doowtag
Member
What's the significance of "pinned barrels"? Is there an advantage or disadvantage? I understand that it's a clue to the vintage of a gun, but wondering if functionally important one way or another.
Pinned barrels?
- Thread starter doowtag
- Start date
Register to hide this ad
bigggbbruce
Member
Pin needs to be removed to unscrew barrel.
Thus no barrels coming loose while shooting.
Thus no barrels coming loose while shooting.
Oyaji
Member
Here's an earlier thread discussing the subject that may be of interest.....
http://smith-wessonforum.com/s-w-revolvers-1961-1980/280375-what-advantage-pinned-barrels.html
http://smith-wessonforum.com/s-w-revolvers-1961-1980/280375-what-advantage-pinned-barrels.html
Last edited:
S&W eliminated the pinned barrel in 1982 and counter bored cylinder of magnum revolvers at the same time.
357-RevolverGuy
Member
The pinned barrels are evidence of a bygone era when parts were hand-fitted and aligned to the frame. It was a time when quality was of more importance than quantity. They were phased out around 1982 along with other machining practices that were considered standard at the time (recessed cylinders, and ribbed triggers and backstraps). Through "cost cutting" S&W deemed them unnecessary and too expensive and time-consuming. It is no better than the method used to crush barrel to the frame today, but it seems that the revolvers which were pinned had fewer issues with a well fit barrel to frame.
Barrels fitting remains the same pre and post pin era; the pin was overengineering done away with, yes, to cut costs -- but cost-cutting isn't de facto quality cutting.
The significance of the pinned barrels, OP, is sentimentality for a time when revolver building is remembered as superior because the lemons have been forgotten.
The significance of the pinned barrels, OP, is sentimentality for a time when revolver building is remembered as superior because the lemons have been forgotten.
Last edited:
I wonder what the comparison would be reference over/under clocked barrels coming out of the S&W factory these days. I don't know one way or the other, just curious.
Well, I'm just going with the number of pictures of misaligned barrels I see on this forum, but I can't recall a picture of a pinned barrel over or under clocked. See lots of the others. The pin was the final step in assuring that the barrel was aligned properly. Not so now . . .
BigBill
Absent Comrade
Does s&w have employee benefits for eye glasses?
I wasn't trying to "open a can of worms". The facts seem to be that pinned barrels went out some years ago. There seem to be different opinions regarding whether the pins were superfluous or not. I'm happy with the info y'all have provided. With a lot more exposure to both pinned and not pinned I may develop an opinion of my own, in the meantime I'll enjoy the forum conversations and learn what I can.
Didn't say it didn't happen, just that I see more pictures on here of non pinned ones . . . .
M3Stuart
Member
I have both pinned and non-pinned and am happy with both. I would not use that detail in determining my interest in an item. Generally speaking, as has already been said, it is most useful to me in determining, at a glance, whether or not the gun is pre, or post, 1982.
I like the pinned barrel models, but it is because they are older and show a time when detail and craftsmanship were of more importance. I have guns both with and without the pin and all function fine. I do have a model 18 that came out right after the pin was discontinued and had the barrel begin to move. This was before I had a lathe. I made a small punch and made some small punch marks around the barrel shoulder where it meets the frame and torqued it up straight. The punch displaced metal and that contacted the frame and increased the torque needed to clock it correctly. I know this wasn't the "correct fix. But, it has never moved again over many years and many rounds and holster time. Probably wouldn't work as well on something larger than a 22lr.
As far as the pin being important as to keeping the barrel in perfect alignment it ISN'T. The barrel must still be fitted correctly and torqued up correctly. Case in point. I bought a 1917 that didn't have the original barrel. Replacement was also a 1917 barrel in poor outer condition. It was installed in the frame with the pin. You could rotate it maybe 5 degrees either way from timed. I got it cheap. Removed the pin which was perfectly straight and fit the hole tight. The slot for the pin in that barrel looks perfect. I have several other N Frame barrels. Most will screw into that frame and allow the pin to be installed and still move the barrel either way a few degrees. I am going to mill the frame for adjustable sights and install a 1950 barrel I will need to adjust for this frame. A barrel needs to hand tighten to just under a 1/4 turn then be torqued to true before the pin is installed to be tight and remain, so pin or no pin. If it doesn't have enough torque it will come loose even with the pin.
As far as the pin being important as to keeping the barrel in perfect alignment it ISN'T. The barrel must still be fitted correctly and torqued up correctly. Case in point. I bought a 1917 that didn't have the original barrel. Replacement was also a 1917 barrel in poor outer condition. It was installed in the frame with the pin. You could rotate it maybe 5 degrees either way from timed. I got it cheap. Removed the pin which was perfectly straight and fit the hole tight. The slot for the pin in that barrel looks perfect. I have several other N Frame barrels. Most will screw into that frame and allow the pin to be installed and still move the barrel either way a few degrees. I am going to mill the frame for adjustable sights and install a 1950 barrel I will need to adjust for this frame. A barrel needs to hand tighten to just under a 1/4 turn then be torqued to true before the pin is installed to be tight and remain, so pin or no pin. If it doesn't have enough torque it will come loose even with the pin.
Art Doc
SWCA Member, Absent Comrade
Seems to me that for a number of years S&W had a lot of trouble with barrels when the eliminated the pin. There have been numerous complaints of barrels with front sights of center, sprung frames from over torquing, etc. Maybe they got all the kinks worked out eventually.
To me, eliminating the P&R was nothing more than cost cutting, it did nothing to improve the guns, and is symbolic of retreating from the days of craftsmanship. P&R Smiths have panache. Yes I know not all were recessed, speaking in generalities.
To me, eliminating the P&R was nothing more than cost cutting, it did nothing to improve the guns, and is symbolic of retreating from the days of craftsmanship. P&R Smiths have panache. Yes I know not all were recessed, speaking in generalities.
- Joined
- Apr 4, 2006
- Messages
- 19,785
- Reaction score
- 31,586
While it is possible for a pinned barrel to be SLIGHTLY OFF center, the process of pinning DID eliminate the drastic canted or clocked barrels that have been of recent interest and discussion here. In order for the pin to line up with both the frame and barrel slot, it has to be somewhere very close to straight. IMHO S&W SHOULD start pinning once again and customer service and their repair department might have a lot more time to do more productive work rather than fix shipped guns. Just my opinion of course...........
silentflyer
Member
Personally I have never seen a "cranked" pinned barrel, not say they don't exists, just never put eyes on one. Agree with the comments above, a bit more TLC before things were shipped out the door "back in the day"
The L frames were the first guns to ship without the pinned barrel and were that way from their introduction in 1980. Other models were phased in without the pin. I have an early 586 that has been shot a lot since 1980 and it has been perfectly aligned from the day I bought it.
I too prefer the pinned barrels, but I cannot say that it is really needed as Smith has produced them for 35 years. If it was a serious issue, they would have surely corrected it, as they did with the floating hands.
I too prefer the pinned barrels, but I cannot say that it is really needed as Smith has produced them for 35 years. If it was a serious issue, they would have surely corrected it, as they did with the floating hands.
Similar threads
