern being that
the grip was a bit too big for my fingers.

I purchased one box of Winchester 110 grain jacketed hollow points, set
the target out at eight yards, and tried my luck.

I was very impressed with the heft and handling of the 686, which "ate" a
large amount of the recoil for me, making the piece quite manageable. It
proved to be comfortable two-handed, one handed and off-handed one handed.

My reservations about the grip disappeared with the pleasure of firing the
weapon, and I watched in amazement as my groupings at 8 yds seemed to
average between the size of a siver dollar and 3 inches. [My fault, not
the weapons].

All in all, I am very inpressed with the 686, and recommend one as a
purchase.

I hope, in the near future, to have an evaluation of the Ruger GP100 that
I ordered last week.

--
"Mulder ... where's the body?"
			Dana Scully, X-Files, 1/11/97
-- John E. Jasen  // DNRC Ambassador to Earth \\  jjasen1@umbc.edu --
-- My views are those of the DNRC only. Prepare to be domesticated --