New S&W revolvers coming in 2014

S

Sparks1957

New member
Did anyone else catch the news about Smith and Wesson's new 986 and 929 9mm revolvers? Titanium cylinders with no need for moon clips, 7 and 8 round capacity respectively... definitely interesting designs.

What do you all think?
 
Website says "Cylinder Cut for Moonclips." Must need the clips for extraction.
A 35 ounce, 7 shot, $1000, 9mm probably won't be their biggest seller.
 
The S&W 9mm of a few years back did not require clips for extraction, but used spring loaded "fingers" in the extractor to grip rimless cartridges. Cutting for the moon clip allows en bloc loading, rather than loading individual cartridges.

Bob Wright
 
Good point... think I'll pass on these (for other reasons, however). Too many other guns attracting me more strongly.
 
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And every single one of them will have big, ugly holes in the side-plates that they call locks.
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Good bejesus, give it a break. This tiresome axe has been ground enough. Current production S&W revolvers are awesome. If you don't like 'em, don't buy 'em, fine. But that does not change the fact that current production S&W revolvers are about the best revolvers ever.
 
I"m most excited about the 5 shot .44 mag L-frame.

I'm not at all interested in this revolver as is, but it may lead to a 5 shot .45 Colt snub that I've always wanted.
 
I saw them at the shot show on Tuesday and I realy liked the model 69 44mag five shot. feels just like my 686. They are putting little springs in the star of some guns to get away from moon clips.
 
Meh. My wheelgun is 9mmPara and has anywhere from 7 to 14 rounds (so far) with no reload. And mag swaps to 9rd (so far).
 
I believe its titanium to increase the longevity of the gun. Reducing the mass that has to be stopped so it wouldn't go out of time as quickly?
 
L and N frames for 9mm? Either would be a lot of gun for a medium power round; a K frame would be more suitable.

Jim
 
L and N frames for 9mm? Either would be a lot of gun for a medium power round; a K frame would be more suitable.
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I get the impression that they're marketing them towards competition shooting where the recoil-dampening effect of the extra weight would be beneficial and the inconvenience for carry is a non-issue. 5" and 6.5" barrels don't seem like they'd be all that "carryable" even on a K-Frame.
 
I believe its titanium to increase the longevity of the gun. Reducing the mass that has to be stopped so it wouldn't go out of time as quickly?
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I can't see why timing would be an issue if they can make an L or N frame .357 that doesn't go out of time.
 
I can't see why timing would be an issue if they can make an L or N frame .357 that doesn't go out of time.
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Any revolver, if shot DA hard and fast long enough, will eventually go out of time. The larger and heavier the cylinder, the faster this will happen as starting and stopping a large/heavy cylinder will cause wear to the hand, ratchet, cylinder stop, and cylinder stop notches more quickly than starting and stopping a smaller/lighter cylinder. That being said, re-timing a S&W revolver isn't typically a particularly difficult or expensive repair if you've got a good gunsmith and, assuming the revolver is in spec to begin with, it takes a lot of hard, fast DA shooting to get even an all-steel N-Frame to go out of time.

Actually, I suspect that the use of a titanium cylinder probably has less to do with timing longevity and more to do with the quality of the trigger pull. Because the lighter cylinder would offer less resistance to rotation, the trigger pull should be able to be made at least slightly lighter without the need for lighter springs which would compromise function. That being said, I'd personally prefer a steel cylinder as titanium cylinders can be fairly easily damaged by overly aggressive cleaning or the use of certain chemicals for cleaning/lubrication. Light strikes and/or going out of time is a lot cheaper and easier to fix than an eroded cylinder.
 
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