Firing pin hole burrs S&W 586

Nnobby45 · January 21, 2009, 11:37 PM

I noticed some dings on my fired primers, besides the firing pin dent. A closer inspection showed some burrs around the firing pin hole, and it appears that the extra dings were caused by the case head slamming into the face and picking up the burr marks.

The gun hasn't been fired all that much, even though I bought it in the early 80's. Doesn't have a hundred rds. of full power .357 thru it, and only a few hundred .38's.

No such burrs on my Python and only very slightly on my M66.

I'm not overly concerned. Thought I might do some light stoning to remove what I can.

I was wondering what some of your thoughts might be. Get rid of the burrs? Ignore them?

FlyFish · January 22, 2009, 10:15 AM

If you've had the gun since the early 80's that means it's probably a "no dash." In 1987 S&W recalled the 586 and 686 models to replace the firing pin bushing due to guns locking up with issues that sound a bit like what you're describing. Guns that were fitted with the new bushing were overstamped -M. The model number and any other marks will be visible on the inside of the frame when you swing the cylinder out.

If your gun doesn't have the -M (and I guess if you're the original owner you'd know if you sent it back to have the firing pin bushing replaced, so it probably doesn't), that might be the problem. I believe Smith is still doing the recall at no cost, and will even cover shipping both ways. I'd recommend calling S&W Customer Service to discuss it with them.

Nnobby45 · January 22, 2009, 09:54 PM

Gun may be from mid 80's. It's a dash 3.

It does have the titanium firing pin bushing that solved the freezing up problem experienced by some of the earlier models.

I carefully honed down the burrs. Apparently they were caused by lots of dry firing, according to one manual I found while Googling around. Said I should be good for another 10,000 dry fires before I need to remove anymore burrs! They actually recommended a light file.

After firing the gun today with some .357 CorBon DPX, the marks on firing pin disappeared, as expected.

Incidentally, the CorBon DPX .357, considered a mid-range load, performed close enough to the 1300 fps advertised.

1299 from the 586 4", 1326 from the shorter 3" M66, and 1336 from a 4" Python.

The M66 was quite managebale but snappy, and it was easy to shoot in the larger guns. Would likely still be a fierce recoiling load in a 340 J-frame.

Anyway, thanks for the response.

FlyFish · January 22, 2009, 10:07 PM

Yes, the -3s came out in 1988, after the recall, so didn't need the fix. Sounds like you got it figured out anyway.

January 21, 2009, 11:37 PM	#1
Nnobby45 Senior Member Join Date: November 20, 2004 Posts: 3,150	Firing pin hole burrs S&W 586 I noticed some dings on my fired primers, besides the firing pin dent. A closer inspection showed some burrs around the firing pin hole, and it appears that the extra dings were caused by the case head slamming into the face and picking up the burr marks. The gun hasn't been fired all that much, even though I bought it in the early 80's. Doesn't have a hundred rds. of full power .357 thru it, and only a few hundred .38's. No such burrs on my Python and only very slightly on my M66. I'm not overly concerned. Thought I might do some light stoning to remove what I can. I was wondering what some of your thoughts might be. Get rid of the burrs? Ignore them?

January 22, 2009, 10:15 AM	#2
FlyFish Senior Member Join Date: January 20, 2009 Location: Overlooking the Baker River Valley Posts: 1,723	If you've had the gun since the early 80's that means it's probably a "no dash." In 1987 S&W recalled the 586 and 686 models to replace the firing pin bushing due to guns locking up with issues that sound a bit like what you're describing. Guns that were fitted with the new bushing were overstamped -M. The model number and any other marks will be visible on the inside of the frame when you swing the cylinder out. If your gun doesn't have the -M (and I guess if you're the original owner you'd know if you sent it back to have the firing pin bushing replaced, so it probably doesn't), that might be the problem. I believe Smith is still doing the recall at no cost, and will even cover shipping both ways. I'd recommend calling S&W Customer Service to discuss it with them.

January 22, 2009, 09:54 PM	#3
Nnobby45 Senior Member Join Date: November 20, 2004 Posts: 3,150	Gun may be from mid 80's. It's a dash 3. It does have the titanium firing pin bushing that solved the freezing up problem experienced by some of the earlier models. I carefully honed down the burrs. Apparently they were caused by lots of dry firing, according to one manual I found while Googling around. Said I should be good for another 10,000 dry fires before I need to remove anymore burrs! They actually recommended a light file. After firing the gun today with some .357 CorBon DPX, the marks on firing pin disappeared, as expected. Incidentally, the CorBon DPX .357, considered a mid-range load, performed close enough to the 1300 fps advertised. 1299 from the 586 4", 1326 from the shorter 3" M66, and 1336 from a 4" Python. The M66 was quite managebale but snappy, and it was easy to shoot in the larger guns. Would likely still be a fierce recoiling load in a 340 J-frame. Anyway, thanks for the response.

January 22, 2009, 10:07 PM	#4
FlyFish Senior Member Join Date: January 20, 2009 Location: Overlooking the Baker River Valley Posts: 1,723	Yes, the -3s came out in 1988, after the recall, so didn't need the fix. Sounds like you got it figured out anyway.