Finally found an old 586!!!!!!!

caz223

New member
I've been looking for an older blued smith .357 for some time.
Found a really nice deep blued 6" 586 for less than $350.00
I immediately started on the paperwork to lay it away.
The trigger is nicer than any smith I've shot, and it's a looker.
The wierd part is it has a front sight with dial adjustment and a large flat behind the front sight with 4 little set screws on top, numbered 1-4.
Is this the elusive 4 position front sight?
How do you go about using this feature?
I figure this would be the place to ask.
Thanks in advance.
 
gee it sure sound like it...i have personally never seen one...but i figure it can't be that different from the others. i've seen similar systems incorporating either the rear sight assembly or the front sight on a target rib

each number on the dial has a corresponding adjustment screw, so...

set rear sight elevation for the middle of it's verticle travel
set your windage with your rear sight
set your dial to #1
pick the distance you'd like to sight-in for
adjust screw until the elevation is correct for you aimming point
repeat for the other numbers for different distances

i've seen this system used in PPC (7, 15, 25,50 yards) and heard of it used M/S (long range steel, i can't spell the 2nd word) . i saves counting clicks as you change ranges. i've even heard of folks using the diffferent setting for different loads/bullet weights.
 
Congrats on the new gun!

I know what you mean by "finally found". For some reason these things are hard to turn up. 19's and 686's abound but I'm still looking for a 4" 586 :(
 
Blue Duck 357 . . .

Two, four-inch barrel 586s available on Gunbroker right now. I am not endorsing the price or quality, but I thought you'd want to know.

Regards.
 
Thanks RWK,

I'd gotten out of the habit of even checking gunbroker as I usually found better deals on gunsamerica. Unfortunetly ones nickel (not my taste) and the others pretty rough and was owned by someone with a real theft complex (initials engraved in FOUR places:eek: )

But thanks again for the gunbroker reminder I'll add it to my favorites again.
 
Yep, you've got one of the adjustable front sights.

I think the idea is to allow you to use one load and dial the front sight for varying distances.

I've got an e-mail in to someone who should know the particulars on this sight. If I hear back, I'll post the response.
 
For some reason these things are hard to turn up. 19's and 686's abound but I'm still looking for a 4" 586.



Mine's sitting in my desk drawer as I type this :D I think the 586 is one the best designs Smith ever put out. BTW paid $250 for it in 1997.
 
Just in case anyone around here is looking for one, there's a 4" (I think) 586 at The Firing Line (no relation) in Aurora, CO.
 
Congrats on your purchase. Back in the '80s it seemed to me that L-frames consistently offered the best out-of-the-box triggers of any S&W revolver.
 
caz,
I bought a 4" 586 when they first came out, and have continued to be impressed by it. If you ever decide to use yours for PPC matches, you might consider the trick that Bill Jordan developed for the Border Patrol Team at the 50 yard line. Rather than trying to hold the top of the front sight on the center of the B27 target, they adjusted their sights to allow a hold on the neck of the target, perching the head of the sillhouette on the front sight. It was much easier to maintain an accurate sight picture with this hold, and gave them an advantage until the other teams figured out what they were doing. Good shooting!
 
I like the 586 for it's stoutness in a less than N frame package.
It's sightless sister, the 581 is good too.

Less lug weight would be nice but can't have it all.

Mike....If you get a 586 for the folks, you get youre 2½" 19 back ?

Sam
 
Back when the state (TX) transitioned to the Sig P-220 I remember seeing hundreds of four inch 586’s laid out for the citizenry to buy at high bid. I know for a fact some were going for $158 (mine).

A worse sight were hundreds of Model 27’s we had sold off to get the L frames.
 
Caz,

Just heard back from my collector friend on how the 4-position sight is supposed to work.

"Mike: The four position front sight works as follows: Press down on the serrated portion of the front patridge (where the serration's are at the rear -this will tip up the patridge) and rotate the wheel into position on the left side -read the number and adjust the height of this position at the corresponding Allen screw (very lightly marked on top) with a very small - tight fitting Allen wrench. This will set the height of the front sight. The four positions are for the use of 4 different loads. Good luck."

Hope that clears things up a bit.
 
I'm not answering to your question, but have to bawl something anyway:

I think those adjustable front sights were for silhouette shooting.

You know: chicken, pig, turkey and ram. Distances 50, 100, 150 and 200 meters.

At least for that purpose they were sold here in Finland.

Regards,
Pekka
 
Thanks everyone, for your replies.
Mike, that makes the most sense on how it works.
Can't wait to shoot that bad boy.
 
Tuhk,

I don't recall them ever being advertised as silhouette guns, but the implication is obviously there with a 4 position front sight.

Makes it REAL easy to develop 4 separate handloads (or even 1 load with 4 settings) and then just dial the sight for different ranges.
 
Back
Top