Pinned or not pinned

[fas111]

I am new to the forum so please bear with me if this is a stupid question. I have 2 S&Ws purchased by me in the 70s and they have the pinned barrels. A mod 36 3 in and a Mod 13 4 in. both are nickle.I also have a 686 4 in stainless that is not pinned,it was my Father in laws duty weapon and he received it in the early 80s. Is there an advantage to them being pinned vs not being pinned? I am really learning a lot from you folks since joining. Thanks

 

[fas111]

I am new to the forum so please bear with me if this is a stupid question. I have 2 S&Ws purchased by me in the 70s and they have the pinned barrels. A mod 36 3 in and a Mod 13 4 in. both are nickle.I also have a 686 4 in stainless that is not pinned,it was my Father in laws duty weapon and he received it in the early 80s. Is there an advantage to them being pinned vs not being pinned? I am really learning a lot from you folks since joining. Thanks

 

[Saxon Pig]

I think eliminating the pin (started around 1981-82) was done solely to cut manufacturing costs. Might make changing barrels a little harder because without the pin a "crush fit" must be used, but otherwise not much difference.

Note that other guns, like Colts, never had pinned barrels.

 

[GLL]

Saxon Pig:

I have not heard from you in a long time ! Hope all is well back your way !

Jerry

 

[pownal55]

pre '82 pinned and recessed guns have more appeal with collectors and as a rule bring a higher price than non p&r guns.

 

[tomhenry]

A southern Indiana gun dealer told me that back when Smiths had pinned barrels, Smith reps touted them as superior to Colt and Ruger because the pin made the barrel more secure in the frame. I guess the reps implied that Colt and Ruger barrels could loosen otherwise.

Then Smith dropped the pins.

It seemed a little ironic at the time.

But yes, pinned barrels are considered to be a bit more "collectable" than their non-pinned counterparts.

 

[Andy Taylor]

I use there is really no advantage one way or the other. Pinned guns bring more $$$ from collectors. BTW no 686's are pinned.

Sounds like you have some nice old S&W's.

 

[29aholic]

Originally posted by tomhenry:
A southern Indiana gun dealer told me that back when Smiths had pinned barrels, Smith reps touted them as superior to Colt and Ruger because the pin made the barrel more secure in the frame. I guess the reps implied that Colt and Ruger barrels could loosen otherwise.

Then Smith dropped the pins.

It seemed a little ironic at the time.

But yes, pinned barrels are considered to be a bit more "collectable" than their non-pinned counterparts.

I may be wrong (frequently the case) but as I heard it, the pin was origanlly designed to help keep the barrel in place after repeated use; however, someone figured out that if the barrel did move it would counterrotate in the opposite direction from the twist in the barrel and on a Smith would actually tighten the barrel in the frame.

I have never seen a barrel come loose on a Smith, but I have seen several Rugers loosen up.

 

[tomhenry]

Originally posted by 29aholic:

I have never seen a barrel come loose on a Smith, but I have seen several Rugers loosen up.

I heard about a barrel on a Python that loosened up when the owner fired it. But he'd just hand tighten it back into place until someone advised him he might want a gunsmith to fix it.

 

[bnewc75]

My entire collection of Smith & Wesson revolvers are pinned........ they add a bit of a premium for me

 

[redlevel]

I doubt whether the pinned guns are any "better" than those without the pin. I won't buy one that isn't pinned, however. It is just one of the criteria I use to keep me from buying too many guns. Does that make any sense? I had to pass up a good deal on a nice looking Model-60 a few months back because of my rule. That meant I had a little money put back to buy the nice (pinned) K-38 that came available a little later, though. Only one of my Smiths, a 625 (dash 5, I think) isn't pinned. I intend to keep it like that.

 

[Chris K]

For me, the benefit of the pinned barrel means that those particular models got just a little bit more time and attention----sort of a hands-on hand fitting. That is exactly why Smith discontinued that practice in the early 1980's----to reduce time and labor costs.

The same might be said about the recessed cylinders----an additional operation that maybe did not have a real purpose, but was evidence of craftsmanship!

 

[Max Owner]

From my limited experience they (whoever they are) claim that the quality of the guns produced is superior to the guns made after this time period.

Pinned and recessed (chambers)are of a higher quality and are supposedly becomming tougher to find.

 

[johnny3]

Welcome back Saxonpig. I prefer the pinned ones because a little more time & workmanship is required.



Johnny D

 

[vl5150]

It's only a pin. I've got ones without the pin that are better than some of the pinned models in every way. More of a collecting thing than anything else IMO.

 

[fyimo]

I have a 686 that wasn't available with a pin and I shoot it and like it. The rest of my S&W are all have pinned barrels and recessed cylinders because that's the way I prefer them.

 

[MaineProbation]

The only non-pinned barrel S&W that I own is a 1983 Model 15-4 with 2" barrel. This was built right after S&W stopped adding the pins to the barrel. I have seen some 15-4 2" with pins and some without. This revolver has the smoothest "out of the box" action I have ever seen on a S&W. In addition, fit and finish are superb although this was built at a time when supposedly S&W quality had diminished markedly. Perhaps I just got lucky. At any rate, this is one of my favorite S&W's and I have owned many.

 

[fyimo]

Maybe it's because I'm 65 and now a senior citzen I like the things that were built back when I was in my 20 and 30's. This was when America was a top country in terms of manufacturing. This was especially true in the production of rifles and handguns.

I think the older S&W with pinned barrel and recessed cylinder was built in a era when quality meant something and so did the pride of the workers making the product.

The gun companies still make a decent product and some are really nice and excellent shooters. They shoot well and are reliable because if they didn't the company would be sued because that's the sign of the times that we live in.

I think the fit and finish from the pre 82 S&W's is better then in the new ones and I think when the guns left the factory they had smoother actions back then. So I'm willing to pay a premium when I buy a pre 82 S&W.