[Vladimir Berkov]

I shot my revolver for the first time today, and noticed that some of the primer hits were off center. Does this mean my gun is out of time? Here are some pics.

http://home.elp.rr.com/kohlhaas/c1.JPG
http://home.elp.rr.com/kohlhaas/c2.JPG
http://home.elp.rr.com/kohlhaas/c3.JPG

[Peter M. Eick]

What type of relvover?

Compared to my diamondback when it was out of time, yours is nearly perfect. Mine would have firing pin hits all over the place. After a trip back to colt it is perfect in the center every time.

[Vladimir Berkov]

S&W model 10 (M&P)

[Bren]

Looks fine to me.

[Jim March]

You can't tell from that end. If the firing pin location is a tad off in the frame, it's no big deal and the gun may be just fine. Makers don't treat the firing pin location as being as precision-critical as, say, the crane.

Go run the checkout and look from the other end - see also the first thread in this forum.

[Vladimir Berkov]

I ran the checkout, and it is really hard to tell because I can't get enough light into the rear end of the thing to find out.

However, what scares me is the fact that even at "full lockup" there is still some rotational play in the cylinder.

[stans]

S&W revolvers usually do have just a tiny bit of rotational play at full lock up, Colt's do not. This is a function of the different styles of actions these two companies used. A timing problem usually shows up as lead being spit out of the barrel-cylinder gap and diminished accuracy.

[Standing Wolf]

Lots of guns deliver off-center firing pin points of impact. If it goes "bang," it's probably okay. That's not to say your revolver couldn't be out of time, but a.) eccentric firing pin indents aren't a reliable indicator, and b.) being out of time is significant only if accuracy is adversely affected.

[Mike Irwin]

If no one is laughing at your jokes, you may have a timing problem...


As Jim said, it's impossible to tell just from the fired casings.

A bore rod would have to be used to determine if the chambers are misaligned with the barrel when the action is at full cock and at rest.

[Vladimir Berkov]

Thanks guys. I shot it last weekend, and didn't notice any spit, although I did notice a little lead on the rear of the barrel.

I was shooting for function testing, not for accuracy. Next weekend I will do some serious shooting for accuracy and see what results I get.

[Prodigalshooter]

Huh, I was gonna say, "ask your wife", but then I saw the pictures, so, never mind!;)

[Jim March]

If you can't get enough light in at the rear (tried a surefire yet?) you need to do the rod down the barrel thing.

[Old Fuff]

1. Check and be SURE the revolver is unoaded.

2. Close and latch the cylinder.

3. Look at the yoke (the part that swings the cylinder in and out) from the front and see if it "wiggles" away from the frame when you push on the side of the cylinder. If so, the yoke is "sprung," and that could cause the off-center firing pin strike.

In general, the fired cases in your pictures don't look much different then ones fired in my M&P. Frankly, I don't think you have a problem - a least a serious one.

[Vladimir Berkov]

I did some testing, and my yoke is rock solid. I tried to check the timing using a flashlight, but I couldn't get enough light inside to see anything useful.

I did, however, check it using a cleaning rod. 4 cylinders are fine, however, on two, the rod hits the side of the cylinder on the left side. Once it hits, it turns the cylinder very slightly and you can hear it "click." After that, it is in perfect alignment.

So, what does this all mean?

[Jim K]

Some revolvers will not fully lock up if the cylinder is turned slowly or held back. But in normal firing, they will work fine, since either cylinder momentum brings the cylinder into alignment or the hand forces the cylinder into alignment as the hammer is falling.

Colt DA revolvers of the old system often will not lock up until the trigger is pulled, and S&W revolvers will sometimes be a tiny bit off locking up at all if turned slowly.

Again, normal operation will give the cylinder enough momemtum to lock up properly. As for off-center firing pin marks, first determine which way the mark is off center. Use a magic marker to mark the side of a case, then load making sure the mark will be on the top when the round is fired. That will tell you whether the indent is off center vertically (no problem) or horizontally (probably no problem but could indicate a timing problem).

Jim

[Skunkabilly]

Do I have a timing problem?

Women tell me that all the time :(

[goon]

Hold the gun in your firing hand and support it with your other hand. Place your left trigger finger over the front of the crane and dry fire the gun in DA. There will be a slight spring, but only a very little. The nerves in your finger-tips are very sensitive, so you will feel it. If it seems excessive, there could be a problem.
Nexy, slowly cock the gun. You are looking to see if the cylinder locks up exactly in sync with the hammer coming to full cock, or maybe a little before. If the cylinder isn't locked by the time the hammer is at full cock, the gun is out of time.
You may also find little half rings of copper jacket when you open the gun. If it is a little worse, it will shave lead and expel it from the cylinder gap.
Also, another tell-tale sign is if you begin to notice an occasional misfire, especially in fairly rapid DA fire.
My little used M-28 slipped one past me in the gunstore check out. It was a little out of time, but the store I bought it from sent it back to S&W for me. They are picking up the tab.
Needless to say, they will continue to recieve my patronage.

[Jim March]

If you have a timing problem, avoid stand-up comedy as a career choice.

[stans]

HA, ha, ha....