Hello there from the Czech republic, home of the CZ guns .

I have a question to a revolver I just bought. It is a model 581 (with 'M' factory recall overstamp). The gun is in a new condition, was according to the weapons dealer stored somewhere in a safe for more than 20 years.
Seems to be truth - I have spent yesterday evening with cleaning it from the conservation grease till it run smoothly. Was sold without box or anything other, but the dealer offered the full warranty (2 years here).

Known details :

- 4" MOD.581 (with 'M' factory recall overstamp)
- matte gray finish - this is interesting, is really dark gray and not black, that attracted me when I saw it for the first time
- black Hogue rubber monogrip
- serial number is AAD 00xx

Question : The S&W standard catalog states that '... regular production begins at about serial number AAD2120 ...'.
That makes me wondering - where also belongs this gun ? Some pre-mass-production series ? Anyone here knows any further details that they are willing to share ? It is not so important, I am neither gun specialist, nor collector, just wanted to find out as much as possible about the weapon as I quite like this gun.

Interesting is, that there are apparently more of them in this condition around here - and some 586s too. Maybe I will give it a try and ask where are they coming from.

Many thanks.

M.

Welcome,

In 1980 Smith & Wesson started using 3 letter prefixes in the serial numbers.
From the SCSW
1980 AAA 0000-2100
1981 AAD 2120

I interpret these numbers and the serial number of your firearm as placing the date for your gun in 1981.

The black Hogue grips are NOT original.

The "M" stamp means it was modified at the factory. The modification was a replacement of the firing pin bushing. The problem was that the Federal brand of .357 cartridges had soft primers and the primer could deform enough after discharge to bind the cylinder against the firing pin busing and thus the cylinder could not rotate. The SCSW says the "M" means the hammer nose "and associated parts" were replaced.

The "M" stamp probably does not affect the value of the gun.

I suspect the revolver is refinished in some way as the original finish should be blue, i.e. factory bluing, or nickel.

Please post of photo.

Does anyone else reading this know if there was some factory option or small run of a different finish other than blue or nickel?

John
Scoundrel and Ne'er-Do-Well in Training

Hello,

thanks for the fast reply, here are some pictures. Sorry for the ****** quality, my camera battery is out, so I took them with my phone. As for the grips - I was today looking for some wooden ones to try the look. Found a pair with correct shape / size for the frame, but they were fixed with screws from the side, also not compatible (see the picture with the grips removed).

The last picture (green background) is a 586 from one of our local dealers site. Seems to be the same grip / finish set, also in 'new' condition.

M.

FrameWGrip.jpg

FrameWOGrip.jpg

586.jpg

M.,

Thank you for the pictures. I think the 581 and 586 are refinished but maybe another forum member will chime in to give a different opinion. They look nice. Please excuse the personal questions. How much does a revolver like that cost in the Czech Republic? How difficult is it to obtain and own a hand gun in the Czech Republic?

John
Scoundrel and Ne'er-Do-Well in Training

Hello,

no problem with the questions, I will send you a PM, do not want to fill this with OT information.

This gun has cost ~ 12.000 CZK = at current rate about 590USD. An 586 (stated as 581 with target sights) is offered for 20 USD more. But I guess you cant compare the prices due to the taxes / customs.

For comparison - the latest CZ model P-09 Duty in 9mm Luger is about ~ 16.500 CZK = 817 USD, my imported S&W M&P 9 has cost about the same (9mm Luger, standard full size model, standard sights - no tritium). New model 686 costs ~ 1200 USD here.

Back to the revolvers - if they are refurbished and refinished, they were probably either never used, or very rarely - at least the one I have.

I think I have found another lead - the tormentation markings (sorry, do not know the exact translation) suggest, that this gun was first checked / approved in Belgium (2x), then there is one unidentified and the last one is probably from former Yugoslavia. So it can be that in the 90' there was a gun delivery to one of the Balkan countries.
But as I am no specialist - I will have to try to bump some local forums. The story seems to be interesting .

M.
Markings.jpg

Welcome to the forum kyhonnido. Your posts were very interesting and it's always nice to read about folks finding S&Ws in other countries. I can't help you any more than gr8rb8 already has. But I will add that the 581 and the 681 are not easy to find here in the states. Especially the ones that were sold into the civilian market. Probably the large majority of them were made and sold under contract to law enforcement organizations and foreign contracts. Most of the ones we see on the market are marked with import and LEO markings.

The 581/681 is a fantastic gun. I've had 686s for many years but about one year ago I found a superb 681. It has become my all-time favorite shooter revolver. It is highly accurate (even in my hands) and it has one of the best triggers I've ever experienced. By the way, your gun was probably manufactured and shipped with Smith & Wesson wood service stocks that are usually called Magnas. They are pretty easy to find and are not expensive however they do not fill a medium or large sized hand all that well.

Welcome from ohio I have a mint 581-0 blued finish it's too nice for me I hope to turn it into a ss revolver or $$$ this weekend at a gun show congrats on your gun

Hello,

thank you all for the reactions. Actually I got my first Smith and Wesson (M&P9) as a protest against the CZ / Glock biased majority here. Don't get me wrong - they manufacture great guns, but I wanted something a bit different. Then only problem are the times you spend waiting for any aftermarket / replacement parts.

@loeman - thanks for the 'magna' info. Found already several places where I can buy them. We have some small wood crafting companies here creating quality custom grips on order too. But I will probably stick at the end with the Hogue grip - it fits my hand perfectly, and the black / gray combination actually looks quite good.

We have a gunmaker Alfa Proj here - they manufacture 'Alfa' and 'Alfa Steel' revolvers, the weapons are nice with OK quality - they produce revolvers in caliber from .22LR to .357. But as I consider buying a .44 Magnum revolver yet (even that the last bear around was shoot in year 1860 ), will probably get one more S&W.

Thanks again for your replies, happy shooting.

Miro.