{"id":131,"date":"2017-01-28T18:01:33","date_gmt":"2017-01-28T18:01:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dev.gunmagwarehouse.com\/wp\/new-smith-wesson-performance-center-986\/"},"modified":"2024-10-11T00:21:40","modified_gmt":"2024-10-11T05:21:40","slug":"new-sw-986-9mm-revolver-from-the-performance-center","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gunmagwarehouse.com\/blog\/new-sw-986-9mm-revolver-from-the-performance-center\/","title":{"rendered":"New S&W 986 9mm Revolver from the Performance Center"},"content":{"rendered":"
Some of the nicest guns on the market today are being made by the Performance Center at Smith & Wesson. One of the latest offerings is the new S&W 986.<\/div>\n
\n
\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
This revolver is a blend of <\/span>seemingly<\/span><\/span><\/span> opposing approaches to gun design. To start with, this wheel gun uses a rimless cartridge: the 9mm. <\/span>Rimless cartridges are not <\/span><\/span><\/span>normally<\/span><\/span><\/span> used in a revolver due to the lack of a protruding rim to interface with the cylinder and ejection star<\/span><\/span><\/span>.<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
A non-typical caliber is not the only dichotomy found in the Model 986. <\/span>The Performance Center uses a 2.5″ barrel (with a recessed precision crown) and reduced the gun’s weight with specific cuts and material use, which would be consistent with a gun aimed at <\/span><\/span><\/span>maximum<\/span><\/span><\/span> concealment<\/span><\/span><\/span>. <\/span>Yet, the team went with an oversized grip and full-size combat sights \u2014 two things not <\/span><\/span><\/span>normally<\/span><\/span><\/span> associated with a concealment firearm<\/span><\/span><\/span>.<\/span><\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n
\n
\"Smith
Smith & Wesson Model 986.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
The result is a handgun that balances very well in the hand and <\/span><\/span><\/span>is chambered<\/span><\/span><\/span> for a serious self-defense cartridge<\/span><\/span><\/span>. <\/span>While not as easy to conceal as a Model 642, the S&W 986 can still <\/span><\/span><\/span>be carried<\/span><\/span><\/span> under a jacket or shirt with grips that allow very good control of the gun during recoil<\/span><\/span><\/span>.<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
I had a chance to see and shoot one of these at the recent SHOT Show, and I <\/span>was impressed by<\/span><\/span><\/span> it.<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
I’ve always <\/span>been intrigued by<\/span><\/span><\/span> 9mm revolvers. When I saw that Smith & Wesson would be introducing a new one in 2017, I made it a priority to see it.<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
My initial impressions are very positive. The S&W 986 looks like a high-end performance gun. The grips are rich wood that set <\/span>nicely<\/span><\/span><\/span> against the matte stainless steel frame. <\/span>The Performance Center opted for a titanium cylinder that is a darker color that is closer to a light graphite<\/span><\/span><\/span>.\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n
\n
\"Smith
Combining the three colors looks great in person.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
As I mentioned, the gun uses titanium for the cylinder. It <\/span>is unfluted<\/span><\/span><\/span>, and it chambers seven of the 9mm cartridges. As you might expect, it <\/span>is cut<\/span><\/span><\/span> for moon clips. Smith & Wesson<\/a> includes a pair with each revolver. I would note that buying extra clips is a very smart decision. Clips can <\/span>be lost<\/span><\/span><\/span> or damaged at the range.<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
The gun weighs a little less than 32 ounces unloaded. To me, that tends to be on the heavy side for a concealment pistol. <\/span>However<\/span><\/span><\/span>, the weight is very well balanced, and it feels much lighter when holding it.<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
Recoil from a 9mm revolver can be stout in small guns. <\/span>To give this statement some context, SAAMI specifications on 9mm +P ammunition puts it in the same ballpark as the .357 Magnum<\/span><\/span><\/span>.<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
Surprisingly<\/span><\/span><\/span>, the recoil on the Model 986 was closer to that of a .38 Special and not its Magnum brother. Muzzle rise was easy to control thanks to the full-size grip. Also, there was no sting to the hand as you might get from a J-frame.<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
These guns have the actions tuned by the Performance Center. <\/span>While the double-action trigger is not the nicest I’ve felt (that’s a toss-up between my 20-year-old Model 10 and a friend’s Colt Python), it is very good and well worth the investment<\/span><\/span><\/span>. The single-action trigger is light and crisp – on par with the venerable Python.<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
Anything coming out of the Performance Center is a step above the typical (good quality) Smith & Wesson catalog<\/span><\/span><\/span>. As with anything else in life, you have to pay for the added work and tuning. The S&W 986 carries a suggested retail price of $1,129. Considering <\/span>all of<\/span><\/span><\/span> the <\/span>additional<\/span><\/span><\/span> work done on these guns, the price is quite reasonable.<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Interested in a 9mm revolver that has the Performance Center treatment? Smith & Wesson has a new revolver for you.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":3193,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2351],"tags":[172,388,2054,2084],"class_list":["post-131","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-new-guns","tag-smith-and-wesson","tag-revolvers","tag-9x19mm","tag-wheelgun-wednesday"],"small_media_thumbnail":"https:\/\/gunmagwarehouse.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/IMG_1892-300x159.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gunmagwarehouse.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/131","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gunmagwarehouse.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gunmagwarehouse.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gunmagwarehouse.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gunmagwarehouse.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=131"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/gunmagwarehouse.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/131\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":440931,"href":"https:\/\/gunmagwarehouse.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/131\/revisions\/440931"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gunmagwarehouse.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3193"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gunmagwarehouse.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=131"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gunmagwarehouse.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=131"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gunmagwarehouse.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=131"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}