Non Revolver guy thinking about buying one

[titsonritz]

Very cool collection!

Curious about these two. What are the details?

My guess...on the left Tauras 66 4" .357, on the right S&W 19 3" .357.

[gaijin]

Probably opening a can of worms here but what kind of work can you have done on a S&W? I’m assuming fluff and buff on the triggers parts to start.

The three most common items are probably; timing (so the chambers properly align with forcing cone/barrel), endshake adjustment (that would correct fore/aft excessive play in cylinder/yoke) and trigger.

I never felt a need to mess with single action on a S&W, they were usually pretty nice out of the box. (Also 90% of my revolver shooting was Double Action.)
The Double Actions were usually gritty, heavy and "stacky" from the box however.
The solution to this was stoning the Double Action bearing surface of hammer/trigger/return block, and occasionally messing with Mainspring weight. The best course was always to use the original springs however (particularly on a carry gun).

J frames never responded to "trigger job" like the K/L and N frames as they have a coil MS instead of "leaf" MS and are enough smaller the amount one can reduce pull weight, and have the gun function reliably, is a fine line.
The K and L frames were the easiest to get a good Double Action, although I've done (and own) more N frames.

Dry firing the revolver several thousand times would accomplish about the same thing as "tuning", hence the statement "tuned or well broken in" Double Action. : )

[CDR_Glock]

Very cool collection!

Curious about these two. What are the details?

Taurus Model 66 357 Magnum 7 shot. It’s a great revolver. I acquired it on trade.

S&W Performance Center 586 L-Comp 7 Shot 357 Magnum with a ported 3” barrel. Another great revolver. One I have carried in a pancake holster or a concealed carry shirt.

Nothing beats a 7 round 357 Magnum, except a S&W Performance Center 627 2.5” 8 Shot 357 Magnum


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[gunnerblue]

Thanks for the visual reference, very helpful. I like the first K frame, seems like a decent size. If I could find a reasonably priced LE trade in similar that would probably about perfect.

Not too worried about ammo. I can probably borrow a buddies 550 38sp tool head and knock some out easily. Irony is I sold it to him cheap when I picked it up used with the press, oops.



Probably opening a can of worms here but what kind of work can you have done on a S&W? I’m assuming fluff and buff on the triggers parts to start.

Pretty much this. Reduced power trigger springs are a popular upgrade as well.

[MWAG19919]

I had a similar thought process 5 years ago when I picked up my first revolver. It was never going to be a carry gun; I was just looking for a quality plinking revolver in .357 Magnum. I enjoy reloading as a hobby, and revolvers allow for WAY more experimentation than semi-autos in that regard.

I settled on a 4 inch S&W 686-4 Plus (7 shot L frame). I shopped the used market because I specifically wanted a "dash 4" for my first revolver. This was the last of the forged internal parts, and the first of the 7-shot cylinders. The gun was owned by at least two other people before me, and didn't seem to be shot too much (despite a couple finish imperfections). I eventually took it to the late Dennis Reichard for an action job and it's now smooth as glass.

Here's a picture of the gun (I can't seem to get the URL image function to work on here. It doesn't show up when I try, so here's the raw link)
https://imgur.com/gallery/JvlTPKs?s=sms

I tend to favor Smith and Wesson because I believe they have the finest single-action triggers. You can slick up the double action pull on any revolver, and some Rugers are like glass, but nothing comes close to that 2.5# single action pull you get with a S&W. Ironically I still shoot it in DA most of the time.

You mentioned some confusion with frame sizes. They range from smallest to largest: J-K-L-N-X, and a seperate frame for .410 (I think they call it the Governor and it's a Z-frame, not entirely sure). Hickok45 on YouTube is a great resource to learn more about S&W revolvers.
J-frames are your pocket snubbies. 5 rounds in .38/.357, 6 rounds for smaller calibers like .327.
K-frames are the classic 6-shot .38/.357.
L-frames were originally beefed up K-frames, so slightly larger but still 6-shots until the early 90's, when S&W made 7-shot cylinders. They have the same grip size as a K-frame, but with thicker cylinder, forcing cone, and top strap. S&W recently produced a 5-shot .44 Magnum in this frame size.
N-Frames are pretty large. Typically chambered in .44 Magnum (6-round capacity), but there are also smaller calibers with 8 round cylinders. The grip is larger than the K/L frame, and so is the area around the cylinder, top strap, forcing cone, etc.
X-Frame guns are your true hand cannons. These revolvers are 5-shot .460 S&W and .500 S&W. Same grip size as K/L. Probably not what you're looking for as a sub-$1k plinker.
Z-Frame revolvers are for specialty rounds like .410 (also chamber .45 Colt). I find them gimmicky and admittedly don't know much about them, but they exist, FWIW.

