The Smith and Wesson Model 586-8 Model 586 | Smith & Wesson (smith-wesson.com) is one great revolver. This review is about having an open mind. Those of us who use our shooting tools a lot find much value in something that works everytime, anytime and for all time. When something works for me I tend to stand by it and have been bitten many times by trying the new mousetrap if you will.
A few years back BossHoss told me to give the new Smith and Wesson Revolvers a try. I took his advice. Keep in mind the process of industrial perfection has been a long road since Eli Whitney. In the beginning of these newer models, as the shooter came to the line with these new Smiths, we made observations of broken firing pins, guns going out of time within a few hundred rounds, the built in lock mechanism hanging up, and the first gen of MIM failing. A good friend of mine had his Performance Center 686 go down at a Match in Michigan. The primers were being hit on the edge and luckily none went off. That was just one of his problems with that gun.
As we have seen huge improvements in all manufacturing today with better materials and engineering for production, I am reminded of the automobile. It is no secret that the global streamlined auto plant is putting out some good stuff these days right here in America. However, there are some that still perceive the foreign cars to be better. To each their own.
This 586-8 of recent production is a fine example of a quality revolver at a decent price. I have run countless rounds through many LFrames over the years and this one is my best one yet. It comes with a pinned front sight blade (should be standard on all revolvers) and a 4 Inch barrel. It is also available in a six inch. Model 586 | Smith & Wesson (smith-wesson.com). Being able to shoot .357 Magnums along with .38 Specials is a plus. I took my first wild turkey with a 6 inch 686 back in the day. As the Tom turned away I placed the 110 Grain Federal JHP .357 Magnum on his spine at the top of the body. A very clean shot that worked instantly with no meat damage.
The LFrame was needed to replace the KFrame for those that wanted a little stronger revolver to hold up to a lot of rounds and a diet of Magnums as well. I remember one fella that came to a Chapman class that brought his Colt Python. What a beautiful gun but he had to borrow one of my extra Model 10’s to get him through the course. A few years later, I tried running a few Pythons. I figured his problems were his fault. Wrong. No matter how pretty these revolvers were and no matter what we did, they were nothing but paperweights in my book. Pretty paperweight but they just would not hold up to real shooting. Lesson Learned.
I have ran this 586 most every week at the range and have not experienced one problem. After about a thousand rounds I pulled off the side plate to enhance the action and there wasn’t much to do. I took the double action down to about 8LBS and have continued to shoot it. When I was looking around inside I was amazed at the machine work and detail. Much like Post 2018 Marlins at Remington these things are very clean cut. The frame mounted firing pin is easy to clean or replace or fine tune with a newer one if you want. I am getting 2 ½ inch groups at 25 yards from a rest, and the barrel is very straight and lined up good with the frame. Running a cleaning patch down the barrel I can attest to how well the lands and grooves are in this piece.
The CNC machining is a huge step in manufacturing today. Is a new model a better product than the old model. The short answer is yes. That does not mean that side by each one on one that you can have a good old one and a bad new one or vica versa? The SD of tolerances and finished product per thousand is way better with today’s production. Just like automobiles. The masses dictate how much cost and time a company can put into a product that hopefully will turn a profit and stay in business for another 100 years or so.
When S&W was bought up by the British Plumbing Company I started to loose interest in any new Smith and Wesson guns. Then to make matters worse the Brits struck a deal with the Clinton admin and started putting safeties on this 100 year old gun design. Thinking of my self only, I did not need this safety on my revolvers. It was an eyesore to me. It was hard to swallow. I was going through the same problem with Winchesters that decided rebounding hammers and mushy trigger systems with cheesy safeties were needed on this 100 year old gun as well. As a trainer making a living with a gun I realize that within the masses lies a variance in common sense and not everyone commits in the same way of firearm handling. In reflection, if the built in safety has saved one life then it is a small price to pay. I have never activated my safety on this 586 and I will not remove it. I stay consistent with my standards of not removing safety parts. Time will tell if this safety piece will be a problem but it hasn’t yet got in my way on any of my newer models.
The gun came with pretty good feeling grips, however for sport shooting I am trying out VZ Grips. Shop All - Revolvers - S&W K/L-Frame - VZ Grips. I prefer wood as you can see, but these are very functional for competition. For lots of shooting my favorite ergonomic grip of all time for revolvers is the Hogue X/Z-Frame Revolvers - Grips for Smith & Wesson - Handgun Grips - Hogue Products (hogueinc.com) however, I am not fond of the mounting system of this grip. I wish they would make it in a two piece design with a screw like God intended revolver grips to be. Another improvement is the Identification marks on the frame. I have had older ones that you could not make out the numbers. This new product has very clean markings that are easy to read. I do however miss the original small font stamped on the barrel but at least this newer font is easier for my old eyes to read.
Recovery on this 4 inch 586-8 is fantastic. The full lug under the barrel really helps with follow up shots. It is a well balanced beefcake of a revolver weighing in at 43 OZ. Being Carbon Steel makes this a great package and it feels very comfortable to shoot, even with .357 loads. For conformity I wish it had a wide hammer and trigger but I don’t know what is available yet.
The front and rear frame straps are serrated like the old days and that is a nice touch. One should also realize that this Classic series is a traditional square but so be careful getting aftermarket grips.
As things change one tries to be supportive and understanding on this road of evolvement. That truly takes an open mind. Sometimes I worry though that If I open my mind too much everything will escape.
