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Smith and Wesson Barrel question

GuvamintCheese
I am looking at a 15-2 combat masterpiece and the owner states it has a pinned barrel. Is that good or bad and why?
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Comments

7 comments

Date Votes
  • idahoducker
    It's considered good by most I think. It's a feature that went away in the name of cost savings. Smiths with the pinned barrel are kind of like pre 64 Win 70's.
    This barrel is pinned.
    K38.jpg
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  • 264fan
    Smith no longer pins the bbls in, just means its an earlier model. Smith decided several years back to shave a few pennies and omit the pin and not counterbore the cylinders.
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  • GuvamintCheese
    Thanks both of you for taking the time to educate me!
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  • SP45
    the pin in the receiver at the top was put there to keep the barrel from moving. sometime around 1981/82 they changed to a compression fit barrel eliminating the need for the pin. about this time was when smith started engineering changes to save money. pinned barrels are very much considered better made guns by collectors and shooters. you will also here the term "recessed", on early magnums the cylinder face was recessed so that the rear of the case was flush with the end of the cylinder due to what was thought as extreme pressue. this was also eliminated in 81.
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  • beantownshootah
    Very few people ever wear out the barrel in their revolver, but if you do, or need to have it replaced for some other reason, then you'll appreciate the pinned-in barrel.
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  • tsr1965
    I agree with the majority, and will also add, that if the cylinder chambers are recessed too, then that revolver was made at the height of S&W quality. You have a real gem there.

    Best
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  • dcs shooters
    I had a 625 that I wished the barrel was pinned. The more I shot it, the more it turned. Sent it back to Smith and they said it was fixed,BUT it still turned. I heard some of the big calibers had this problem.
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