Please help a dumb guy...

[Steelharp]

What exactly does "pinned and recessed" mean? I've seen this phrase pertaining to revolvers, and I have no clue what it means...

Thanks... Mikey D...

 

[tc300mag1]

This refers to smiths mostly i believe pinned means the barrel is pinned into frame or a pin is run though to hold it in place and recessed means the cylinder is counter bored so the full rim of the round is in the cylinder instead of on top of it.. someone will come along and explaine it better...

 

[Hutch]

Back in 1982 or so, S&W stopped the practice of pinning the barrel into the frame of the revolver and countersinking the case heads in the chambers of magnum revolvers. Look at the frame above where the barrel disappears into it. If it is pinned, you'll see the pin that goes thru the frame from side to side, perpendicular to the axis of the barrel. The counterboring of the chambers is equally obvious, once you know what you're looking for.

 

[John Ross]

To add a comment, these changes were made to reduce production costs.

There is no need to pin a threaded barrel to a frame or receiver; it should be screwed in tight anyway.

Further, if you have ever taken a pinned S&W barrel off, the groove through the threaded portion is bigger than the pin. Barrel and pin don't even touch. The pin doesn't do anything unless the barrel's loose, and then it would let the barrel turn a little but not come off.

Second, recessed chambers came with the 45,000 PSI .357 in 1935 with the claim of greater strength. MAYBE if you loaded old balloon-head .38 cases with very thin brass at the head to 45,000 PSI the recessed chamber would be a benefit, but with the brass being made today it's unnecessary. The .500 S&W operates just fine at 60,000 PSI and non-recessed chambers.

JR

 

[Steelharp]

Thanks, guys. I think I have a good understanding of the pinning thing now; without seeing what you mean about the recessing, though, I'm having a hard time picturing it. Is at the ejector, where the shell casings lip is, so that the shells actually enter into the chamber area? My Colt Magnum Carry has the bottom lips of the casings sticking out; that's real easy to see.

Mikey D...

 

[Bullet Bob]

I don't think I can explain it better than anyone else has, but I don't agree with the "dumb guy" part of your question; it's hard to believe that it's been over 20 years since S&W stopped doing this (they still recess the cylinders of their .22's though). That's plenty of time for people under, say, 38 or so, to have never seen a new one in a shop with the "P&R" features.
If you go to the smith-wessonforum.com, you'd probably see some pictures that would help make everything very clear.

 

[BluesBear]

This should simplify things.

This was address most recently in this thread.
Standing wolf even provided the following photos;

 

[Steelharp]

BluesBear, thanks so much... as the old song says, "I can see clearly now..."

Mikey D...