Pinned Barrels, yes or no
- Thread starter 357smallbore
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trackskippy
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No, you dont, and it was my first.Mercy!
Well, ya don't see that every day.
Luckily, it hasn't happened since either, and if it had been pinned, it wouldn't have happened at all. Really kinda makes you appreciate the "old way" of doing things.
LAH
Member
P&R is fine but in my world the unrecessed are easier to clean.
I searched and did not find anything correlating recessed cylinders with balloon head cases. However, search enough, and I found references to S&W 38 Specials, Colts 38 Specials, and allusions to other brands having recessed cylinders. Seems the primary use of recessed cylinders was with magnums. But not exclusively. I don't know if that was necessary, or bling.
MutinousDoug
Member
My 1990-91 Model 66 has no pin while my earlier Model 19 does. One shoots about as well as the other. The thing that bugs me about the Model 66 is I can feel my cleaning rag being compressed as the jag passes through the frame.
The Model 19 doesn't do that. It's uniform from muzzle to forcing cone.
The Model 19 doesn't do that. It's uniform from muzzle to forcing cone.
Jim Watson
Member
I don't know about references, but I have looked at a few revolvers in my life and do not recall a Colt or S&W .38 Special with rim recesses. Of course it would only take one counterexample to prove they exist.
There have been some .455s converted to .45 LC by recessing for the thicker rims, but that is gunsmith work.
It is terrible to have and itch you can't scratch.
Jim Watson
Member
My .38 S&W S&W didn’t.
My .38 S&W Great Western did but it was a derringer.
My .38 S&W Great Western did but it was a derringer.
I believe all small-frame Dan Wessons have recessed case heads. The large-frames and SuperMags don't.
ColtPythonElite
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I have a old style Colt King Cobra. At about 30k rounds, the barrel started turning off. I guess that wouldn't have happened with a pin. Matter of fact, the gunsmith that fixed it suggest pinning it. I declined.
Bazoo
Member
I don't prefer one or the other.
For guns that are not recessed, I do use the window to visually verify the gun is loaded.
For guns that are not recessed, I do use the window to visually verify the gun is loaded.
Pat Riot
Contributing Member
I have a S&W 19-4 with a pinned barrel. I have a 17-3 and a model 63, both .22LR and both have recessed cylinders. Cleaning is cleaning. The recesses are there so I clean them. It’s no biggie.
I’ll have to look at my 17-3. I don’t think the barrel is pinned.
I personally believe S&W should pin the outer shroud of their 2 piece barrels. I had a model 60 pro that the outer sleeve turned. Due to the shoddy repair done by the Performance Center “tech” that built it and addressed this (gotta be careful. My language just went sailor) the gun went back 4 times in total. I no longer have that 60 Pro.
I have a 327 Night Guard that has a 2 piece barrel. No problems with the shroud on that one.
My personal score is 50% failure rate.
I know many people that have had no issues, but I will think hard before buying another and I will probably never own another Performance Center gun.
Please forgive my bitterness. I am still ticked off at S&W over that one. I did buy a 25-15 since the 60 debacle.
I’ll have to look at my 17-3. I don’t think the barrel is pinned.
I personally believe S&W should pin the outer shroud of their 2 piece barrels. I had a model 60 pro that the outer sleeve turned. Due to the shoddy repair done by the Performance Center “tech” that built it and addressed this (gotta be careful. My language just went sailor) the gun went back 4 times in total. I no longer have that 60 Pro.
I have a 327 Night Guard that has a 2 piece barrel. No problems with the shroud on that one.
My personal score is 50% failure rate.
I know many people that have had no issues, but I will think hard before buying another and I will probably never own another Performance Center gun.
Please forgive my bitterness. I am still ticked off at S&W over that one. I did buy a 25-15 since the 60 debacle.
buck460XVR
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^^^ Me either, other than esthetics. Most of my modern S&Ws are more accurate than my older ones with pinned barrels. Kinda more important to me than esthetics.
CajunBass
Member
In theory I like the P&R guns better, but I'm not going to pay a big premium for those features. Nice, but not necessary really.
trackskippy
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Anymore these days, if it says S&W on a revolver, you're paying a premium. And the older the gun, the more the premium. 
Its amazing how much they have shot up in just the past few years.
Its amazing how much they have shot up in just the past few years.
someguy2800
Member
I don't really care either way about pinned barrels. I prefer non recessed cylinders because its easier to quickly see if it is loaded or not.
Vern Humphrey
Member
Recessed cylinders are useful only for rimfires. But pinned barrels are easier to replace than crush-fit screwed in barrels. If you ever crack a forcing cone with hot loads, you'll appreciate a pinned barrel.
This X1000
To me it represents a finite point when it stopped being about building the best gun regardless of cost and became about cost cutting to maximize profit.
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Gladius
Member
In terms of actual practical use, it doesn't make a difference. I've shot thousands of rounds through both pinned and non-pinned Smiths and they're all good. In terms of representing the craftsmanship and attention to detail of a bygone era, I like the pin. Same with the recessed cylinder: in practical terms, it adds nothing and is a pain to clean. In more nostalgic terms, I like it for the same individual subjective reasons as the pinned barrel.
Riomouse911
Member
Bangor Punta owned S&W from the mid 60’s to mid 80’s, they folded in 1984 I think. The end of P&R guns was during the last few years of Bangor Punta’s solvency, so cost cutting measures at S&W certainly make sense.
Stay safe.
halfmoonclip
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Yeah, the 25-15 has an old-timey one piece pencil barrel, no pin.
Do like older Smith revos, and have accumulated some lately.
I've had some unpinned barrels out of index; it always bugs me, and I'm not above chucking the barrel in a leather jawed vise, and a hammer handle in the cylinder window. It's worked so far, but they shouldn't be out of index. Aside from pissing me off, it just looks cheap and sloppy.
I'm guilty of this as well; it's maybe not as fail safe as actually cracking open the cylinder. Mas Ayoob claimed to have had an ND from a revolver, which he felt he'd cleared. We probably shouldn't get sloppy.
As regards the recessed chambers, it may have been a marketing ploy, highlighting the power of the new .357 Mag round. It does have an elegant look.
Moon
Moon
Pat Riot
Contributing Member
I am glad my bitterness at the S&W P.C. didn’t affect my attitude towards my 25-15 when I first saw it. Love this .45 Colt revolver.
Gratuitous photo - oh, not a pinned barrel.
I haven’t had a revolver go out of index (excluding that 60 Pro) but you have more guts than I do in regards to how I would fix that.
If I am looking at a revolver considering a purchase and the barrel doesn’t align as it should I don’t even bother with it. Each time that has happened the seller has said something like “Oh, that won’t bother anything.”
I always respond “It bothers me.”
bannockburn
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243winxb
