I bought the 581!

[MJFlores]

Thanks to all who provided advice and opinions on the previous post I made about a 581 a friend had. I finally went to see it yesterday and check it out...I asked him what he thought he wanted for it, and I told him the prices I'd seen and what was mentioned here and he said lets do $450. So it was a deal. I checked lockup and timing, and the revolver is just perfect. He wasn't sure if it had ever been fired by his father in law, if it had it was only a box of ammo or less. Honestly, when looking at it I would have believed it was unfired except for a few at S&W prior to shipping. The crown is beautiful, the cylinder face was spotless...nice bright chambers and bore. And the blueing...wow! So deep you can get lost in it. The Model is 581 with no dash and number afterwards. How can I tell the age of this revolver? He was guessing 70's or very early 80's.

The only blemish in the bluing I can find is on the left side of the barrel from living in an old leather holster all these years, and a small scuff on the left grip from being slid around in a drawer where it had been kept. I'm really excited to have this revolver, and consider it the start of my collection of pre-lock guns. Here's some photos I took after a quick wipe down with a cloth. Afterwards, I ran some solvent patches through the chambers and barrel and they came out perfectly clean. Of course I went right out back to my range and ran 3/4 of a box of 38's through it and wow what a trigger. It's probably the nicest double action trigger I've shot, and single action...super nice too. I was very pleased that it shoots exactly to point of aim. So what do you think? Can you tell I'm on cloud nine?

 

[KLYDE]

It's a beauty and you got a heck of a deal at that price.

"took it out back to the range"....wish we could all be that lucky!!

I found this no dash last Summer in a LGS. It had the M stamp and a fresh Factory recondition with the high gloss reblue. I didn't care for the high gloss blue finish as it looked sort of like plastic powder coating. Sent it back to the mother ship for the bead blast blue finish. Looks a little more business like. The actions on these L frames always seem to be like butter. I don't know if S&W put a little extra care into them knowing most were going to LE.

 

[petemacmahon]

..... It matters to me as I would have no desire for this revolver if it was in fact DAO (my personal opinion only).

........... It's probably the nicest double action trigger I've shot, and single action...super nice too. I was very pleased that it shoots exactly to point of aim. So what do you think? Can you tell I'm on cloud nine?

Great buy in today's inflated market! But since it has such a good double action, you might reconsider your earlier comment. I shoot mostly my adjustable sighted revolvers when I have time and so the 581 I picked up way back in 2002 was just languishing in the back of the safe. So I sent it off for a complete make over and had it turned DAO and had a XS tritium dot front sight put on and the rear sight channel widened to match. Love it now. If you go DAO, you can achieve a slightly better double action pull than if you leave the single action notch on the hammer. And face it, this is a self defense gun and when the chips are down, no one recommends cocking the hammer in a self defense situation!

I have 5 DAO S&Ws in my stable and that is the only way I shoot any DA revolver now. I even hunt that way, having killed a few whitetail shooting DAO.

 

[Sixgun100]

Great!

Great score! That is a nice revolver. Those of us that have the 581 really appreciate their utilitarian qualities. Enjoy!
Here is mine:

 

[S&W Fan]

Very nice and that's a great friend you have. Post the serial number (or at least the first 4 characters followed by "x"s if you wish) and one of us can look it up for you in the SCSW.

 

[Exiled Cheesehead]

Glad to hear that you got that beautiful 581 and at a very good price. The first year guns of this model all have "AAA" prefixes followed by numbers that run up to about 2,100, if I remember correctly? Slightly later 581 no-dash guns will have a different combination of letters/numbers. Also check underneath the grips to see if there is a 4 digit number stamped into the wood. If this number corresponds to the serial number, then you also have the original set of grips that came with this revolver, which is an added bonus for value.

Enjoy shooting and cleaning it.

Exiled Cheesehead

 

[kaaskop49]

After decades of using, handling, and carrying handguns on a daily basis, I have never seen a 581 or 681 "in the flesh," whether at a show or LGS. I know, because I would have bought it. Congrats on your find.

Kaaskop49
Shield #5103

 

[MJFlores]

Very nice and that's a great friend you have. Post the serial number (or at least the first 4 characters followed by "x"s if you wish) and one of us can look it up for you in the SCSW.

