Dear Santa, I Need a New Smith & Wesson 686

Dearest Mr. Clause,

Last December, I asked for a Webley-Fosbery Automatic Revolver.  I know it was an optimistic request, but I had been very good.  I thought you and your elves could swing it.  But no.  What did I get?  Zilch.  This years request is a bit more pragmatic, so maybe I stand a chance.

I want a Smith & Wesson 686.  I had a Smith J-frame Model 60 in .357, and I loved the gun beyond compare.  But a good friend of mine liked it, too, and he didn’t have any guns at all.  So I sold it to him for next to nothing.  I know what you’re thinking.  And yes, I did sell it.  But he wouldn’t have accepted it as a gift.  That’s just how he is.  See how generous I am?

This one would do.

I’m not going to stand on any sort of formality this year.  I need a new .357, and I want a long barreled, large frame .357.  I’m partial to the 686 with a six inch barrel.  This is the gold standard of full sized production .357s.  This is the .357 by which all other .357s are measured.  And they don’t cost nearly as much as the Webley-Fosbery.  MSRP on a 686 is just $829!  That’s a bargain, really.

I also like the 686 Plus, which adds an extra round to the traditional six shot model.  That’s so if you get into a Hollywood style shoot out with a bad guy who is counting rounds, he’ll think you’re empty and jump up after the sixth shot.  Then he’ll start delivering his monolgue about how he intends to take over the world, only to realize his error in judgement when the cylinder on the 686 Plus makes one more impossible rotation.

If you check your list and find that I’ve been really really good, you could pick up a TALO 3-5-7.  This will save your elves some wear and tear.  TALO takes good guns and makes them better.  Some of there design ideas are subtle.  Other are more cosmetic.  But I’ve yet to see a TALO that I didn’t like.

This one is better.

The TALO 3-5-7 is the holy grail of the gold standard.  Not only is it a seven shot six-shooter, but there is an extra inch on the barrel.  And the grips!  Take off you mittens and feel the wood.  Most 686s have molded rubber grips, but the TALO has wooden grips with the same shape and finger grooves as the more pedestrian rubber.

I’m telling you fatty, this is the one.  You can keep all of the socks, and the sweaters.  I don’t need any more candy in the stocking.  But I need this.  You know, it is for work.  I’m a gun writer and I don’t have a wheel-gun, much less a .357.  So see what you can do.  I’d even take cash.  $1,000 should cover the TALO, the taxes, and enough .357 to get good and warmed up.

Oh, and don’t forget a nice holster.  Gun leather for a seven inch barrel isn’t easy.

Merry Christmas,

Dave