S&W questions

[SPEMack618]

Howdy all. Even though I own a Model 10 and continually drool over all manner of S&W revovlers, I still have a few very basic questions.

What does to "shoot it loose" mean? Is this a fixable problem?

What does the term "pinned and recessed" refer to? Is this a feature to search for?

And what is the deal with screw count?

 

[Webleymkv]

What does to "shoot it loose" mean? Is this a fixable problem?

"Shooting loose" is a generic term that can be applied to any number of problems. Most often, it means that the revolver has gone out of time and/or developed excessive endshake both of which are fixable conditions in the hands of a good gunsmith.

What does the term "pinned and recessed" refer to? Is this a feature to search for?

Pinned and recessed means that the revolver's barrel is held in place by a small pin in the frame just over the forcing cone and that the chambers are counterbored so that the rims of the cartridges sit flush with the rear face of the cylinder. All S&W hand-ejector revolvers made before 1982 have pinned barrels, but only Magnums and Rimfires had recessed chambers. Recessed chambers were eliminated on Magnums in 1982, but remain to this day on rimfires.

And what is the deal with screw count?

Over the years, different engineering changes have been made to S&W hand-ejectors that have eliminated screws. The oldest guns had five screws: four in the sideplate and one in the bottom of the frame in front of the triggerguard. The next engineering change eliminated the top sideplate screw just in front of the hammer and the latest change eliminated the screw in front of the triggerguard. The more screws a gun has, the older it is and generally the more valuable it is to a collector when condition and original configuration is held equal.

 

[Frasier]

As to shaking the revolver loose, I have a Model 10-8 that I tried some Privi Partisan (spelling?) rounds with. The recoil was almost on par with .357 magnum rounds and it shook the ejector rod loose. I was able to tighten it down, but won't be using that brand of ammo again in my .38.

 

[sgms]

If you are interested in getting into S&W's getting a copy of the "Standard Catalog of Smith & Wesson" would be a wise investment. It is a great source book for a person just getting interested in S&W's as well as the advanced die hard collector. I started out with a Model 10 no dash years back and the picture is what the S&W's had grown to when it was taken 2 years ago. More now but no new group pictures.

 

[FlyFish]

The descriptions of the S&W features given above are quite good, but there's nothing like a photo, and you can find several photos of them here.

 

[KyJim]

A pinned and recessed barrel mostly matters to collectors, though some shooters think them to be a sign of better craftsmanship. Today, barrels are "crush fit" and do not have the pin to help them remain in place. Other than a run of possibly over-torqued barrels a few years ago, I don't ever recall there being a report of problems associated with the crush fitting of barrels. In other words, its a non-issue for shooters.

 

[James K]

Just to be super picky, the first M&P, the Model 1899, had four screws; the cylinder stop screw in the front was not present. The first S&W hand ejector, the Model 1896, had five screws on the side since the crane screw was separate from the front sideplate screw; the cylinder stop was in the top strap.

Jim

 

[CarbineCaleb]

@KyJim: A pinned and recessed barrel mostly matters to collectors, though some shooters think them to be a sign of better craftsmanship.

I am with KyJim and will say more broadly (my words), there are traditionalists who insist that the old guns and older versions of the same gun are always better than anything newer, but I don't think there is a lot of data to support this.

And yeah, I realize that now I will get flamed by all those guys who claim that those newfangled smokeless powder cartridges are just a marketing gimmick to save the company money by skimping on what was a valuable tactical smokescreen .

 

[James K]

The pinned barrel was a production shortcut itself. It gave the factory more leeway in cutting the barrel shoulder than would have at that time been possible with a crush fit. (Colt had less of a problem because its barrels had no ejector rod housing or top rib.)

Jim

 

[bumnote]

I'll second picking up a copy of "Standard Catalog of Smith & Wesson". It'll give you a lot to drool over.
It's a good idea to pick up one if you're going to get into S&W's, mine came in handy for some of the ones I've bought.

 

[Ozzieman]

there are traditionalists who insist that the old guns and older versions of the same gun are always better than anything newer,.
I would be one of those, but the only real reason is due to the increased value. I own 5 screw, 4, pined and unpinned all N frame. If there is really anything better about the older S&W’s it’s the triggers and the tightness of the cylinder and the better bluing.
Webleymkv, by the way, great description.

 

[SPEMack618]

Thanks guys, a lot of great help to be found here.

The Catalogue is now on my wish list.