Bought my first revolver (S&W 586) and have a couple questions.

O

obxemt

New member
Picked up the following yesterday for $307.00:

Smith & Wesson Model 586
6-shot .357 Magnum
6-inch barrel
Stainless finish / wood grips
Adjustable rear sight, orange front ramp
Looks barely used and stored for a while (excellent cond.)

1.) Did I pay too much?
2.) Will after-market 686 grips fit?
3.) Is this an L-frame?
4.) How difficult would it be to have a 4-inch barrel installed?
5.) Friend told me 586 was only made blued. This is stainless.
6.) When did production cease?

Thanks for your help.
 
1. No, you actually got it for a decent price, depending on its condition and the area of the country. In Northern Virginia used 686s have been running about $50 to $100 more for the last several months.

2. Anything made for a K or L frame Smith & Wesson square butt will fit your gun.

3. Yes, it is an L-frame, but the grips are the same size as the K-frame, which means that grips for either a K or L (assuming proper butt configuration) wil fit your gun, as I noted in 2.

4. Not difficult, but probably more expensive than it is really worth.

5. Your friend is correct. The 586 was the adjustable sight blued version. The adjustable sight stainless steel version was the 686.

6. 686 production may still be happening in 4" only. I'm not certain.
 
If it is marked 586 and is indeed stainless. Don't shoot it. There will be a collector of mistakes and aberrant models that would likely give you enough for it to enable you to get another 586 and a bunch of ammo.

More likely nickle.

Sam
 
All right guys, forgive my ignorance, but what is the difference between nickel and stainless? How can you tell by looking at a weapon? I'll assume mine is nickel.
 
A factory nickel S&W will have case-hardened - dark - hammer and trigger. Stainless guns have dull gray hard chrome plated lockwork.
 
A range friend has a S&W 629 Classic that's blued, not stainless. He also has a 586 that's stainless. Either S&W mismarked their guns, or they blued stainless models. I've looked closely at the markings, and there's no mistake.
 
OK, I had forgotten that the 586 was made in nickle, too.

This could well be a nickle finish 586.

If, however, it is a mis-marked 686, it will have some collector's interest.

Without actually examining it, I can't tell you for certain which it is.

S&W does have a history of putting out guns with improper markings.
 
nice gun, good price.

It's probably nickel.

I have seen 586's with the blue taken off of them or 'in the white'. It can be polished out to a bright finish.

Most likely, yours is nickel.

Roy
 
Jim Watson said,
Stainless guns have dull gray hard chrome plated lockwork.
Click to expand...
That's only true of older stainless Smith's.:) The latest production guns all have case-colored carbon(MIM) parts.

If your gun is the one pictured, it is most likely a nickled one. Factory stainless just doesn't have that beautiful sheen to it. When you open up the cylinder and look in on the frame, what is stamped after the 586? IOW, a 586-1, -2, -3 etc.
 
Easy to tell nickle from stainless: nickle is very bright and shiny (like a mirror) and SS is duller and comes from the factory with a brushed finish. Some people shine them up, but they still don't get as shiny as nickel.
 
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