any downside to 7 shot wheelies?

M

monkeywithfire

New member
Recently acquired a .357 S&W 686 Combat 6inch. Never had a seven shooter before. I assume it is strong enough although it is hard to get used to the thin cylinder walls. Any info will be appreciated.

-monkey
 
Good question. Owning both 6 and 7 shot 686s along with the 7 shot S&W 242 and Taurus 627, I have thought about this several times.

I think this is the proverbial “exception to the rule” of there being no such thing as a free lunch.

I have found no down side in strength, accuracy or reliability. And on the plus side, you get the extra capacity and the action feels faster.
 
monkeywithfire...

The only "downside" I can think of is dealing with that extra round. I have a PC 681 on layaway and am hoping that I don't make the foolish mistake of shooting six rounds and ejecting six empties and one live round.
 
Some people speculate that seven shot revolvers cylinders
are not as strong as those found on the six shot models;
due to the positioning of the bolt cuts. Whether this is a
fact, remains to be decided by the experts? I prefer only
five (S&W J-frames) and six shot model revolvers; for no
particular reason, other than this is the way I think they
ought to be!

Best Wishes,
Ala Dan, N.R.A. Life Member
 
I think cylinder wall thickness is WAY overrated

The only cylinders I have seen problems with were either way overloaded or old guns.

The old ones seemed prone to split and the overloaded seemed to blow up and usually take more than one hole with em.

I tend to think that the support of the cylinder is far more important and that would be more frame size than cylinder wall thickness.

But that's just my opinion.
 
My gunsmith seems to think that revolvers with 7-and 8-shot cylinders are slightly more prone to develop timing problems than 6-shot cylinders. Also, the speed loaders are a bit more bulky and heavy, of course.
 
Give and take.

That exttra round is gonna cost you at least a little more weight.

But strength and safety? These modern revolvers are so well made that will be a very minimal loss.

Worth the trade I think.
 
In reference to S&W 686 revolvers (6 vs 7 Shot):

1. Cylinder bolt cuts are between chambers unlike 6 shot versions, which have cuts directly over the thinnest part of chamber wall. In fact the location of the bolt cuts on 6 shot S&Ws were always a point used by Colt fans to claim superior strength over S&W.

2. Speed loaders for the 6 and 7 shot models are exactly the same size. The 7 round loaders are theoretically faster since there is less webbing between chambers to hang up on.

3. The weight of the 7 shot 686 is actually less then the 6 shot version. As the cylinder dimension is the same and they have to remove extra steel for the seventh chamber.
 
i have a Taurus 608, eight shooter. cylinder cuts are centered on chambers. is a large frame, about N size. for $390 i brought her home to try. so far so good, still tight and in time. am creeping up toward the "good" loads. if/when it craps out i will pass the word.

Taurus instructions say warranty or lifetime guarantee is void if i shoot handloads in it. my comments on this would be ad finitum.

hos
 
From snubbies to 6" the 686+ (seven shot) are a favorite of revolver competitors not doing 8-shots. Get it converted for moonclips as well as speedloaders and individual loaded rounds, a Safariland Cup Challenge 002 and you are really cruising.
 
I own two seven round revolvers, S&W 686Plus and 386PD. I don't see any downside to owning a seven round revolver over a six round revolver.
 
Wall thickness on the 7 shot is thicker than on the 6 shot due to the bolt cuts. There is no losing in that regard.
 
I've heard people say that the seven-rounders are more likely to go out of time or have time than the six-rounders.

It seems possible (less margin for error--more things to get right). Is there any truth to it?

I don't have anything but six-rounders, but I've been close to picking up a 686+ a couple times. The only thing that is holding me back is that I really don't care for L-frames not the six vs seven rounds thing.
 
I own three 7-shot revolvers.

A 686+ snubby, a 686+ 4" bbl. and a 386 TiScan Mountain Lite with a 3" bbl. Have around 1500 rounds through each of the 686's and around 300 rounds through the 386. The ammo has been really a mixed bag. Some .357, some 38 spcl., and some 38 spcl. +P stuff. Also a variety of bullet weights were used. No reloads though. All was factory stuff. Just never had a problem with any of them - ever. FWIW I had a 7-shot Taurus Tracker (stainless steel) and put several hundred rounds through it before I got the urge to trade. No problems with it either. So, if there are "inherent" problems with 7-shot revos I haven't yet found them. Good shooting:)
 
Attached is a pic of the cylinder on my new PC 681. It shows the cylinder bolt cuts and the charge holes for those who are curious.
 

Attachments

  • mvc-022s.jpg
    mvc-022s.jpg
    26.1 KB · Views: 160
Thank You All!

Good info. I appreciate all the responses. I have yet to fire the thing yet. I can't wait. I did notice alot of sharp edges that really snagged on the patches while cleaning, especially around the "forcing cone?" and on the ejector star. I assume these will smooth up with some shooting.

Also the model 19 I had years ago had a recessed cylinder and this gun does not. Wish I had an excellent condition M19 again but hopefully I will grow to love this one. It seems to be sending me "good vibes" and my cat actually took a nap on the case.

Also noticed that .38's seem to slide back toward the hammer on the left side. They slide back into place easy enough when the cylinder rotates. Is there any problem with this? I never noticed it on the M19 but it may have done the same thing. Is this common?

It has been years since I've had any revolver in something other than .22 so please forgive these stupid questions. Thanks!

-monkey
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top