Recessed cylinders.

[Warren Sear]

I have a number of them. I just don't think the P & R features are anything to get excited about.

 

[Peak53]

...and besides, the little vent windows were cheaper to replace when you had to break in to get your keys. I know this for truth. Just clean the cylinder recesses with a q-tip and move on (thread drift save).

 

[GerSan69]

For what it is worth, the Colt Python never had a pinned barrel or recessed chambers, and I have not heard many complaints about their quality or craftsmanship.

P&R has no practical function, and certainly has nothing to do with pride or craftsmanship; those were just union employees doing what they were paid to be doing. Nothing more or less.

Just sayin'.

You must be one of those "It's just a tool" guys.
And on Christmas, no less.
Well, Bah Humbug back at ya, bro.

 

[sodacan]

I have a number of them. I just don't think the P & R features are anything to get excited about.

Just compare the fit and finish of a P&R gun to to one that does not not have those features. The earlier guns are of higher quality. It's just the way they were made in that era, not the features themselves.

 

[Big Cholla]

I have stated this theme several times; The firearms manufacturing industry is as hidebound in thinking as any other long lived singular product industry can be. The old adage, "Change comes slowly" is very apropos in firearms. The original brass cartridges were made from soft copper and later with soft brass in what was called "Balloon Head Cartridges". The resulting rim was soft and was subject to manufacturing errors that the rudimentary quality control was not going to catch. Blowout of the rim occurred more than the users were real happy with. The recessed rim in revolvers was one of the concessions made to this problem. As time and methods of cartridge design and construction advanced, no one gave a thought to just whether or not the recessed rim was still required. Finally someone in production had the light bulb of an epiphany go off and the need for recessed rims was questioned. As the probability of any balloon head cartridges still being around to use was some where zilch and none, the decision as made to go the flush cylinder and to eliminate some expensive and not needed machine work in the factory. .........

 

[H Richard]

I'm sure the change was made by the decision of the "bean counters", reduce costs, speed production. For all those that aren't happy with those old style recessed S&W's just send them to me, I'll give them a good home.

 

[Neely52]

The vent windows were the air conditioner .
Summertime in the South w no ac, those vent windows made a huge difference.

 

[cmansguns]

All right..........enough is enough.

Let's have a simple Yes or No vote. Like P & R? Yes or No.

The rules of the vote are simple: I'm with all who like P & R.

Rule 2: (Not negotiable at all): All those who do not like P&R send me any P&R's that you have in your collection, or come across. I will pay all postage and I promise to you that I will not allow any photo posts, or otherwise let you see those darned P&R's ever again.

 

[apollo99]

I like pinned and recessed, to me as said before, it is an example of the care and quality our workers put into the products they produced. It was a sad day back in the early 80's when my friend Mike bought a 629 "just" like mine, but wait, it wasn't pinned and recessed. It shot well and was a nice looking revolver, but!!!!

 

[DocB]

It's got to be a relatively expensive feature within the manufacturing process. Sort of like high-polish bluing and pinned barrels and solid wood grips. Back in the day they knew what quality was and knew how to attain it in all the areas where what they did spelled quality. Smith & Wessons since 1995 just don't have that anymore, which is why I don't own any.