Well, I finally bought something....I bought a Ruger GP100. I went to my local gun shop and rented one to shoot and liked it alot. They did not have a 686 to shoot for comparison though. I searched Gunbroker and other local shops and could not find a used SS model for a GP100, and a 686 was hard to find too....
To make a not too long story short, I found a used SS 4" GP100 today and bought it for $390 (I figured I paid about $20 too much, but oh well...); and it has Pachmayr grips too.... The gun was very sound but the prior owner did not believe in cleaning it. I took it to gunsmith friend of mine who will give it a good cleaning, do a trigger job on it and chamfer the cylinder for a very reasonable price. He is a great wheelgun mechanic and his semi guy (Tom Stidham) is an outstanding USPSA shooter and gunsmith. I'm going to get a F/O front sight to install too.
Now I need to get a holster, speedloaders (thinking of Jetloaders), and pouch/holders. Does anyone have any personal recommendations on a holster for a GP100?
Incidentally, my gunsmith's web site is:
http://www.gpigun.com/index.htm Check them out!