A Review of the S&W Model 681

[osu007]

Here’s mine.

 

[mtngunr]

Here’s mine.

We are the two standing members of The Smith & Wesson Distinguished Service Magnum Mutual Admiration Society, TSAWDSMMAS for easy to recall acronym, and since you started the thread, you can be The Prez For Life, and I shall be The Veep, you getting 2/3rds membership dues, and me getting 1/3 if we ever get any other members stupid...err, enthused, enough to pay dues.

I had wiped mine down while cleaning, but last time took a non-scratching brass toothbrush (not all are non-scratching, I have found) and went over the gun with solvent, and was amazed at what lifted off/out of surface, a fine collection of old sweat, dried lube/cleaners in fine scratches/pores and likely haze of super thin oxidation....I know the photos taken do not show much difference, but it went from hazed dull stainless to appearing a bright used nickel look in person, and was most pleased. I admire the utility of adjustable sights, but have always admired the smoothback looks, snag-free draw, and ruggedness of fixed sights from the SAA on forward, and the later S&W fixed sights among the very best in visibility and snag-free, the L-frame the Medium Heavy Duty.

PS- still looking forward to the modern Viper review and photos and weigh-in....all stainless and quoted weight pretty amazing, looks to be a very thin walled barrel and yet with rib and underlug, but still....a Detective Special frame? VERY cool concept for carry and at Blackhawk MSRP in MUCH nicer finish.

 

[TerryP]

Just a late photo addition since too late to edit, had scrubbed away all the duty/service pistol blood, sweat and tears accumulation, and managed an almost decent shot of the stainless without including me in the reflection.

I’m curious as to what holster you’re carrying this in and speed loader and carrier preferences.

 

[Glock 'em down]

This thread makes me want another one.

 

[mtngunr]

I’m curious as to what holster you’re carrying this in and speed loader and carrier preferences.

I ain't tusslin' with nobody, nor chasing, nor apprehending, and carry mex on my 150lb self as a holster makes concealed carry of a Bic lighter impossible for me...and I am not worried at all as to extra ammo which I have never needed except in Grenada and Panama (never fired at shot in DS), and figure if I can't get myself out of something with 6rds of .357, then I deserve what happens to me.
In the civilian world I have used a gun exactly one time, out behind a bar where a guy pulled a knife and demanded my wallet, where I pulled my .45 Colt Blackhawk (which I still have) and demanded his wallet, where I made a quick $125 and cheap Italian switchblade (which I still have), and would have liked to have heard his wife complain about him losing money instead of making any and couldn't he do ANYthing right...
As for getting physical, I have been into stick fighting since the early 70s, and have used one numerous times against knives at Mardi Gras and Blessing Of The Fleet (still have that knife nicked veteran, too) and never broke a sweat, still carry one, nowadays a 1 1/16th" diameter impact grade hickory crooked cane with sharp pointy, and still far more likely to need it than any reload or even handgun.

 

[mtngunr]

This thread makes me want another one.

For all I know, mine is your old one. I'd like to talk to whoever carried this one all those obvious years the holster wear shows except, a) I'm afraid he'd want it back, or b) I'd need a medium to get in touch with him, or worse, c) both a AND b.

 

[osu007]

We are the two standing members of The Smith & Wesson Distinguished Service Magnum Mutual Admiration Society, TSAWDSMMAS for easy to recall acronym, and since you started the thread, you can be The Prez For Life, and I shall be The Veep, you getting 2/3rds membership dues, and me getting 1/3 if we ever get any other members stupid...err, enthused, enough to pay dues.

I had wiped mine down while cleaning, but last time took a non-scratching brass toothbrush (not all are non-scratching, I have found) and went over the gun with solvent, and was amazed at what lifted off/out of surface, a fine collection of old sweat, dried lube/cleaners in fine scratches/pores and likely haze of super thin oxidation....I know the photos taken do not show much difference, but it went from hazed dull stainless to appearing a bright used nickel look in person, and was most pleased. I admire the utility of adjustable sights, but have always admired the smoothback looks, snag-free draw, and ruggedness of fixed sights from the SAA on forward, and the later S&W fixed sights among the very best in visibility and snag-free, the L-frame the Medium Heavy Duty.

PS- still looking forward to the modern Viper review and photos and weigh-in....all stainless and quoted weight pretty amazing, looks to be a very thin walled barrel and yet with rib and underlug, but still....a Detective Special frame? VERY cool concept for carry and at Blackhawk MSRP in MUCH nicer finish.

I know a lot of people use flitz polish. I had an older trooper back in 1975 tell me about a product called WENOL. Back in those days it was in a blue tube. The tube I have now, and have for several years is the red tube. I believe it is German. The tube I have is wonderful stuff for stainless, silver, nickel,and even blued guns. However, on nickel and blued guns, do not get big chunks of grit(polishing compound) on them, and use a diaper. The last tube I got was from summit racing. It is also the bomb on the 2-tone badges that are not plated. It will take the finish off. It’s great on name plates, and nickel brass cases and copper bullets like for ceremonial cops with 12 loop loops.
I also have a 67. That shines pretty good using wenol. It’s dirty in these pics. It will remove the cylinder line.

 

[mtngunr]

I know a lot of people use flitz polish. I had an older trooper back in 1975 tell me about a product called WENOL. Back in those days it was in a blue tube. The tube I have now, and have for several years is the red tube. I believe it is German. The tube I have is wonderful stuff for stainless, silver, nickel,and even blued guns. However, on nickel and blued guns, do not get big chunks of grit(polishing compound) on them, and use a diaper. The last tube I got was from summit racing. It is also the bomb on the 2-tone badges that are not plated. It will take the finish off. It’s great on name plates, and nickel brass cases and copper bullets like for ceremonial cops with 12 loop loops.
I also have a 67. That shines pretty good using wenol. It’s dirty in these pics. It will remove the cylinder line.

What I use for metals which do not corrode when in contact with iron/steel (with dissimilar metal corrosion such as seen in steel screws in aluminum), is red jewelers rouge on an oiled cloth, which is fine enough it does not scratch gold, but which will also put a mirror polish to steel already at a fine finish, also to polish and deburr knife edges on a cardboard or leather strop. Given the everpresent dust around here where no flat surface is truly non-scratching, such work on the 681 would be a waste of time. One of my early motivations on my wicked mex carry ways was to (totally successfully) dodge all the firearms finish wear from holsters with their inevitable embedded grit (and attack by tanning salts with leather). My daily drivers stay nearly new appearing, including my 1976 Blackhawk which would pass for a dealer case sample with light handling marks, and despite untold thousands of rounds. I put more marks on my guns through cleaning whoopsies than from carry, but it IS important to clean under grips when sweating buckets in more humid climes such as my semi-tropical Gulf Coast origins where stainless rusts with regularity and blackpowder rusts/browns guns as you shoot.

 

[gerhard1]

In case no one remembers it, here is my 681 showing the lanyard attachment from earlier in the thread.