First Revolver cylinder question

[jackslayer]

I just bought a Smith and Wesson 617 and being unfamiliar with revolvers, I thought I'd consult the online experts.

How tight should the cylinder be when it's closed?

Mine has some play and I'm concerned about how this might affect my shots. I've heard people mentioning their revolvers spitting back at them.

If my pistol has this problem (I have yet to shoot it) is there a simple fix?

Any other info a newbie should have? Thanks

 

[9mmepiphany]

There is always some movement in a S&W.

Take a look at the revolver checkout thread at the top to figure out how to check yours
http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=1430

 

[gamestalker]

I would shoot it first before addressing concerns unless of course it is really loose.
With the gun empty, pull the hammer back to full cocked position and then move the cylinder back and forth. It should be fairly tight. Now cock it and pull the trigger and without moving your trigger finger back or forward check for any movement again. Now do the same thing with DA at full lock up and after the hammer drops. Do this all the way around several times until your certain your not changing the position of the trigger after the hammer drops. A small amount of movement during any of the tests isn't necessarly bad, but it should return to center or where it was before you moved it, after you let go of it.
I'm not sure my instructions were very clear and would encourage someone else to chime in with better instructions as how to check the action.

 

[Remllez]

If it's a new gun....shoot it,if it's a used gun.....shoot it....if you have problems with spitting send it back Smith will fix it....you can take it to a gunshop or gunsmith and have him check it over if you are worried about the timing. Take a revolver friend along when you buy your next gun...it might save you some trouble.

 

[Cop Bob]

If it is out of time, (shaving lead) it is a pretty simple fix, and the part needed (cylinder locking lug) is not expensive..

GENERALLY... if the cylinder notches are worn or damaged (and a close inspection of all six notches will show this, it is usually only one or two notches that will be worn or damaged , and it is rare, usually only in really well worn older guns.. then the cylinder would have to be replaced, for that, unless you have a good gunsmith available that knows how to fit one... I would sent it back to Smith..

I generally don't see too many that are seriously out of time, and usually it is not noticed when shooting jacketed ammo, usually with wadcutter (in 38's) or sharp shouldered lead Keith Style bullets..

If you are REALLY worried about it, tape a few sheets of typing paper on a post or wall about a foot or two (indoor range booths are great for this) to the side of the gun try a few shots down range and see if you notice any gray spattering or little partial semi-circle dents or cuts in the paper...

Usually, it is from complaints of the guy standing next to you on the firing line who catches an occasional shard... they generally with target loads it is nothing more than an annoyance to them and it greatly effects their accuracy (hard to concentrate when you think that the next time the guy next to you pulls the trigger is gonna sting you, kinda like, but not as bad as hot brass down the collar,,, OUCH) It does have an effect on the overall accuracy of YOUR weapon as well,,, how much depends on how far out of time it is...

Severe cases with hot loads are not healthy, it does cause pressures to spike, but I have never heard of a gun blowing up due to it..

 

[451 Detonics]

Play in the cylinder at rest isn't an issue really unless it is really excessive. If you are concerned make sure the gun is empty then pull the trigger through and while holding the trigger back check the cylinder for play. Lock up at firing is what is important. You can also check the cylinder line-up by doing the same thing and dropping a range rod down the bore. It should take a service rod without any problem and a good gun will take let a match rod drop to the recoil shield. If it won't take a service rod it needs to be seen by a gunsmith.

http://www.brownells.com/.aspx/pid=655/Product/REVOLVER_RANGE_RODS

 

[rcmodel]

On any modern S&W, whether the trigger is held back or not shouldn't make any differance.

Colt DA revolvers are the only ones made that used the hand pressure against the cylinder ratchet as part of the cylinder lock-up.
A Colt is loose as a goose, unless the trigger is held back and the hand is pushing tightly on the ratchet.

Everything else, including S&W, doesn't work that way.
A S&W is intentially slightly loose at full lock-up, and it doesn't get any tighter with the trigger held back.

rc

 

[rogertc1]

Wow S&W has a lifetime warrentee....cool

 

[rcmodel]

Wow S&W has a lifetime warrentee....cool

The Limited Lifetime Warranty applies only to a point.
They don't warranty guns they made in 1925, or 1949, or even 1969.

The cut-off point is February 1, 1989 or newer.

However, they did replace a broken firing pin on a Model 66 made before that cut-off point free for a friend recently.

rc

 

[oldbear]

If my pistol has this problem (I have yet to shoot it) is there a simple fix?

Yes, but only if you know what you are doing, It’s simply a matter of adding a shim

An easy way to check for “end shake” is to slip a post it note between the barrel and forcing cone, if it will insert the end shake is not to tight, if you can fold the post it note in half and can insert it between the barrel and forcing cone the gap is to large.

 

[rcmodel]

That would not be measuring end-shake.
That is how you measure barrel/cylinder gap.

Anyway
A Post-It note is .0035" thick, so doubled it would be .007" thick.
One Post-It note at .0035" is too tight a B/C gap for shooting lead bullets without cylinder binding eventually.
A doubled one at .007" would be pretty good, and certainly not too large.

But to measure end-shake, you have to use a headspace Gage in the chamber, then wedge the cylinder all the way to the rear and measure the B/C gap with a automotive steel feeler guage set.

Then wedge the cylinder all the way foreword and measure it again.
Subtracting the difference in measurements will give you the end-shake in thousands of an inch.

rc

 

[Jim K]

In fact, endshake is one of those problems that is more in evidence on these sites than in the real world. Some undoubted experts have talked up endshake so much, and warned about its problems to the point that some folks feel that any lengthwise movement at all is a total disaster. It is like "excess headspace", a condition that causes endless chatter on these sites, and endless concern among newbies, but which is rare in real life.

Any mechanical device that involves motion needs room to move; both excess tightness and excess looseness can cause problems. For example, a revolver with too little barrel-cylinder gap can hang up, not because of dirt, but because heat from fring expands the cylinder lengthwise. Yet that aspect of the b-c gap is seldom mentioned.

Jim