New PC 586 L-Comp 7-Shot (Talo) Report

UPDATE 29 Aug - Qualified with my 586 L-Comp at my agency today as a BUG - had seven moon clips in my left front pants pocket for the 50 shot timed course of fire (double action the whole way).

ORIGINAL POST: After eyeballing different samples of this weapon since 2013, I made the purchase while up in TN. It showed up this week.

I think the best way to make this report is to also compare and contrast my 627 which has been my favorite all time revolver to the point that I have bought two identical samples.

Both the 586 and 627 are pictured below.

1. While I am comparing an N frame 2.625" barreled N Frame in the 627 to a full lug barreled 3" 586 L frame, interestingly their weight is just a tenth of an ounce different (37.6 for the N frame and 37.5).

2. I like that this 586 has forged steel parts where sometimes you might find MIM as you can see in the picture the hammer and trigger. Not suggesting at all that MIM parts will fail a revolver, I just think it is a nice touch for a semi-custom S&W gun spec'd by Talo. The 627 on the other hand has for example Chrome Flashed hammer and trigger.

3. Both grips are very comfortable for their size (I am 6'1" and wear x-large gloves), with the nod going to the 586 Walnut grips. The 586 also comes with a larger rubber Hogue grip, but they compromise concealment.

4. My one of two just ever so slight disappointments with the 586 is DA shooting. It is good, perhaps very good, but not great; just not the buttery smoothness of the 627 which has had no work after purchase. I am going to have someone go through and detail fit and stone all contact areas, and that will fix that. Not really a problem, but short of the experience I have had with the Performance Center 627 UDR. Trigger pull weight is about the same between the two.

5. Very pleased with 586 L Frame size. You would not want the N Frame 627 in an IWB holster, no problem for the 586. I have ordered two holsters, Galco Silhouette High Ride and IWB Summer Holster. The IWB is a compromise because the closest Galco comes in a 586 is 4" barrel. Both are backordered just ten days or so, so I'm using an old Desantis thumb-break scabbard for now.

6. Regarding the 586's compensated barrel, I really don't notice a difference shooting American Eagle 130 grain 38's. With Speer Gold Dot Short Barrel +P you can just slightly feel the recoil coming more back instead of up, more so with 490 ft. lbs. .357 American Eagle. I found the weapon in DA with the hotter .357 to be controllable, but of course a handful.

I lost a little skin after round numbers eight through fourteen in hot .357 DA. Not something that has happened with the 627, just different grips. I really need some additional range time with hot .357 to report better on the compensated barrel.

However, as carry, I use either 38+P or .357 JHP Speer Gold Dots Short Barrel. Even in the .357, that particular bullet is 290 ft. lbs. of energy, and very manageable, good follow up; whereas the .357 Federal Premium personal defense Hydra Shok 'low recoil' is 490 ft. lbs. and is a handful (I only have experience with that in the 627).

Parenthetically, the compensated effect was not the straight back in to your hand experience of a 7.5" barreled compensated 629 blowing hot .44 magnums (that comparison point gun I used has a scope on top too).

7. My second small disappointment is that I am not sure about the Trijicon Tritium sight in the ramped sight. It needs to be bigger. I have Trijicons in both my duty Glocks, and while the 1/3 the size dot in the 586 is usable, it comes up short.

8. Moon clips - 7-round moon clips in an L-Frame cylinder is a bit more compact re-loading experience than 8-Shot N Frame, but it is fine and fast. 3 came with the weapon, I had TK Custom send me 10 match-grade moon clips that arrived the same day as the gun. The S&W clips work fine, but the TK Customs are really the ticket and are faster due to their firmness and via their thickness. Interestingly, with the 586 L-Comp, only the S&W moon clips work perfectly smoothly with the Speer Gold Dots mentioned in point 6 that I use for carry.

One annoying but not problematic aspect of moon clips is that different ammo works best with certain ammunition, so you end up with different clip collections. Darn it. For Federal round nose .38 (and other Federal) I used in USPSA some years back, it is 0.025 match grade TK Custom. Then, I bought 0.020 Match Grade for the Speer Gold Dots, and while they work great in the 627 they struggle a little bit in the 586, but the Speer Gold Dots work great when in the S&W Moon Clips in the 586. Go figure.

9. Cleaning is a bit more difficult of course because you're not able to see the carbon nearly as well. You know where they get dirty from experience. But I'll probably clean it less .

