While I am often accused of being a dinosaur, I am proud to be one of an ever-shrinking group of handgunners: a revolver fan. To my way of thinking, the handgun hasn’t been invented yet that can equal the ergonomics, ease of use, reliability and shootability of a fine, medium-frame, double-action revolver. And of the breed, none is finer or more famous than those produced by Smith & Wesson.

In 1935 S&W introduced what was to prove the most effective law enforcement handgun cartridge ever: the .357 S&W Magnum. Early .357 revolvers were based on S&W’s large N frame, and they were rather large, heavy and expensive. Requests for a lighter magnum revolver were answered in 1955 with the .357 Combat Magnum (Model 19), a K-frame revolver with a heavy barrel and an ejector rod shroud to provide recoil-dampening weight.

This was followed by the stainless steel Model 66, which was an instant hit with civilian shooters and police. But there was a downside. When fed a steady diet of magnum ammo, these K-frame revolvers sometimes shot themselves loose or went out of time. To rectify this problem, in 1981 S&W introduced the slightly larger and stronger L frame, which was capable of digesting an unlimited diet of magnum ammo. The blue Model 586 and stainless steel Model 686 provided an excellent compromise of weight, power and performance.

In recent years there has been somewhat of a revolver renaissance in competition shooting, and nowadays many of the action-pistol sports have revolver divisions. Smith & Wesson has a long history of supporting competition shooting, and it now offers the new Model 686SSR gun, which comes from the company’s Performance Center and is built specifically to meet IDPA’s specs for the Stock Service Revolver division. (For more on this, visit idpa.com .)

The basis for the 686SSR is a stainless steel L frame with a six-shot cylinder. Chamber mouths are chamfered to ensure smooth reloads. Its four-inch barrel has a full-length, tapered underlug to protect the ejector rod, but the sides have been flattened to keep weight within the rules. In addition, the muzzle has been recessed to prevent damage to the precision crown.

Sighting equipment consists of S&W’s nearly indestructible, fully adjustable rear matched to an interchangeable blade up front. The 686SSR comes standard with a set of ergonomic wooden grips that are designed to force the shooter to take a high hand hold on the revolver for enhanced recoil control and fast follow-up shots.

The action is tuned by Performance Center technicians to provide a smooth, stage-free, double-action pull with a crisp let-off, while the smooth-faced trigger is fitted with an overtravel stop. Bossed mainsprings provide a trigger pull that is 20 percent lighter than in standard L-frame revolvers.

A satin stainless finish presents a rugged, businesslike appearance. There is nothing here that is not necessary for its intended role in life; it just has everything a serious competitor needs.

My friend Rusty Rawsen has been a fan of the competition wheelgun for years, so I sought his assistance to see what the 686SSR was capable of. We met on a beautiful morning at Trigger Time Valley (.trigger-time.com ) near Carthage, North Carolina.

Although it has little practical application with a handgun designed solely for competition shooting, to be consistent with other Firing Line reports, we ran the Smith through the mandatory accuracy testing routine from an MTM rest at 25 yards and got what can only be called extraordinary results.