Thanks, I'll do that tonight. Looking forward as much as I can about this revolver.

 

[CH4]

Sweeeeeet! Not sure if S&W ever made 2.5" 581/681, but it'd be something that would make me smile.

 

[Bob T]

Really Nice piece!

 

[DFrame]

I love it. I'm one who has gradually (very gradually) moved away from bulky adjustable sights. I really like the utility and ruggedness of fixed sights. One of my favorite Colts is a Metropolitan which is very similar in configuration to your gun.

 

[kaaskop49]

I love it. I'm one who has gradually (very gradually) moved away from bulky adjustable sights. I really like the utility and ruggedness of fixed sights. One of my favorite Colts is a Metropolitan which is very similar in configuration to your gun.

Now that's one you don't see very often. Essentially a Lawman chambered in .38Spl. IIRC, it has the same bull barrel, doesn't it?

Stay safe, partner.

Kaaskop49
Shield #5103

 

[MJFlores]

Just got home and took off the grips, I don't see anything stamped or written on them. There's a lot of numbers stamped on this gun, so I'll document them here in hopes someone can tell us what they all mean.
I believe the serial number is stamped on the bottom of the grip frame, that reads: ABY91XX

When you open the cylinder, on the frame there's: MOD 591 which I realize is the model number, and there's an "M" stamped above it which signifies it went through the voluntary recall S&W had for this model. Either the original owner sent it in, or stock at Smith had the work done and sent to distributors.

On the crane itself, stamped is: 524. The 5 could easily be an E, since the stamping wasn't done completely. Underneath that is 66556.

On the grip frame, left side I have E89 and then the same series that's on the crane, either 524 or E24.

On the right side of the grip frame, stamped, there's a Z in a circle, then 4733, followed by an E in a triangle.

Hopefully someone can decipher all these numbers and tell us a little bit about this revolver. Thanks in advance.

 

[Snapping Twig]

What do I think?

I think you need to contact Kurac (member here) and get you some fine coke grips from him.

Other than that, you got a good deal on a fantastic revolver.

 

[Macinaw]

Colts version of a fixed sight combat revolver. The 581 has a much better and smoother action.

Now that's one you don't see very often. Essentially a Lawman chambered in .38Spl. IIRC, it has the same bull barrel, doesn't it?

Stay safe, partner.

Kaaskop49
Shield #5103

 

[oldafsp]

Congrats on your 581!

The fixed sight L frames are wonderful shooting weapons. They really don't get the accolades they justly deserve.

I shoot a 681 in IDPA revolver division. How does it shoot people ask?

Good enough to take 2 first place and 1 second place in state championship matches last year.

 

[jsfricks]

Very nice! According to the SCSW it should have shipped in 1983. One way you can tell its post 1981ish is that it doesn't have a pinned barrel. That'll be a fun shooter/carry gun right there!

 

[DFrame]

Now that's one you don't see very often. Essentially a Lawman chambered in .38Spl. IIRC, it has the same bull barrel, doesn't it?

Stay safe, partner.

Kaaskop49
Shield #5103

Yes. Metropolitans have the heavy bull barrel. Mine is smooth and accurate. It isn't particularly pretty but it will outshoot guns costing far more.

 

[MJFlores]

Very nice! According to the SCSW it should have shipped in 1983. One way you can tell its post 1981ish is that it doesn't have a pinned barrel. That'll be a fun shooter/carry gun right there!

Thanks for dating that for me, I appreciate it. I've had it out back on my range twice now and yes it's a very nice shooter. I really, really like it. Thanks again!

 

[Kernel Crittenden]

.... serial number ... ABY91XX ...... MOD 591.

December 1983. Give or take a couple of months.

"524" I believe is the assembly number. The frame, the yoke, and the side plate (on the inside) would all be marked with this number. These three parts are fitted together and matched very early in the production process. They are so marked to prevent them from becoming separated as they move from station to station during assembly.

The other numbers and symbols are commonly called "fitter marks". Their precise meaning is unknown to collectors, but it is thought they signify various QA tests and inspection points. For example, some of the symbols on the grip frame to me look like they were put their during the hammer forging process. The mark might indicate a certain machine or die.

The fitter marks were meaningful during the brief moment in time when the gun was being made. They were not unique to any one gun as the same symbols, marks, and numbers were used over and over again.