Smith & Wesson Model 581

About the Smith & Wesson Model 581

The Smith & Wesson Model 581 is a six-shot double-action revolver built on Smith & Wesson's L-frame and chambered in .357 Magnum, introduced in 1980 as the fixed-sight member of the company's then-new L-frame family. Marketed as the 'Distinguished Service Magnum,' it shares the heavier L-frame and full-lug 4-inch barrel of the adjustable-sight Model 586 but trades the target sights for rugged fixed sights aimed at police duty and service use. The steel frame and cylinder carry a blued finish, and the swing-out cylinder holds six rounds of .357 Magnum; the revolver will also chamber and fire the milder .38 Special cartridge. The double-action/single-action lockwork allows a long self-cocking double-action pull for rapid defensive fire or a manually cocked single-action pull for deliberate accuracy. The L-frame was engineered specifically to withstand a steady diet of full-power magnum loads that had accelerated wear on the lighter K-frame, giving the 581 the durability of a heavy-duty service revolver in a balanced, carry-friendly package. Production ran until 1988, after which the fixed-sight L-frames were dropped from the catalog.

Smith & Wesson developed the L-frame after the K-frame Model 19/66 showed accelerated forcing-cone and frame wear under heavy .357 Magnum use by police agencies; the fixed-sight 581 and 681 were the no-frills duty versions of that beefier platform.

Smith & Wesson Model 581 specifications

The 581 is the blued, fixed-sight L-frame; the stainless equivalent is the Model 681. The adjustable-sight counterparts are the blued Model 586 and stainless Model 686.