Pinned Barrel: Ya or Na?
I have a S&W Mdl. 22-4 (Mdl. 1917 copy) that I Picked up fairly cheap a few years ago and I find myself shooting it quit often, but the barrel isn't pinned. I've had revolvers in the past some pinned some not, anyway on with my question. Do you think it would be worth the time, effort and DOLLARS to have it done?
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Nope...don't do it. The serial number will tell on you. It is fine the way it is.
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In order to maintain a gun's collector status, it should NEVER be modified in any way. Colts survived for over 150 years without the barrels being pinned. (Of course, the rifling twist on a Colt is such that a bullet traveling down the barrel tends to tighten the barrel, rather than loosen it as is the case with a Smith & Wesson.)
I am not aware of any unpinned Smith & Wesson revolvers that have had barrels come loose. Do not worry about it.0 -
quote:Originally posted by waltermoe
I have a S&W Mdl. 22-4 (Mdl. 1917 copy) that I Picked up fairly cheap a few years ago and I find myself shooting it quit often, but the barrel isn't pinned. I've had revolvers in the past some pinned some not, anyway on with my question. Do you think it would be worth the time, effort and DOLLARS to have it done?
Definitely NOT.
You're not going to see any functional advantage from the pinned barrel.
If the gun has any collector's value, you'll destroy it by doing this.
So I just don't see any reason why you would want to do this.0 -
Yep, been shootin smiths for 30 years and couldn't care less. It doesn't apply to your M22 but I like the non-countersunk chambers (discontinued with the pinned barrels). 0 -
Countersunk barrels made sense when balloon head cases were still in use.Strangely S&W and a few others did it after the fact. Some balloon heads blew out at the head in tired, loose single actions and made the news in gun articles. Gunmakers advertized it as a benefit.
Today, they are a waste of metal and you can't tell they are loaded from the side without opening them or looking down the barrel.
They might make sense in rimfire calibers but not any more in centerfire
pistol calibers.
Outside of collectors' value, pinned barrels and countersunk CF revolver cylinders are anachronisms without function.0 -
quote:countersunk CF revolver cylinders are anachronisms without function.
That is not exactly true, and there are differences between "countersunk", and recessed chamber's. Countersunk, chamber's are beveled, at the chamber mouth. Recessed chamber's are relief cut at the case mouth, to surround the whole case rim.
Countersinking, aids in the speed of loadding. Many defensive and competition revolver's, that come from custom shops, have countersunk chambers. Some even are relief cut for moon/half moon clips.
If I am not mistaken, when S&W went to unpinned barrels, they also put the rifling twist in the opposing direction of the barrel threads, like Colt.
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If a balloon head case was going to rupture at the head/rim area, it would do so in a recessed or countersunk0 -
Originally posted by waltermoe
I have a S&W Mdl. 22-4 (Mdl. 1917 copy) that I Picked up fairly cheap a few years ago and I find myself shooting it quit often, but the barrel isn't pinned. I've had revolvers in the past some pinned some not, anyway on with my question. Do you think it would be worth the time, effort and DOLLARS to have it done
Not unless the barrel is turning when you shoot it. I had a 625 that wasn't pinned and the barrel turned on it. Sent it back to S&W for repair and it came back the same way [xx(][:(!]
Peddled it and got one of the scarce 625 3" models. No problems with it.0 -
I had a Taurus snubby that repeatedly worked loose after a few shots. After a trip back to the factory failed to prevent it from happening again, I fell back on "Ol' Reliable" (JB Weld) I put a tiny dab of JB on the barrel threads, screwed it in and fired a few shots while snugging it down until the shots were grouping nicely in the bull. Once the POI was perfect, I set it aside for a couple days for the JB to cure. That was two years ago and it still prints right in the bull. JB makes for a pretty darn good thread lock. [:D][:D] 0 -
The terms countersunk and recessed chambers are really misnomers but commonly used. The correct term is counterbored which most gun people
unfamiliar with the machine trades wont recognize.
However, counterboring effect on a bursting balloon cartridge case will greatly reduce the amount and direction of flying metal (if any flies)as the cylinder counterbore prevents head expansion and cylinder to frame gaps are greatly reduced.The fragile area where balloon case walls join the head is confined in counterbored chambers. However, regardless of excess headspace, solid case webs will always be within a revolver chamber, protecting that transition point. That isn't always true in autopistols. Some autopistol chambers are throated (another misnomer) beyond that point in order to feed properly. Heavy loads will bulge cases at that point and sometimes burst and wreck the gun (KABOOM).
As to pins and their efficacy, Colt revolver barrels never loosen with their CCW rifling and no pinning though cheapo revolvers need all the help they can get.
Revolver barrels aren't tight, yet front sights don't drift off center from torque produced by bullets.
S&W revolver barrels would see a tightening effect while Colts a loosening effect.
It's academic and another firearm urban legend.0
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