Guns: S&W 686

For the reloader who spends a lot of time at the shooting range, a revolver is one of the most practical firearm designs. All of your fired brass is neatly contained in the cylinder, so there's no need to chase down empties or even to cycle the action carefully.

My favorite range revolver is the full-size Smith & Wesson 686, a fairly recent design (by S&W standards, of course - the 686 was introduced in the early '80s) that usually sports a full lug and stainless steel construction (barrel, cylinder, and frame). Consequently, it's a heavy firearm, which is necessary to take the sting out of full-house .357 rounds. With handloaded target .38 loads, the gun barely has any recoil at all.

My particular example was a 686-M, which indicated that it was part of a first run of revolvers which were recalled by Smith & Wesson in order to fix a minor problem with the firing pin bushing (the M indicates that the gun received the factory modification). It had plain ramp sights and a run-of-the-mill Hogue monogrip. Even though it didn't have any bells and whistles, it was accurate and reliable.