6 or 7 shots?

B

bronicadave

New member
Considering an L frame S&W .357. What are the pros and cons on 6 vs 7 shot? Are there any reported problems with the 7 shot clockwork or anything that would steer you away from it? Is the gun any weaker with the cylinder bored for 7 holes? Are the competitions where the 7 shot could not be used? I'm thinking about the 686, 686+ or the 620. Thanks.
 
I've heard (I haven't confirmed this myself) that the trigger stroke is quicker because the cylinder moves a little less from shot to shot.
 
686plus pros: has 7 shot capacity
686 cons: has 6 shot capacity

As to the strength and timing issues, the 686 has a little more metal in the cylinder but not enough to make a difference in the real world. I've shot them both a lot and could not discern any difference in the trigger pulls.
 
Faster trigger?

I have a 4" 617 (10-shot .22) and 4" 686P (7-shot .357)... while it makes sense that the trigger should be "quicker" on the 10-shot, I can't say the difference is very noticeable for me anyway. In fact, the travel on these two seems very similar. The main difference I notice is that for whatever reason, the 617 trigger is lighter - that could just be the sample? I believe the Woolf spring kits for both are the same.

As far as strength goes, in an article, I have heard it argued that the 7 shot cylinder is stronger, because the cylinder bolt notches are offset from the chambers. It's not supposed to make any practical difference though.
 
I had my 686 converted to a seven shot cylinder, it is quicker and S&W performance shop told me the seven is stronger than the six, I also had a 3inch barrell installed at the same time and she is a nice little 7 shot ccw at this time.
 
I own a 686-6 2 1/2" 7 shot. I also own a 686-1 4" 6 shot, and a 586-4 4" 6 shot. If there's supposed to be a difference in the triggers, you really don't notice it. If I were to pick one of the three, i'd say my 586 has the nicest trigger pull, but not by alot! Norm.
 
Dude! A sixgun is a sixgun!

If you regularly shoot the same gun I suppose it doesn't matter much. But, if like me, you shoot several revolvers, it helps to know how many rounds you've shot. I count my shots instinctively. I always know when it's time to reload.
If I had various capacities I'd be lost.
Hmm - have I fired 6, 7, 8 etc? To tell the truth, I don't really know.
It might be a case of 'Do you feel lucky.'
 
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