What could cause this on a S&W Mod. 586-3?

[mick53]

A guy is selling a S&W Model. 586-3 and rather than taking the ride to look at it, I'm wondering if I should just pass.

The pics below show the area of concern.

The owner told me when he got it the cylinder screw had loosened became lodged in the frame causing a light scratch internally.

I wonder if this is what he was referring to.

What do you guys think?

It's a long ride to take a look. Should I head out or keep looking for a different 586?

Thanks

 

[MikeJackmin]

My guess is that the damage shown in the second photo could only have happened with the cylinder off.

On the one hand, it's just cosmetic. On the other, it indicates that the gun was apart, and something ham-handed happened.

Unless there is a good reason to assume more risk than usual, I'd pass.

 

[rcmodel]

My guess is that when someone took the sideplate off.
They mixed the screws and put the back one in the front hole.

The front screw retains the crane, and used to be fitted individually on each gun so they didn't bind on the edge of the crane like that.

rc

 

[Jim K]

The front sideplate screw is too far back to do that to the crane at that point. It looks like something did get trapped in there but I can't really judge what it was.

It doesn't look like it would affect anything or be a problem, but I agree with Mike that unless the price is super good or you really want a 686, I would pass.

Jim

 

[Drail]

That looks like a crack to me. Pass on that one.

 

[anothernewb]

The picture is a little grainy to make a really good determination (for me)

Is it wear or damage? Depending on what you want out of the gun, you might be able to negotiate a better deal based on that, and let smith take care of any issues for you.

However - that depends on your wants. For me, if I can get it for a good deal, and I intend it to be a shooter - I don't really worry about wear marks or replacing necessary items- as long as the pistol is still structurally sound and operates correctly.

Now if I was hunting for something to collect or was after a "representative model" of a 586- I would likely pass.

 

[PJSprog]

Without more info from the seller about what caused that damage, I think I'd pass on that one.

 

[BCRider]

That's a pretty solid area of the crane. I'd be very surprised if it's a crack. Far more likely that a grain of sand got caught in the joint and it's a scratch. It would be easy enough to check. If you were looking at it a little pressure on the crane would cause a crack that big to flex visibly. The fact that it shows as silvery instead of black in your picture further suggests that it's simply a scratch. It's not even the sort of scratch I could see occurring with poorly handled tools since there's nothing in that area that needs tools or that would leave a scratch of that sort even if a screwdriver were being used as a pry bar to remove a stuck crane. But it's very much like the sort of scratch that would occur if a grain of sand got stuck in the hinge line and the crane was closed.

There's also no screw in that area that could scratch the base of the crane's leg like this. If there is a scratch from the screws being mixed up then it would be in the retention groove on the pin which lives inside the frame normally.

I'd guess that if you are patient it would be easy to let this one slide. But if it turns out to be simply cosmetic like a few of us believe then it could be a good bargaining chip for getting a better price.