Did S&W ever make a Nickle 586??

Yes, they made quite a few nickle 586s. They seem to carry about a $50-$100 premium depending on conditon

had at least one nickel 586 now i have two 686s the 586 slipped away

The nickel plated Model 586 was discontinued in 1991, probably due to the extra steps involved with doing the plating as well as the popularity of the stainless Model 686. I think Smith357 has it about right; depending on condition you could probably expect to pay between $50 to $100 more for a nickel gun versus a blued gun.

The original reason for nickel plating was probably cosmetic only, but in later years they were sold primarily to people concerned about rust; for example, detectives who carried a gun in a shoulder holster under the arm and people who kept the gun on a boat found that blued steel rapidly turned into a mass of rust. That need has been met by stainless steel, and there were apparently not enough buyers who liked the shiny appearance to justify the expense of keeping the guns in the line.

Nickel plating those guns involved not only the expense of the plating setup but the special work on parts to be nickel plated to account for the tolerance differences in close-fitting parts like the sideplate and crane. When we sent parts to be nickel plated, we had to be careful to work down some edges, otherwise the plated parts would not fit in the plated frame without taking off some of the new plating.

Jim

Yes, they made a nickle 586. Here is a 586-1, 6", unfired, circa 1986:

Yes

Here's a pic of mine.

Why would they make a Nickle M586 when the M686 is Stainless and the same gun?

My local gun store had a 4" about a year ago. It was clean and priced at $600 if I remember correctly.

Bob

ArchAngelCD said:

Why would they make a Nickle M586 when the M686 is Stainless and the same gun?

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Beauty!

The 586 is a gorgeous revolver in bright nickel plate!

Ditto a nickle plated Model 19 vs the stainless version (Model 66) and the nickle plated Model 13 vs. the stainless Model 65 . . . or a Model 27 vs a 627.

S&Wfan said:

Beauty!

The 586 is a gorgeous revolver in bright nickel plate!

Ditto a nickle plated Model 19 vs the stainless version (Model 66) and the nickle plated Model 13 vs. the stainless Model 65 . . . or a Model 27 vs a 627.

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Yeah, it's hard to argue with that. Nickle is a lot nicer than Stainless even if it is less durable.

look around, they can be found.

i bought my 4" nickel 586 at a gun show 2 summers ago, out the door for $425

collectible or not, i shoot the crap out it

Why would they make a Nickle M586 when the M686 is Stainless and the same gun?

Click to expand...

I'll take S&W nickel all day long but stainless steel just leaves me cold. I love the warm bronze hue of nickel plating. Brushed stainless steel is just too.....sterile.

I was eyeballing a mint 4" one last time I was home at the local pawn shop. Absolutely stunning but I have no use for 357.