S&W 586 in 38 Special only?

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Robert the41MagFan

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Yes, you heard right! Was at the dealer today and he had in his possession a S&W model 586 (the Distinguished Combat Magnum)in 38 Special, or so he thinks. Took a friend to the dealer to buy a .357 Magnum, I'd seen these 586's there knowing very well that they are a .357/38 revolver. Well, we took a real good look at the guns and they say .38 Special on the side of the barrel and then inside the crane, it says 586. The dealer insist that they are 38 Special only. After leaving, realized that we could have settled the argument by just inserting a .357 Magnum case into the cylinder. But again, still would not have known for sure, because I have seen new revolvers say 44 Special and they be able to fit a 44 Magnum round (these were the first shipments of Air Lights in 44 Special).
So, question for the S&W guru's. Is there a S&W 586 in 38 Special? Limited run or mislabeled barrel?

Robert
 
Yep, it is very possible. In the past S&W has made other versions of what are supposed to be .357 Magnums in .38 spl only for the target shooters who want the weight of the heavier gun without the long throat of the magnum. Colt has also done this with .38 special only Pythons. Most of these will have six inch or longer barrels, but four inchers are not unheard of.
 
There are also still a few police departments which won't allow a .357 Magnum revolver to be carried. Even if .38 Special ammo is issued, the troops have a nasty tendency of slipping in Magnum loads after the shift inspection.

If you really want an odd-ball combination, I once had the opportunity to buy a Ruger Sercurity Six factory chambered for .38 S&W (not .38 S&W Special).
 
A very good friend of mine came across a couple of these firearms last year. They were made for a department either in the USA or somewhere in South America. They are now on the used market. I don't know how many or who distributed them, but I'll try to find out and get back to you.

Neil Casper
 
I called my buddy Dan A. He said they were built under contract for the Brazilian National Police. The order was cancelled and they were distributed in this country. They are mentioned in Supica's S&W book. They are still available. Baker Brothers Sporting Goods in Bucyrus, Ohio has some.
These are brand new firearms.
I'm sorry that I don't have an address or phone number for Baker Brothers, but if you call information they are in the 419 area code.

Neil Casper
 
Never say never when it comes to S&W. There have been 38Spl M13's, M681's, M586's as well as all kinds of other manufacturing peculiarities.
The most common reason a 38 M13 would be made is that an agency was looking at the 357 M13 and had approved the purchase and issue of such but wanted the gun in 38 Special. If S&W had just given the agency an M10 to test the agency would start over with the tests since the M10 is not the same gun. Well, it is, but it isn't. So, S&W accepted an order for x-many M13's in 38 Special.
If you really are curious about all of the different options/configurations of S&W handguns I cannot recommend enough the Standard Catalog of S&W, by Supica & Nahas. That book is almost my bible.
Check it out!
:D -Kframe
 
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