GUN TESTS GRADE: A

$1129

Nearly double the cost of the RIA, and a step up in performance, is the S&W 986. The 986 comes out of S&W’s Performance Shop, and it looks and performs like S&W took some thought about creating a 9mm revolver. The 968 is built on S&W’s L-frame, which was originally designed for the 357 Magnum cartridge. The barrel is extended into the cylinder frame so the cylinder can be shorter and better matched to the length of the 9mm cartridge. The bullet does not have to leap nearly as much as it does in the RIA and Taurus guns. The barrel is stainless steel and slab sided to reduce weight, even though it still sports a full underlug. It is also decoratively milled on the top side. The muzzle has a counter-bored crown and extends 0.3 inches into the cylinder window. The rifling is also well matched to the 9mm Luger cartridge, with a 1:10 twist rate. S&W’s 38 Special/357 Magnum twist rate is 1:18.75.

What is smart is the 986’s cylinder is made of titanium, so it is lighter than a cylinder made of steel or stainless, as are the RIA and Taurus cylinders, respectively. Less cylinder weight means you can fire the 986 more easily in double-action mode because it is lighter. The cylinder locks up in two places; one is a detent in the underlug and the front of the ejector rod and the second is the ejector pin in the frame. There’s hardly any wiggle in this revolver.

Overall finish was an excellent matte stainless. The hammer and trigger have a hard-chrome finish, which help give the trigger a smooth slickness. The trigger i

s wide and smooth, and no doubt helps make the actual 11-pound double-action pull feels less. The single-action pull weight is a very crisp 4.8 pounds. It also has an adjustable trigger stop built into the rear of the trigger. It is adjustable via a hex wrench. We left it at the factory setting. The hammer is tear-drop shaped for better concealability and well checkered for secure cocking.

The matte-black serrated front sight has a red insert similar to the Taurus but better executed. It is also dovetailed into the barrel, and like the front sights on the other guns can be swapped out. The matte-black rear sight is adjustable, and the base of the sight is serrated to reduce glare.

The laminated wood grip is thin and long with finger grooves and stippled texture. Because the grip is so thin — 1.1 inches — it produces more concentrated recoil to the user’s hand when using hot loads. We felt more recoil with the Hornady and SIG ammo. We also discovered the 986 liked the Hornady Critical Duty 135-grain FlexLock ammo. It gave us our smallest group, 0.63 inches. Wow. Best group with training ammo was the SIG Sauer 115-grain FMJ with an honest 2-inch group. Average groups across all ammo ranged from 1.25 to 2.8 inches. In speed shooting, we encountered some muzzle flip, but the good trigger kept holes clustered, and the larger sights allowed fast target acquisition. Interestingly, the 986 loaded weighed the same as the Taurus 692 unloaded.

Our Team Said: The 986 has all the Performance Shop signature features we expect, such as premium slab-sided barrel, tuned trigger, and lighter cylinder. The 986 checks all the boxes for a sweet-shooting revolver, but it is costly. If you want a dedicated 9mm revolver with premium features, buy this gun.

9MM LUGER RANGE DATA

357 MAGNUM & 38 SPECIAL RANGE DATA