Accuracy issues in my snub- maybe the crown?

IMO, even the worst crown wouldn't cause 8" groups at 7 yards.

Have you tried another ammo?

What gun?

What is the q-tip test?

I'd fire 3-5 different known ammos of at least two cylinders each before I'd damn the gun or crown behind a single ammo.... ESPECIALLY wadcutters.

I love them in the guns that they work best in but I've had some otherwise wonderful revolvers in which they shoot poorly.

I put it casually and generally (amateur physicists - back the hell off, I'm generalizing here) down to the travel distance wadcutters must cover before being axially oriented at the forcing cone and initiation of the rifling.

Todd.

This wouldnt be a Windicator by any chance, would it?

I would determine who is the best shot of people you know , and ask them to test shoot it. If they have the same problem, it's the gun or ammo. If they get good groups, ask them what you are doing wrong.

8 inch groups are pretty horrific. The crown would probably have to be super damaged and very easy to see.

I would say you need to shoot any other bullet type if you're shooting .38spl brass. The additional distance the bullet has to travel is probably giving the projectile a chance to hit the cylinder throat a little off and killing accuracy.

Can you see damage? Any imperfections large enough to cause accuracy issues would be visible.

what specific ammo are you shooting? factory or handloads? which brand?

Try some jacketed bullets.

Are the wadcutters factory or handloads? I’ve had handloads that shot completely different (horribly) in a snub compared to a 4 inch barrel.

reddog81 said:

Can you see damage? Any imperfections large enough to cause accuracy issues would be visible.

Click to expand...

What he said ^^^^

Try different ammo. Try several.
I have 3 J frame revolvers. All 3 like different ammo...luckily they all shoot American Gunner well, but in regards to other ammo it’s touch and go. My model 60 Pro has large groups at 10 yards with Hornady Critical Defense. They would probably measure 8”. I lives Federal Hydra-Shok. Zeros right in.
Try some other ammo then re-evaluate things.

A detailed image(s) sure would be helpful.
All this speculation ...

Looks fine to me

Is there any chance it’s out of time? Chambers not aligned with the barrel? Is it a brand new gun or used?

I think your crown would have to be pretty jacked up to be that far off. This is the crown on my wife's 2.5 inch snubbie 357 GP100. You can see the 2 deep cuts on the right side of the crown( when pointing at a target). We were going to send it in, but it shoots so damn good, I'm afraid it will come back worse.

I see nothing wrong either.

I have never understood why anyone would store a gun in a toolbox.

If it’s always shot poorly I think it’s Ruger-sized charge holes shrinking bullets down before the bullet hits the forcing cone. The bullets may “rattle” a bit heading down the bore if they’re too small in diameter after being squeezed by tight chamber mouths. Pin gauge the holes to check the size, if they’re too small you can pay a gunsmith to open them up a touch.

If it shot well before it spent time amongst the Craftsman hammers and wrenches, you’ve knocked it out of time and the bullet is hitting the forcing cone at an odd angle every shot. (If it spits lead that’s a good sign that’s probably the issue.) You may have bent the crane as well. If that’s the case, send it to Ruger for repair.

The crown looks fine, I have some older guns that look much worse than that.

Stay safe.

Try shooting the firearm from a bench rest with the gun set into sandbags before passing judgement on its accuracy.

Later I did note you had said you used a a bench and rest position. My
apologies.