I was trying to make the same decision about 2 years ago and ended up with a ruger GP100 match champion with 4.2" barrel. I have older s&w N- frame 629 and colt 38's, but I really like my gp100 match champion. Trigger is better than the stock gp100. It almost has more of a colt feel to it, being very smooth and consistent breaking point. Just another option with price in between a standard gp100 and a 686+. I can't say it's better or worse than a 686, but I like having something different that everyone else doesn't have.