S&W 686/586 Cylinder counterboring

[Sevens]

Back when I was younger I had an acquaintance on the range I would see every other week or so. He had a S&W 586 with a 6-inch barrel, and he let me throw some rounds down range with it. I fell in love with it and knew I had to have one. A year later, when I had the cash, I bought one... almost. I wanted to try a stainless revolver, so I got a 686 with a 6-inch barrel.

Mine is a 686 dash 3, and I bought it new in 1989. The 586 was obviously at least a couple of years older -- but may have been many years older, I don't know.

Question is--my 686 does not have countersunk chambers. The case head lays flat on the cylinder, it does not slip inside, in a cutout made specifically for the head of the cartridge. But that blued steel 586 did.

So that's the question-- did all 586 blued steel guns have counter sunk chambers? Did all 686 stainless guns have regular, non-counter sunk chambers? Or did the entire line undergo a change at some point before I bought the 686?

 

[MrBorland]

S&W stopped pinning barrels & recessing cylinders in 1982. The 586 was very likely a pre-82.

 

[Sevens]

Well, that was an easy answer-- thanks!

IMO, the cartridges seem to "fit" more securely in the counter sunk chambers than they do in mine, where they appear to "ride" on top. I've never had one bind my cylinder or anything... but I would probably choose the counter sunk chambers if I had a choice.

 

[WVfishguy]

My old Smiths and Dan Wessons had counter sunk chambers, my Rugers never did.

The only difference was, with the Rugers it was easier to tell if the gun was loaded. It never seemed to matter in any other way.

 

[9mmHP]

I never remember the 58x series having countersunk chambers. They were introduced in 1981 so I suppose it's possible, but I've never seen one and the SCSW doesn't mention any engineering changes along those lines. My 581 is pretty early and doesn't have that feature.

 

[kc5gxc]

I have a nickel 586 and the chambers are not recessed.
Pete

 

[woodsltc]

The 586's & 686's are L-frames. None of the S&W L-frames have ever had recessed/counterbored cylinders.

Don

 

[Sevens]

Well, it's been a number of years. I suppose the possibility exists that my memory has reversed itself over that span of time... but I distinctly remember his model 586, blued steel, L-framed, 6-inch "Distinguished Combat Magnum" had the counter sunk chambers.

What you've done is ensure that I pick up every L-frame S&W I come across at any gun show or gun shop!

 

[Tamara]

What woodsltc said...

No L-frames had counterbored cylinders or pinned barrels.

 

[Sevens]

Then perhaps I was NOT shooting a 586.
Did S&W make another 6 inch, blued steel, 6-shot .357 magnum, with a full barrel underlug like the 586 and 686 have?

Maybe that's where I've gone wrong.

 

[woodsltc]

Sevens said: "Then perhaps I was NOT shooting a 586.
Did S&W make another 6 inch, blued steel, 6-shot .357 magnum, with a full barrel underlug like the 586 and 686 have? "
----------------------------------------------------
Sorry, the short answer is NO -- the only other blued .357 S&W's at that time were the M-13(no 6 inch), M-19, M-27 & M-28. None of which had a full underlug. There was also another blue L-frame during that time, the 581. The M-581 had a full underlug but no pinned barrel or recessed/counterbored cylinder.

Don

 

[Sevens]

What was the difference between the 581 and the 586?

 

[woodsltc]

Both are L-frames, but the M-581 has "fixed sights" and M-586 has adjustable/target sights. You will find the same differences in the M-681 & M-686.

Don

 

[9mmHP]

The 581 was introduced as the Distinguished Service Magnum and the 586 as the Distinguished Combat Magnum.

 

[WVfishguy]

I suppose the possibility exists that my memory has reversed itself over that span of time...

Believe me, it gets worse as you get older.

I bought a 686 when they first came out, and it did not have counter sunk chambers.

I remember when S&W began making the L frames; the gun mags pointed out the lack of counter sunk chambers, but, to my knowledge, nobody cared.

Sevens may be thinking of a N frame Smith, or possibly a Python.

 

[svenrh]

I also have a 1st year 686 and it does not have a recessed cylinder.

 

[Sevens]

Thanks for the help guys... but I bought the 686. I am (or was?) convinced that the one with counter sunk chambers was the 586, the blued steel one.

And no way in heck would I confuse a Python with a smith.

I'll just keep looking on tables at gun shows. While I could certainly have gotten the model number wrong, I can't see how I could forget that it was a S&W, blued steel, 6-inch, full barrel under lug, and counter sunk chambers.

Maybe it's a question that I'll never find a better answer to other than "my memory has played tricks on me."

 

[absolute0]

There are uncataloged undocumented variants floating around out there.

The 586/686 series was introduced just as the chamber counterboring was being phased out by S&W in the magnum calibers. It seems plausible to me that some early/prototype specimens may have had cylinders that were counterbored as was the existing standard at the time.

Heck, I've got a late production model 17-4 that's "recessed & not pinned" - a transition gun.

Or maybe Sevens memory just ain't what it used to be...

It happens

 

[Tamara]

Heck, I've got a late production model 17-4 that's "recessed & not pinned" - a transition gun.

All S&W rimfire revolvers have recessed chambers to this very day.

 

[absolute0]

All S&W rimfire revolvers have recessed chambers to this very day

They sure are Tamara.

I guess my point was that there are examples of S&W revolvers floating around out there that came from the factory not quite exactly as catalogued, or like the history books say they should or shouldn't be.