10. Shooting experience is top notch, accurate, feels right, glad I bought it. Would probably give the nod to the 627 overall shooting experience, but they are close, and the difference likely will not stand after a detail fit and stone of all contact areas. Concealment and carry, same weight, but the 586 handily gets the nod with it's much narrower L-Frame cylinder.

Thanks for the two-up shot. I've had my 4" 686 for ~30yr and just recently popped for the 627PC. Has not arrived yet, so needed that perspective to help me with holster choice. Thinking my Uncle Mike's Vertical Shoulder size 2 might handle both guns and save me some scratch.

HorizontalMike said:

Thanks for the two-up shot. I've had my 4" 686 for ~30yr and just recently popped for the 627PC. Has not arrived yet, so needed that perspective to help me with holster choice. Thinking my Uncle Mike's Vertical Shoulder size 2 might handle both guns and save me some scratch.

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For sure. You're going to love it. Say, I'll just mention that for my 627 I have a Galco Combat Master. I bought it for competition and training, worked great, but it also turned out to be a great carry holster, conceals pretty well, and Galco offers the N Frame version in a 2.5" barrel. My other holsters for the 627 are the Galco Silhouette High Ride which is my go to concealed carry, and stout enough for that 37 0z. slab. Finally, I have a DeSantis thumb-break scabbard. It sort of collapses after draw, and makes re-holstering irritating.

I have both of the guns you reviewed and I love both. You are right about the sight on the 586 L-Comp. That's why I changed mine. Mine also has some pretty serious action work done. The DA trigger is about 5 lbs. Never pulled anything like it on a revolver. It is insanely accurate as well.

Mine is from 2007 and has a blued finish compared to the matte finish of the new ones.


20 rounds fired for Rastoff's Challenge:





7 shot groups at 25 feet

Harrishmaster--
How much advantage in accuracy did you find with a full size grip vs. the two finger grip that comes on the 586 l-comp?

I recently traded in a 586 L-comp to buy a 627 PC. One of the reasons was because I was concerned that if I had to fire the 586 inside my car in a defensive situation, the hot gases from the ported barrel could possibly set my headliner afire. Other than that, I also disliked the front sight and the trigger was very heavy in comparison to other Smiths I had owned. I saw an advantage in having an 8 shot over a 7 shot so when the opportunity presented itself, I made the trade.

As far as getting bloody while shooting, that happened to me with both revolvers while using wood grips. I thought it was from the bare metal backstrap, but installing the bantam rubber grip that came with the 586 solved that problem despite the fact that the backstrap was still bare metal. I've also installed a Pachmayr Diamond Pro grip on the 627 PC which I like quite a lot. It covers the backstrap and fills my hand better than the stock wood grip and does a great job of taming .357 magnum recoil.

As far as concealed carry, I have a Simply Rugged pancake holster that can be used OWB or IWB and I carry it both ways. Although I'm only 5' 4" with some middle-aged spread, I find carrying the N frame 627 PC IWB to be bother comfortable and concealable.

wkwhittenberg said:

I recently traded in a 586 L-comp to buy a 627 PC. One of the reasons was because I was concerned that if I had to fire the 586 inside my car in a defensive situation, the hot gases from the ported barrel could possibly set my headliner afire. Other than that, I also disliked the front sight and the trigger was very heavy in comparison to other Smiths I had owned. I saw an advantage in having an 8 shot over a 7 shot so when the opportunity presented itself, I made the trade.

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I don't think one has to be concerned with their headliner combusting from flash exposure to flames unless an old vehicle. Modern vehicles have anti-burn properties mandated for car interiors. If I was concerned anyway, I would apply something like Interior Flame Stop, which is a Class A-rated fire retardant intended for interior and exterior purposes. UL, non-toxic, it is highly concentrated and has significant wetting properties. There are other versions that extinguish chemically. Home owners will often use these on their carpets or drapes. These products are generally designed to penetrate and effectively fire retard open-cell and closed-cell structures; they can mean the difference in getting out of a burning structure, particularly when carpets are treated. When the treated material is subjected to an open flame, the retardant will self-extinguish fires, usually with minimal smoke.

I agree on the front sight, and I am getting it replaced for a full Trijicon solution similar to my duty Glock. The 586 trigger is indeed a bit heavy, but no more so than either of my two 2 5/8 627's, any of which can readily be adjusted without effecting reliability. I did have a 5" barrel 627 PC around 2007ish that was delivered with a slightly lighter cycle.

