Purchased a new 586-8 in February of this year (first time gun owner/user). Last time at the range firing .357 magnum beat my hand up so I plan on limiting to .38 for target along with some +P that will be reserved mostly for SD. Was told that firing the shorter rounds may cause unwanted build up at the front of the cylinder. Any precautions I should be taking or is this a non issue? Really like the classic look of this revolver. No issues with operation, however, being as green as I am not much to compare with other than my son's older 686+.

Non issue. Been shooting 38 specials in 357 magnum Ruger Blackhawk since 1971 , that's 44 years of shooting, just looked at chambers and they are as clean as a whistle.
I clean the barrel and chambers after 200 or so rounds with a brass brush and whatever lube/cleaner/CLP is handy...even lowly WD40 , kerosene or Marvel Mystery Oil.
That's it...not a problem at all and don't listen to the people who scream it will ruin/destroy your gun....It will NOT.
Get yourself a little pistol cleaning kit and some brushes and patches and carry on. Enjoy that nice revolver...it's a good one.
Gary

Every now and then just scrub the cylinder chambers with a tight fitting bronze brush soaked in the powder solvent of your choice. The carbon ring that forms from shooting 38's can hinder the insertion of 357 cases. If you never shoot 357 it will never be an issue.

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~ S&W aficionado in training ~

For a tight fit, you could always use a brush designed for .40. If you reload, you could always use 357 brass for loading 38 or 38+p loads, or just flare a case slightly and use it IF you manage to get the gunk built up. Cleaning it properly, as mentioned above, goes a long way........

Welcome to the Forum and to revolver ownership!

You kinda jumped right to the head of the class when you went with the .357 Mag as your round of choice with your first gun, but you wisely chose a gun that could drop back to .38 Special for most of your range time and for SD. You'll be very happy with the difference in recoil and blast, and you still have the option of running some .357 Mag whenever the notion strikes. Like so many things in life, it's very pleasant and fun when done in moderation.

Others have addressed the answers to your questions better than I could, so just wanted to say welcome aboard!

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Ukraine -- now more than ever

If you do get black on the cylinder facing Birchwood Casey Lead remover/polisher is amazing for getting that off if your shooting a stainless revolver. I haven't really noticed a problem with cylinder build up shooting .38specials in a .357 mag, just give it a good cleaning.

Any carbon can be cleaned out. A hint if your going to shoot both calibers in a session, is to shoot the longer .357 first so the carbon from the shorter case does not interfere.

The 586 can be set up so that most people can shoot a magnum round comfortably. I read often on this forum that people will swap out their wood stocks for rubber ones when they go shooting.

I couldn't use magnums with my 2 1/2" 686 until I put rubber grips on.

Thanks to all of you for the timely replies. I was not shooting .357s exclusively - used a mix of .38 and .357 and became well aware of the rather huge differences in recoil and muzzle flip. Guess my 74 year old hand just is not up to the .357 power. I realize that rubber grips would yield improvement, however, the aesthetic appeal (to me) of the wood precludes this modification.

It's a non-issue if you clean your chambers regularly. I also second the suggestion to use a .40-caliber bronze brush for cleaning the chambers.

I have always made a practice of taking a bore brush and rod with me to the range when firing .38s in a .357 cylinder. Every couple of cylinder-fulls I run that brush, dry, through the chambers once or twice. That way there's never really any buildup to clean.

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Pisgah

Yes, the chamber build-up is real. No, it's not any kind of issue if you clean after firing (everybody does, right?). I'll second the recommendation of a .40/10mm brush for cleaning the chambers. I use a rod w/a non-swivel handle so I can rotate the brush in the chamber to remove the fouling ring.

Larry

.357" pistol brushes are kind of a loose fit in the chambers of a revolver. I've always had good luck cleaning the chambers with .358" rifle brushes.

Dave

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RSVN '69-'71
PCSD (Ret)

Bicycle riding gloves allow you to use your fingers and the palm is padded.

pachmayr presentation grips will help easy the recoil when shooting .357 magnums..........they come in large and small (not current production) readily available on ebay..............they look like this......

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There's nowt so queer as folk

Non issue,I have shot several thousand 38spl's over the last few months and HAVE NOT cleaned any chambers yet-no problems yet-only shooting plated bullets.

Good-fitting grips go a long way toward taming recoil. A 586 is a fairly heavy gun, even with a short barrel, so the recoil is not heavy even with factory .357 Magnum ammunition. I prefer Ahrends grips, which are fairly wide compared to factory or Hogue grips, and smooth so they can move a little in you hand.

While it doesn't hurt the revolver to fire .38 SPL rounds, I haven't done that in over 45 years. This is partly because I reload, and don't want to bother with resetting the dies. Mostly, I just like to shoot magnum rounds in magnum revolvers. In the unlikely event I get an air weight revolver, I may have a change of mind.

everybody has given good advice except Do NOT use a lead remover cloth on a blued gun like a 586, they can harm the finish, they work wonderful on stainless though