strangelittleman
Member
I've owned a S&W 386 Night Guard since 2009, it has a sleeved barrel. The sleeved barrels S&W put on the 619 & 620 were indeed fragile at the muzzle end, with numerous reports of them failing, resulting in the discontinuance of the two models. I think S&W learned a lot from this.
The newer sleeved barrels with a tabbed frame, like on the Night Guard series and the newer 66-8s is an excellent set-up. The little 2,5" 386NG I own, is an excellent example of snub-nosed accuracy. I believe S&W uses this very same (or similar, in that on these there is a Dan Wesson-like muzzle bushing) set-up in the TRR-8, M&P-R8 and the 325 Thunder Ranch.
One thing these all have in common is that they are all Scandium framed revolvers(with the exception of the 66-8). I don't now if this is significant or not, but I certainly like the engineering change, think it has a very beneficial affect on accuracy and have not noticed any ill-effects on durability, at least for me in my experiences with the 386 NG, which is my usual EDC.
If Ruger is following a similar sleeved barrel concept, I don't think there will be any detrimental effects to the products.
The newer sleeved barrels with a tabbed frame, like on the Night Guard series and the newer 66-8s is an excellent set-up. The little 2,5" 386NG I own, is an excellent example of snub-nosed accuracy. I believe S&W uses this very same (or similar, in that on these there is a Dan Wesson-like muzzle bushing) set-up in the TRR-8, M&P-R8 and the 325 Thunder Ranch.
One thing these all have in common is that they are all Scandium framed revolvers(with the exception of the 66-8). I don't now if this is significant or not, but I certainly like the engineering change, think it has a very beneficial affect on accuracy and have not noticed any ill-effects on durability, at least for me in my experiences with the 386 NG, which is my usual EDC.
If Ruger is following a similar sleeved barrel concept, I don't think there will be any detrimental effects to the products.
