SMITH &WESSON ~ 696 ~ .44 S&ampW SPECIAL

The Smith & Wesson 696 was the all-stainless L-frame .44 Special produced from 1996 to 2002. It pairs a 3" barrel with a 5-shot cylinder, adjustable rear sight, and red-insert serrated front ramp in a 35.5 oz package. Where the lighter S&W 296 was built around recoil-managed concealment and the new 396 Night Guard splits the difference, the 696 is unapologetically the range-and-belt gun in the family — heavy enough to soak full-power .44 Spl all day, with a 5 lb DA/SA trigger that owners describe as one of the better stock revolver triggers S&W shipped in the era.