No rifling in a 64-6

[kbm6893]

Surprised they didn't replace it with a Model 67. You surely traded up. But how can they not have stainless K frame barrels lying around?

 

[Camster]

guess that settles it. no rifling.

...and no replacement barrel in inventory.

 

[BB57]

There are three methods listed here, in my personal order of ascending preference:

Get a couple of new brass brushes & some JB paste...to really help you scrub it out. The brushes & a small container of the JB are fairly in-expensive... and way cheaper than sending it back to S&W for a cleaning you can do yourself...

If that truly is a smoothbore, I'm guessing that a prior owner had it reamed so that he could use bird shot in it. The odds that S&W put a smoothbore barrel on a new handgun frame are nearly ZERO.........

I agree the odds of a S&W smoothbore are near zero. It would also be a serious NFA problem for you given that the smooth bore barrel is under 18".

However, I'm not a fan of JB paste as while it might be helping to root the lead out of the rifling, it's also busily lapping your rifling, increasing the land diameter and rounding off the edges.

What you need is a Lewis Lead Remover.

Nothing wrong with this, works just like it is supposed to.

a piece of "chore boy " ( a pure copper scouring pad ) wrapped around the proper bore brush will remove the lead quick and easy . I had that experience once before with an old lever gun . This fixed the barrel , looks like new now . I always got a box @ Ace Hdwe , and Walmart carried it too. A gun that is 25 yrs old , I'm sure it did not leave the factory that way . Good luck , keep us posted .

Be sure to use "Chore Boy" brand copper cleaning pads because they are pure copper. Some other brands of "copper" pads are just copper plated steel, and the steel can damage the bore.

Wet the bore with a good bore solvent and let it soak for 15 minutes to an hour to help loosen the lead that's there.

Cut a few strands off the Chore Boy pad (with something other than your wife sewing scissors or she'll shoot you with that gun once you've removed the lead), and then wrap the stands around an old bore brush, because it will ruin a good brush. I keep my old past their prime bore brushes for this purpose.

A few passes through the bore is usually enough to remove a most of the leading, but you may have to repeat the process a few times to get it all, especially if you had a lot and it was "ironed" in with some jacketed rounds. You'll see a substantial amount of lead on the brush and Chore Boy strands after the first few passes. If you've still got lead in the bore after running a tight bore solvent soaked patch through the bore, just peal the old Chore Boy strands off, remove the lead from the brush and wrap a few more strands on the brush and repeat the process.

Once you've gotten all the visible lead, clean the bore like you normally would, then lightly oil it if you're going to store it. Bore solvents evaporate and leave a mostly degreased surface that's prone to rust if you have any humidity.

 

[D49641M]

They said they didn't have a replacement barrel for my model. I think they just wanted the gun back to retire the serial number.

 

[Texas Star]

And your new M-686 is, well, a new S&W, Lock and all...


I hope you find a nice older M-64. The hang and balance of the gun and its lighter weight may suit you better than the heavier M-686.


But you ideally need a 357. I guess I'd keep the 686 and replace The Lock and hope the gun does well by you. But a M-64 around for home defense and some concealed carry is a nice thing to have. The M-66 splits the difference.


Guess you'll just have to use a shotgun on pheasants. That unrifled .38 barrel wouldn't have been much of a game gun, anyway.


I'm amazed that S&W doesn't stock revolvers.

 

[D49641M]

Yep, no revolvers in stock. He said it would be a month before the gun was shipped. I ask why so long, was it out of stock ? Nope, all revolvers are made to order. They don't have the time to build guns on speculation.

 

[RichCapeCod]

Back when I was in the NYPD Firearms and Tactics Section, a dept gunsmith told me of a S&W 10 received by the dept without a rear sight (no notch, nothing on the top strap)!

Rich

 

[sasu]

Maybe S&W can add another smooth bore barrel to make it a real side-by-side or over-under shotgun?

 

[k22fan]

It was hard for most of us to believe the barrel rifling process was never finished but as they say, **** happens.

It could be that you got the upgrade from a fixed sight .38 Special to an adjustable sight .357 Mag because the next scheduled production run of medium size .38 or .357 revolvers happens to be 686s. Since it's a step up in price I'd be happy.

 

[Tom S.]

Yep, no revolvers in stock. He said it would be a month before the gun was shipped. I ask why so long, was it out of stock ? Nope, all revolvers are made to order. They don't have the time to build guns on speculation.

That has become the norm for businesses now days. An accountant figured out that the money kept in inventory and even raw materials drew better interest in the bank, so companies today manufacture to demand rather than make a lot of product and wait for it to sell. From a dollar prospective, I don't blame them but it still seems weird that you can't return something and get a replacement immediately.

 

[Double-O-Dave]

D49641M:

Welcome to the Forum. I'm glad things worked out for you - and in your favor.

Regarding your original question, not with a revolver, but once with a rifle. I had a friend who bought a new, and very expensive, Colt-Sauer hunting rifle chambered in 30.06. Absolutely beautiful rifle, but my friend said he couldn't sight the piece in, and asked me for help. The first thing I did when he handed me the piece was to make sure it was unloaded, and I then removed the bolt to check the bore. Imagine my shock and surprise to see an absolutely smooth barrel! Even more shocking was the factory enclosed target showing how the rifle was shooting dime sized groups from the bench! My friend contacted Colt, and they frantically asked him to return the rifle immediately for replacement.

Regards,

Dave

 

[rburg]

That has become the norm for businesses now days. An accountant figured out that the money kept in inventory and even raw materials drew better interest in the bank,

Well, something like that. There are still guns in inventory, just not at the factory. What S&W and other gun makers have done is push the expense out to their distributors. If you're a stocking dealer, you can call your distributor and get any number of "in stock" guns. Maybe not the exact one you want or need, but there are guns on those shelves. Think of it as a flow. They make the guns, inspect them (maybe) then ship them as soon as practical to large distributors. And they bill them right away. The distributor is kind of holding the bag until he can ship them to a gun store or on line place.

Then the gun is bought by some fool here who puts it in his sock drawer for the next 70 years or so! Oh wait, he puts it there after he throws away the original box and tools!

 

[FWP]

I find it incredible - and sad - that something like that could have made it out of the factory.

I find it incredible that this gun has been on the street for years and no one checked the bore.