Pinned and Recessed Smith & Wessons

posted on October 28, 2014
** When you buy products through the links on our site, we may earn a commission that supports NRA's mission to protect, preserve and defend the Second Amendment. **
qanda2015_fs.jpg

Q: I am just starting to collect Smith & Wesson revolvers, and I keep coming across the terms “recessed cylinder” and “pinned barrel.” What do these mean?

A: These combined terms are almost exclusive to Smith & Wesson revolvers. In fact, collectors sometimes refer to pre-1982 guns with these features as “P&R Smiths.”

A recessed cylinder is one in which the rear portion of the chambers have been counterbored, thereby enclosing the head, or rim, of the cartridge case and making it rest flush with the rear of the cylinder. This feature began in 1935 with the advent of the .357 Mag. and was incorporated into .22 Long Rifle S&W revolvers as well.

Recessed cylinders continued to be a feature on all S&W magnum revolvers produced through 1981; they were discontinued after that year, as they were no longer considered necessary. Nonetheless, they are still found on S&W .22 rimfire revolvers today. The use of counterboring is obvious for .22 rimfires (to protect the primer-containing case rim), but originally it was to provide an extra measure of perceived safety for revolvers chambered in such cartridges as the .357 Mag. and .44 Mag.

The top cylinder (a current production S&W Model 29) has a non-recessed cylinder while the stainless gun is pre-1982 and has chambers recessed for case heads.

A pinned barrel refers to an actual steel pin that goes through the frame and a notched rear portion of the barrel, and it was originally intended to help anchor the barrel to the frame in both magnum and some non-magnum revolvers. This feature first appeared around 1899 on some of Smith & Wesson’s earliest Hand Ejector models, but was discontinued—along with recessed cylinder—in 1982 as being too costly and unnecessary.

Nonetheless, many S&W shooters and collectors consider pre-1982 P&R Smiths to be more desirable than guns without these features, even though similar post-1981 models without recessed cylinders and pinned barrels are every bit as safe.

Latest

smith and wesson mp 22 right-side view on table indoor shooting range
smith and wesson mp 22 right-side view on table indoor shooting range

Rifleman Review: Smith & Wesson M&P 22 Magnum

One of Smith & Wesson's recent additions to its M&P handgun line is the M&P 22 Magnum, and there's a lot more going on in this gun, technologically, than it appears at first glance.

New For 2025: Beretta BRX1 Ranch

Beretta has expanded its BRX1 straight-pull action into a "ranch rifle" configuration, providing a handy, lightweight platform that still includes some of the groundbreaking features of the original BRX1 rifle.

Ruger Buys Anderson Manufacturing

Ruger announced on July 1 it has acquired all assets of Anderson Manufacturing, a recent top 10 producer of firearms in the U.S.

Favorite Firearms: Anticipating Answers

Everyone has a favorite gun, but not many have a story quite like the one from NRA member Jim Schollhammer.

Rifleman Report: Safe Passage

While the phrase “tools of the trade” may refer to specific items that a worker uses to ply his or her vocation, it could just as easily be a reference to the firearms, knives and other everyday carry, or EDC, gear that the average citizen uses to ensure his or her safe passage through the course of an uncertain, sometimes dangerous, daily existence.

I Have This Old Gun: Star Model 1914 Auto Pistol

The Spanish/Basque city of Eibar is one of Europe’s great arms-manufacturing centers, with a history in gunmaking dating back to the 1500s.

Interests



Get the best of American Rifleman delivered to your inbox.