Minimizing the cylinder turn line on my Charter Arms Pitbull

It’s caused by the locking bolt dragging on the cylinder. You can recontour the bolt, but IMO you’re just hastening the wear process.

The drag line is just cosmetic. Don’t fret over it.
If the gun locks up properly and is correctly timed, it’s inconsequential.

Some manufacturers do it on purpose; it's part of the design to show the locking mechanism is working properly. A drag that's just so slight that it leaves a neat scratch line from cylinder stop to cylinder stop is a good show of a working mechanism. If it's any worse than this, you might have a problem.
Honestly, I'd be more concerned about the cylinder stops themselves, to make sure they're always deep and not too worn

One of the features of an exquisitely-built wheelgun is timing the cylinder bolt to drop into the taper instead of onto to cylinder body. This offers no advantage, and takes great care; it probably adds a little risk that the bolt will miss the notch during very fast use. This is like gilt brake calipers on a McLaren; pointless, but pretty.

In your case, you might very slightly polish just the point on the bolt that contacts the cylinder body. That's it, no more, and very slightly.

Ummm, where the bolt drops depends on how it is designed to operate, not by tuning - you can't make a S&W bolt drop like the one on a Python no matter how hard you try...

The best way to "clean" it is to high polish the whole cylinder.

nevadabob said:

Is there any brand/type of polish that will clean this up a bit?

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I think it's something endemic to Pit Bulls maybe. Not being familar with the mechanism, I don't have any tuning advice. But you could polish a "pinstripe" on the cylinder. If I'm not mistaken, this is done by mirror-polishing the part, taping off the stripe, and then bead-blasting.



This one isn't done on the turn line, but you get the idea.

Sandblasted finishes sort of exaggerate the wear compared to brushed stainless - it's just "the nature of the beast".

Mizar said:

. . . where the bolt drops depends on how it is designed to operate, not by tuning - you can't make a S&W bolt drop like the one on a Python no matter how hard you try...

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Actual, you can. It would appear your library is short at least one Kuhnhausen book.

Edwardware, one can adjust a S&W style bolt (as it's the Charter Arms one) to drop late by no more than 2-3 mm - it's just that the mechanics don't allow for more. Please, take a good look to that video:


I really would like to be proven wrong. With facts.

My reaction to the question:

Mizar said:

I really would like to be proven wrong.

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Certainly. When you get the book, Cylinder Stop drop timing wraps up on pg 75.

Kuhnhausen considered the Stop dropping into the taper (instead of onto the body) to be merely 'correct' for a new or property worked over S&W, and attributed early drops to wear or misfit Triggers and Stops. Given the evolving standards of S&W production, Kuhnhausen himself couldn't get hired there now (an opinionated perfectionist!), and I haven't handled a 'correctly' timed new-production S&W, ever. My 1985 586 is almost late enough to drop into the taper, and probably was before the previous owner ran a couple barrels of silhouette loads through it.

I give up.

This used to concern me but after a while I chalked it up to “it adds character”. This came to me after watching a friend tinker with his Ruger and an S&W 19 to “time” them. Oh, he “timed” it all right. As long as he was slowly cocking the hammer on his S&W. It wasn’t locking up in DA or when quickly cocking the hammer.
Luckily he had sense enough to stop fooling with it when he realized it.
He sent his revolvers in to the factories for proper repairs.

Not saying that anyone can’t do this. Just be careful, please.

Depends on the finish on the cylinder.
A Ruger Stainless steel cylinder can be “refinished” by using 400-600 grit sand paper and lightly burnishing the finish in the direction of original factory finish.
A polished blue finish can be touched up with cream type cold blue.
However, first time it’s fired, or dry fired, line will reappear.

If it was mine I'll leave the drag line the way it is. It is very difficult to copy the very same factory finish on a stainless steel revolver. It seems to me stainless Charter Arms are bead blasted so it's nearly impossible to copy that finish by hands. In the past I had a couple of stainless S&W and a stainless Ruger and the drag line never bothered me. If you start with that than you'll continue with the drag line on the shield caused by the cylinder locking pin or whatever it's called.
I currently have a S&W 36-2 and a Wheirauch Target Trophy, both blued: the drag line is there but who cares?

5-SHOTS said:

... the drag line is there but who cares?

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Apparently, nevadabob might ... but he's allowed.

GBExpat said:

Apparently, nevadabob might ... but he's allowed.

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Oh yeah, it's his own revolver so he can do everythig he want on it.
In my opinion the risk is that in trying to make things better you could endup to get things worse.