I know less about Rugers, but I believe their LCR is roughly J-Frame sized. Their discontinued "Six" line (Speed Six, Security Six, Police Six) are roughly K-Frame sized, maybe slightly larger. Their GP-100 is roughly L-Frame sized.

I didn't mention Colt because I know next to nothing about them.

[Vegas]

Taurus Model 66 357 Magnum 7 shot. It’s a great revolver. I acquired it on trade.

S&W Performance Center 586 L-Comp 7 Shot 357 Magnum with a ported 3” barrel. Another great revolver. One I have carried in a pancake holster or a concealed carry shirt.

Nothing beats a 7 round 357 Magnum, except a S&W Performance Center 627 2.5” 8 Shot 357 Magnum


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Thanks! I am pretty sure one of my buddy's revolvers is a 586 so I'll get a chance to shoot it at some point.

Here's a picture of the gun (I can't seem to get the URL image function to work on here. It doesn't show up when I try, so here's the raw link)
https://imgur.com/gallery/JvlTPKs?s=sms

Thanks for the post, more info! Imgur can be finicky with the link it gives you. Very nice looking piece.

[CDR_Glock]

Thanks! I am pretty sure one of my buddy's revolvers is a 586 so I'll get a chance to shoot it at some point.



Thanks for the post, more info! Imgur can be finicky with the link it gives you. Very nice looking piece.

I like the S&W Performance Center 586 L-Comp 7 Shot 357 Magnum and my S&W Performance Center 627 2.5” 8 Shot 357 Magnum because of the Capacity. I really only carry it in the fall and winter. I don’t have a decent IWB to carry it without a jacket.


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[dmd08]

These are the 2 exact revolvers I plan to own myself. Nice choice.

I'm a 'non-revolver guy' too. But, I did buy a .357 S&W 586 about 20 years ago because I thought that I should own a revolver. It's fun to shoot .38's through it. I've always like the look of revolvers; Pythons especially. Then a few years ago, I bought a Taylor & Co. Smoke Wagon, which is a 1873 SA-type revolver. I had been watching too many Westerns on Netflix. It's fun to shoot as well, and I find loading a single action revolver kind of 'relaxing' as it's a very deliberate task, kind of like shooting a bolt action.
586:

Smoke Wagon

[MWAG19919]

Probably opening a can of worms here but what kind of work can you have done on a S&W? I’m assuming fluff and buff on the triggers parts to start.

Speaking from personal experience, I had Dennis Reichard do his deluxe action job, radius the trigger, hone the inside of the cylinders, and chamfer the charge holes. The rounds go in noticeably easier and spent casings drop a little easier. It's not a must have modification, but it's nice. The radiused trigger is very nice, but I'd recommend getting a feel for one to make sure that's what YOUR hand likes. Nobody should EVER touch the single action sear on a S&W; if you see a gunsmith that advertises this, run!

The extent to which a gunsmith will slick up the action varies from person to person, but they should be able to tell you what they do. Different gunsmiths will stone the moving parts to varying degrees, but almost always the rebound slide, DA sear, and the interface on the trigger. Some polish the moving parts that advance the cylinder as well as the inside of the frame where it mates with those parts. I actually performed this on my 642 and it made a huge difference, plus I installed an Apex duty/carry spring kit with extended firing pin. There's some controversy on lightened springs in revolvers, but it's reliable for me and drastically reduced pull weight. My 686 gave me light primer strikes even with soft Federal primers when I tried a lighter mainspring, and it's much harder to replace the old hammer-mounted firing pins than the recent frame-mounted firing pins, so I kept the mainspring OEM.

I'm not saying everyone should do their own work on a S&W, but if you're looking for elaboration on anything I did, there's a video on YouTube where Nutnfancy takes his J-Frame to a gunsmith and the guy shows the work he performs. I used that for a guide. It's not a bad video when Nutn is not talking

[MWAG19919]

I like the S&W Performance Center 586 L-Comp 7 Shot 357 Magnum and my S&W Performance Center 627 2.5” 8 Shot 357 Magnum because of the Capacity. I really only carry it in the fall and winter. I don’t have a decent IWB to carry it without a jacket.


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I love having the extra capacity until it comes time to clean 7 chambers and a barrel. I was debating between the 5-shot 69 and the 686+, and sometimes I curse myself for not choosing the 69. Glocks and ARs have me spoiled!