Alas...the gun wasn't in the shape it should have been in. About 3min into my check the guy said, "I've never seen someone examine a gun in so much detail, what are you checking for?" I told him there were some thing with revolvers worth looking out for, and that I didn't mean to insult him by looking. We got along great and he said he would love to know more for next time he checked out a revolver. I said I was no pro, but I'd do my best.
Things that were good:
- Timing: Did the classic check with a small flashlight. Full lockup on each chamber with the light shining in from the back of the cylinder, looking down the barrel (I let the shop people know what I was doing and why before I did it). Two of the chambers were maybe just a tiny hair off, but it could have been my eyes. The rest seemed perfect.
- "Clicking" (Also timing? Not sure what to call this): I did the trick where you pull the hammer back just enough to spin the cylinder so I could hear it click as I spun the cylinder. I put solid sideways pressure on the trigger from the right side and it still made the clicking sound. Same with pressure on the trigger from the left. An old timer at the range told me about this so I thought it wouldn't hurt to check. He had a 624 he let me practice on and that one - it didn't "sing" (clicked) when leftward pressure was applied to the trigger. When this 686 did it with both sides I felt satisfied.
- Cylinder gap: Pretty self explanatory. I used printer paper as an impromptu gauge. It was on par with the shop's other Smiths to my eye so I figured it was fine.
- Bore: We all know what a good bore looks like
- Rear sight: Tight, no wiggle, no drop dings.
Things that weren't so good:
- Recoil guard: Some small gouges/dings. Evidence of it having been cowboy'd...
which he admitted to when I politely asked if he had ever flicked the cylinder shut like they do in the movies.
- Crane: When pressure applied, the gap between it and the frame seemed larger than what I saw on the shop's 686-1. I could almost get a credit card in there. More evidence of it being cowboy'd or forced open (more on that later).
- Ejector rod: Slightly bent, but operated smoothly. The knurling had been flattened in two spots as if someone had taken a pair of pliers to it in an attempt to tighten it...which was definitely necessary. It easily loosened, which I didn't know would cause the whole assembly to get stuck shut when closed. Spent 10min slowly tightening it with our fingernails before it would finally clear the forward pin in the underlug that engages the front of the ejector rod (not sure if that's the proper terminology, but hopefully you folks know what I'm talking about). I think the reason it was bent was because the assembly was forced open when it loosened. This would also explain the knurling damage since they probably tried to tighten it after having to smack it open.
- Ejector: Not sure if this is because of the bent rod, or because it wasn't totally tight, but the ejector would just barely hang up on the edge of two of the chambers when returning to position. If done quickly you wouldn't notice, but when I went slowly I could get it to rest on the chamber edge and fail to return to position under spring tension from there. Again, maybe this was just because the rod wasn't totally tight, or because there is a tolerance there that allows this to happen when the operation isn't done fast enough - like riding the slide on a pistol when chambering a round. Correct me if needed
- Screws: Good, but not
perfect. Someone had opened the gun up that wasn't a pro...
-
Trigger/hammer: Failed the push-test. Pulled the hammer back, put a plastic pen in front of the hammer, finger nowhere near the trigger, and pushed forward with about 75% of the pinching force between my thumb and index finger. The hammer fell. Tried it a couple times, and it fell every time.
In conclusion: If it had been just the hammer and ejector/rod issue, I would have just barely done the deal. But the bent crane and gouges in the recoil guard muddied the deal too much for me
I really wanted the gun, and it was hard saying no, but I feel like I made the right decision. The guy was totally cool with it, and thanked me for showing him what I saw. He seemed like an honest guy, and I think was just ignorant and not trying to pull one over on me. I offered him $400 cash given the condition of the gun, but he declined saying he was going to try and get more for it elsewhere. I do my best to reserve judgement of others' morals - lets not worry about his in our discussion
Could I have fixed it up and had a serviceable 686? Maybe, but I just don't feel like adding another project. Time, parts, etc. all add up and at the end of the day I'd rather just take cash for the CZ, even if its less than what the fixed smith would've been worth.