Happy 2021 INGO and Good Shooting!
ATTACH=full]105975[/ATTACH]
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Original Thread Here
A few years back BossHoss told me to give the new Smith and Wesson Revolvers a try. I took his advice. Keep in mind the process of industrial perfection has been a long road since Eli Whitney. In the beginning of these newer models, as the shooter came to the line with these new Smiths, we made observations of broken firing pins, guns going out of time within a few hundred rounds, the built in lock mechanism hanging up, and the first gen of MIM failing. A good friend of mine had his Performance Center 686 go down at a Match in Michigan. The primers were being hit on the edge and luckily none went off. That was just one of his problems with that gun.
As we have seen huge improvements in all manufacturing today with better materials and engineering for production, I am reminded of the automobile. It is no secret that the global streamlined auto plant is putting out some good stuff these days right here in America. However, there are some that still perceive the foreign cars to be better. To each their own.
This 586-8 of recent production is a fine example of a quality revolver at a decent price. I have run countless rounds through many LFrames over the years and this one is my best one yet. It comes with a pinned front sight blade (should be standard on all revolvers) and a 4 Inch barrel. It is also available in a six inch. Model 586 | Smith & Wesson (smith-wesson.com). Being able to shoot .357 Magnums along with .38 Specials is a plus. I took my first wild turkey with a 6 inch 686 back in the day. As the Tom turned away I placed the 110 Grain Federal JHP .357 Magnum on his spine at the top of the body. A very clean shot that worked instantly with no meat damage.
The LFrame was needed to replace the KFrame for those that wanted a little stronger revolver to hold up to a lot of rounds and a diet of Magnums as well. I remember one fella that came to a Chapman class that brought his Colt Python. What a beautiful gun but he had to borrow one of my extra Model 10’s to get him through the course. A few years later, I tried running a few Pythons. I figured his problems were his fault. Wrong. No matter how pretty these revolvers were and no matter what we did, they were nothing but paperweights in my book. Pretty paperweight but they just would not hold up to real shooting. Lesson Learned.
I have ran this 586 most every week at the range and have not experienced one problem. After about a thousand rounds I pulled off the side plate to enhance the action and there wasn’t much to do. I took the double action down to about 8LBS and have continued to shoot it. When I was looking around inside I was amazed at the machine work and detail. Much like Post 2018 Marlins at Remington these things are very clean cut. The frame mounted firing pin is easy to clean or replace or fine tune with a newer one if you want. I am getting 2 ½ inch groups at 25 yards from a rest, and the barrel is very straight and lined up good with the frame. Running a cleaning patch down the barrel I can attest to how well the lands and grooves are in this piece.
The CNC machining is a huge step in manufacturing today. Is a new model a better product than the old model. The short answer is yes. That does not mean that side by each one on one that you can have a good old one and a bad new one or vica versa? The SD of tolerances and finished product per thousand is way better with today’s production. Just like automobiles. The masses dictate how much cost and time a company can put into a product that hopefully will turn a profit and stay in business for another 100 years or so.
When S&W was bought up by the British Plumbing Company I started to loose interest in any new Smith and Wesson guns. Then to make matters worse the Brits struck a deal with the Clinton admin and started putting safeties on this 100 year old gun design. Thinking of my self only, I did not need this safety on my revolvers. It was an eyesore to me. It was hard to swallow. I was going through the same problem with Winchesters that decided rebounding hammers and mushy trigger systems with cheesy safeties were needed on this 100 year old gun as well. As a trainer making a living with a gun I realize that within the masses lies a variance in common sense and not everyone commits in the same way of firearm handling. In reflection, if the built in safety has saved one life then it is a small price to pay. I have never activated my safety on this 586 and I will not remove it. I stay consistent with my standards of not removing safety parts. Time will tell if this safety piece will be a problem but it hasn’t yet got in my way on any of my newer models.
The gun came with pretty good feeling grips, however for sport shooting I am trying out VZ Grips. Shop All - Revolvers - S&W K/L-Frame - VZ Grips. I prefer wood as you can see, but these are very functional for competition. For lots of shooting my favorite ergonomic grip of all time for revolvers is the Hogue X/Z-Frame Revolvers - Grips for Smith & Wesson - Handgun Grips - Hogue Products (hogueinc.com) however, I am not fond of the mounting system of this grip. I wish they would make it in a two piece design with a screw like God intended revolver grips to be. Another improvement is the Identification marks on the frame. I have had older ones that you could not make out the numbers. This new product has very clean markings that are easy to read. I do however miss the original small font stamped on the barrel but at least this newer font is easier for my old eyes to read.
Recovery on this 4 inch 586-8 is fantastic. The full lug under the barrel really helps with follow up shots. It is a well balanced beefcake of a revolver weighing in at 43 OZ. Being Carbon Steel makes this a great package and it feels very comfortable to shoot, even with .357 loads. For conformity I wish it had a wide hammer and trigger but I don’t know what is available yet.
The front and rear frame straps are serrated like the old days and that is a nice touch. One should also realize that this Classic series is a traditional square but so be careful getting aftermarket grips.
As things change one tries to be supportive and understanding on this road of evolvement. That truly takes an open mind. Sometimes I worry though that If I open my mind too much everything will escape.
Happy 2021 INGO and Good Shooting!
ATTACH=full]105975[/ATTACH]
********************************
Original Thread Here
