"Change gas ring from yoke to cylinder"

[SnubbyMan]

Can someone please explain to me what this means? Feel free to post pictures if it helps. It seems K-frames had this change in 1977. Is this something desirable? Or was it a cost-saving measure by S&W? Does it affect blued and stainless guns equally?

 

[Mike Irwin]

Cost saving measure, largely, by allowing the gas ring to be more easily cut during production.

The dates for engineering changes can vary a little bit from model to model, even in the same frame size, depending on how much old stock the company was using up at the time.

 

[SnubbyMan]

Thanks Mike!

 

[Lone Star]

Massad Ayoob said the change was to prevent the gas ring from expanding during extended firing of K-frame .357's. That tied up the gun.

Based on experience I've had with older and newer M19's and my present M-66 (made 1989), I'm inclined to believe him. The older guns sometimes got balky after firing just a few cylinderfuls of magnum ammo.

Lone Star