Enjoy that 627.

Marty52 said:

Harrishmaster--
How much advantage in accuracy did you find with a full size grip vs. the two finger grip that comes on the 586 l-comp?

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I really dislike the two finger grips on a K/L frame. They are fine for a J Frame, but not the bigger framed guns. Though I must say the factory 2 finger grip looks awesome on the 586 L Comp.

As far as accuracy goes, there is a little difference, but not huge. I can shoot just fine with them, but I really don't like how the gun handles with them on. The gun feels very front heavy with my pinky dangling and it slows down reloading even with moons clips.

DWEVER, I enjoyed your comparison or your 586 L Comp and PC627.

Likewise I have a 586 L Comp which I have had for about a year and also a 327 Performance Center 2".

Out of the box my 586 has a DA pull of 7 lbs and about the smoothest pull of any S&W I have ever owned. I am surprised yours wasn't better out of the box. I have a few PC and Pro Series Smiths in J, K & L frames and all have very nice triggers but the 586 has them all beat.

I like the looks of the wood grips that came with it but they are a little small for my hand. I presently have a set of Crimson Trace laser grips on mine and they are a compromise between the wood grips and rubber grips that come with it.

My holster I had made by Rob Leary Simply Rugged pancake holster and it is a good holster but I have thought about the Galco Summer Partner but I am not sure about the 4" version which is all I see. That might work out ok though since I have a 4" 686. Seems like a lot of gun to carry IWB. I do occasionally carry a full size 1911 in a Galco Summer Partner with no problem.

One of the first things I did was order a good fiber optic front sight for my 586 as I didn't like the tiny tritium dot on the sight that was on it. After a year they really start to loose their brilliance. It is difficult for the sight makers to get enough tritium in a sight that small to last.

As far as ammo goes, shooting 38 spcl is like shooting a 22 with the comp and 357's are so mild double taps are easy. The big disadvantage no doubt is shooting in low light and causing night blindness. I try various ammo until I find one that has the lowest flash.

After carrying and qualifying with S&W revolvers for 20 years I still carry S&W revolvers more often than not. My first issue service weapon was a S&W Model 15 and retired with a Model 66 & 60 2".

I also have a pancake holster for my 327 PC 2" which is actually less weight to carry but you really pay for the difference shooting full power 357 loads. Ouch.

Excellent write up, thanks.

UPDATE - ACTION JOB AND REPLACE NIGHT SIGHT

While I could and would happily live with the weapon 'as is', Monday the 586 L-Comp goes to TK Custom in Illinois for a detail fit and stoning of all contact areas.

Additionally, they will install a proper tritium sight from XS Sight Systems as the stock Trijicon night sight is just this side of useless (I have very satisfactory Trijicon night sights on my two duty Glocks).

This work should really make this an ideal carry revolver, although I'm puking another $425. Total in plus purchase price will probably $1,350ish.

Total Cost for latest enhancements, approximately $300 parts and labor plus $125 total shipping ($425).

Harrishmaster, who did those grips?

If you go to gripseller on e-bay there are lots of Ahrends Grips to choose from. Those are Ahrends. I have bought there & the grips pictured are the one you get. Fast delivery too & the Ahrends fit the gun perfect.

Lee Woiteshek said:

Harrishmaster, who did those grips?

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They are Ahrends Retro Combats for K/L Frame round butt. Better off buying them from Gripseller on Ebay. You get them in 3 days that way. If you order them from Ahrends, you wait 3 months.

The are red stained maple.

Thanks, I've got it bad for an L comp, and when I jump those stocks are going on it.

Great info OP... Thanks!

Nice write ups guys. When I first bought my L-comp they were kind of rare. Now they are all over the place. Everyone is right about the tiny dot in the front sight. Mine got red paint the day I picked up the gun.
All said, it is a gun with great balance and crazy accurate. I think I will carry it at work tomorrow.

Couldn't resist. I just bought one. It was between the extra shot of the 627 or the extra barrel length of the 586. I chose the 586.

I also have a 686+ PC gun, and a 386 Night Guard so keeping in the 7 shot theme was, although tiny, still a factor.

I've recently given up on carrying a semi-auto. The comfort of carrying a revolver is just far to good to carry a semi-auto with a beaver tail poking me in the stomach all the time.

UP next - 627... lol