Smith & Wesson Model 686 .357 Magnum/.38 Special +P 6-Rds 6" Stainless Steel Revolver - $699.99

What was the price when you bought? Wish they had a history feature

There were some guns that didn't meet the "new" condition standard, but almost all of them were "new"......by Smith & Wesson standards. And there inlies the problem. Smith & Wesson's QC is pretty poor these days, but the below observations are typical of any new 686, no matter where you buy it from.
1) Many people obviously have never owned a modern 686 before, and didn't realize that S&W stainless guns do not come with a high polish. It is more of a satin buff, with LOTS of fine polishing scratches that go in different directions.
2) The discoloration on the hammer and trigger, that many people assume is from use/poor QC/oxidation, is actually case hardening. That is the way they are supposed to look, and it varies in darkness/blotchyness between units.
3) The dark smudging or dirt that people notice on the stainless frame is leftover buffing compound (abrasive wax) that S&W failed to remove, but wipes off easily.
4) The cylinder drag ring, and residue left in/on the frame/cylinder from what people consider to be signs of a "used" gun, is actually test firing from the factory. Would be nice if S&W dressed the cylinder bolt better and the cleaned the gun before packaging.
Some of the other complaints such as larger scratches, gouges on the cylinder ratchet, chatter marks on front chamfer cylinder chambers, etc., are all valid, and unfortunately more common on the 686 coming out of the S&W factory these last few years. Bottom line......S&W QC SUCKS, no matter what vendor you get their guns from. I've bought (8) S&W revolvers (some were PC models) this year, from different vendors, and been unhappy with ALL of them.

There was a shipment of "refurbished" guns that were mislabeled by the factory. It was a limited amount of these that ended up in customers hands. The newest reviews are great and they still maintain a 4.5/5 stars customer reviews. PSA made things right with those customers from what I've learned.Things happen sometimes but we all know your hate for PSA. Personally I've made dozens of purchases from PSA without issue.