M stamp on L, weird dealer comment

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I stopped in a shop in a nearby town and had a conversation with the owner. Very nice guy, we started talking about S&Ws, I mentioned the 586 and 686 no dash revolvers I have. He asked if they had the M stamp. I explained the 686 was purchased new by my late father in 1981, he had issues with some .357 ammo and it went back, has the M.

He asked about the 586, I said no M, I've only fired 50 rounds of .38 through it. Explained I bought it used, didn't really know anything about it. He then said any non-M L frame he gets in he sends back to Smith, won't sell it otherwise.

I thought that was weird. He said I should send it back if I ever wanted to put it on consignment/trade for anything he had. Uh, no, I'll just keep it as is and wasn't interested in getting rid of it.

Anyone else ever run in to anything like this?
 
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I had a six inch 686 no dash with the adjustable front sight. It had the M stamped in the crane. I shot numerous 38s through it both standard and +P. Never a problem. However, my handload of a Lyman 358156 with a gas check and 15 grains of 2400 would lock her up on a regular basis. Primers always looked fine. Not flattened or pierced. I talked with many gun club members but never was able to determine the cause. None of my 27-2 guns or my 586 no dash no M had any issues with that load. I sold it at the next gun show.
 
I know the history of these revolvers very well. I just found the dealer's comments quite odd. He was adamant that any no dash without the M would have to go back before he would A) trade for it or B) take it on consignment. As my 686 is an heirloom family gun it's not going anywhere, already have assigned it to my older son that has children.
 
I don't see a single thing wrong with his plan as a shop owner to ensure that any L-frame S&W that he deals in be brought up to date with an active recall.

You don't wish to send yours back? Fine. His position on it — fine as well.

I don't see why you seem so skeptical of him.
 
Sevens said:
I don't see a single thing wrong with his plan as a shop owner to ensure that any L-frame S&W that he deals in be brought up to date with an active recall.

You don't wish to send yours back? Fine. His position on it — fine as well.

I don't see why you seem so skeptical of him.
Click to expand...

As I see it the dealer is just trying butt out of a sling by selling a piece that needs to be modified that has not been modified.

To try to make sure my family members stayed safe, I would contact S&W and see if they will do the mod.
 
The dealer's opinion is quite understandable. In today's world of blaming someone else for every negative thing that happens to you, he is trying to insure that a buyer of a gun can't sue him for selling a gun with a known defect.

Here's an example of that which really doesn't make sense. I'm a former competitive trapshooter and like a lot of my peers used release triggers. You pull them when you are ready to call for a target and just relax your finger when you want the gun to fire. Sounds weird, I know, but they really smooth your swing and when (not if) you start to flinch after tens of thousands of targets, you'll need one!

Anyway, back in the 1960s and 1970s, Browning installed salt-finished wood on their target shotguns made in Belgium and eventually recalled them for causing rust on the guns. A friend returned his and months later received a letter, not a telephone call, from Browning informing him that they would not replace the wood while the gun was equipped with release triggers. How that makes any sense is beyond me. They offered to remove those parts (for a fee, of course) so he agreed with the stipulation that the parts would be returned to him.

More months later, the gun came back minus the release parts. Meanwhile, the gunsmith who fabricated and installed those parts had passed away so my friend was forced to pay for releases all over again and that's a several hundred dollar operation.

Here's where it gets even weirder. Back then, Browning offered release triggers as a factory option but they didn't do the conversion themselves - they sent the gun from their St. Louis plant to Lebanon, Pennsylvania where the same gunsmith who made my friend's releases did the conversion and shipped the gun back to Browning who then shipped it back to the owner. That gunsmith, Guy Daniels, lived four miles from my friend and stamped his name and the date on all his parts so Browning knew the same person they used installed those releases.

Browning's service always has sucked. I could relate more examples but that one gives you an idea.

Ed
 
Sevens said:
I don't see a single thing wrong with his plan as a shop owner to ensure that any L-frame S&W that he deals in be brought up to date with an active recall.

You don't wish to send yours back? Fine. His position on it — fine as well.

I don't see why you seem so skeptical of him.
Click to expand...

I just find it odd, not necessarily skeptical. The 586 I have was purchased used from a shop, I've seen other L no dashes in other shops offered and purchased without the M. As I originally stated my 686, purchased new by my late father did have issues and was modified.

In my 65 years I've seen a lot interesting things, my panties aren't in a bunch over this, hope no one else's are either. :D
 
Hey Lou. I've only run .38 through the 586 I recently picked up at my one range session with it, didn't have any .357 with me. Next time I'll definitely run some and see what happens. I've heard about more guns that didn't have issues than did.
 
Using the dealers "logic" I'm sure he's never sold an Old Model single action Ruger that had not been "converted".

His shop …. His choice; but seems he's kinda butting into something none of his business unless you asked him to consign or trade for the gun.
 
Getting the M stamp on the L's have been debated for years. Some say do others say don't. Some say the ones with no M stamp are more collectable. Some contend that S&W may eventually stop the recall modification one day. So, with that by not having the stamp will you have a Unicorn or Albatross? Only time will tell.
 
I have a no-dash 686 that I sent back to Smith & Wesson about two years ago. They did the recall on it gratis and covered shipping both ways. I also had them do a nice factory polish on the stainless steel ... I put a set of nice stag grips on it and it's my "BBQ" gun now.

Mike
 
The high dollar O/U's were not the only Brownings that got salt wood I had a T-1 22 rifle that the steel that touched the wood was eat up and pitted. Jsff
 
I have not run into that and if I did, I would go to a different dealer.
 
I've told this story before. A little over 10 years ago I bought
a 681 off of GB. It came with rubber grips. This 681 had the
serial number on the butt and in the crane area. I learned
about the recall and contacted Smith & Wesson. They sent
me a shipping label and off it went.

About 3 weeks later I get a call from S&W. The guy tells me
there is a problem with my 681. So I'm thinking some major
mechanical problem. He tells me there are two different serial
numbers on the gun. The last two numbers of the serial number
were transposed. Because of the rubber grips, people who
handled this gun in the past didn't bother to remove the rubber
grips to access the serial number, but used the serial number
in the crane area.

So, they confiscated my 681 and sent me a used 686 with a
6 inch barrel which I didn't want as I already had a stainless
Python. I sold the 686.

The moral of the story is: if it ain't broke, don't fix it! ;)
 
S&W Fan said:
I know the history of these revolvers very well. I just found the dealer's comments quite odd. He was adamant that any no dash without the M would have to go back before he would A) trade for it or B) take it on consignment. As my 686 is an heirloom family gun it's not going anywhere, already have assigned it to my older son that has children.
Click to expand...

Some folks just get all wrapped up in these things. He probably doesn't allow dry-firing his merchandise, either. I don't know... personally, I wouldn't go to a place like that, but that's just me and I know it. :o
 
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