I have a S and W 586 that I've shot quite a bit, that when I check out the cylinder wiggle as prescribed in the other Thread "Checking out a Revolver" I find the cylinder does move back and forth a bit when the trigger is held full to the rear. Not sure how much is too much. Haven't shot it recently, but remember the last time I did, I'd find what appeared to be some lead residue on the outside of barrel just forward of the cylinder. Also, have seen others discuss "Spitting" when fired due to cylinder not being square. If this is a tingley feeling like your hands are being showered with fine particles when you shoot the weapon, I guess it's doing that also. Have seen others discussing getting the barrel turned back a turn to close the gap (It's got one, I can see it with the naked eye, but am not sure how to measure it), but guess it will have to also be trued up by a good Smith to align the cylinder and bore. Is this fairly routine work that most any gunsmiths can perform, or do I need one of the high dollar revolver wizards? What kind of cash will it take? Don't want to spend the cost of a new revolver to fix an oldie. Any recommendations on who does good work?
Cylinder gap and wiggle - remedy?
- Thread starter duckjihad
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Nashmack
Member
You should be able to bring it to any reputable smith and have it timed, or contact S&W. I believe they can refurbish it for you.
Deanimator
Member
1. Timing an S&W revolver is something any competent gunsmith should be able to do.
2. If the forcing cone is not square, that requires removing the barrel, milling the rear square, and if necessary lathing the barrel hood (the part that butts up against the frame when you screw the barrel in) away so that the barrel will index properly. This is a job for a competent gunsmith. Having talked to a number of people, the consensus is that sending the gun back to S&W is probably the most cost effective solution. If they're not equipped and skilled to do the job, literally nobody is.
I advise you to take the gun to a good smith and have him adjust the timing if necessary. If that fixes the problem, you're done and you've skipped the minor hassle of sending your gun to S&W. If it doesn't, you've eliminated one problem before the big one gets fixed at S&W. That's the plan for my Model 29.
2. If the forcing cone is not square, that requires removing the barrel, milling the rear square, and if necessary lathing the barrel hood (the part that butts up against the frame when you screw the barrel in) away so that the barrel will index properly. This is a job for a competent gunsmith. Having talked to a number of people, the consensus is that sending the gun back to S&W is probably the most cost effective solution. If they're not equipped and skilled to do the job, literally nobody is.
I advise you to take the gun to a good smith and have him adjust the timing if necessary. If that fixes the problem, you're done and you've skipped the minor hassle of sending your gun to S&W. If it doesn't, you've eliminated one problem before the big one gets fixed at S&W. That's the plan for my Model 29.
DWARREN123
Member
If firing Lead Round Nose this can happen, it does on my revolvers but not with FMJ,JSP or JHP ammo.
If you are unsure,take it to a smith who is known for working on S&W's or call Smith and Wesson.
Just my opinion.
If you are unsure,take it to a smith who is known for working on S&W's or call Smith and Wesson.
Just my opinion.
Sport45
Member
Go ahead and measure the cylinder gap and end shake. If you don't have a set of feeler gauges you can get them at most auto parts stores or a Sears Hardware store. It will look like a multi-blade knife with a bunch of thin metal "blades". If you can, get one that goes from .002" to .025" or so.
Clean the revolver, paying particular attention to scrubbing lead off of the front of the cylinder and back of the barrel. Don't worry about the stains, just get the lead.
Take the feeler gauge apart so that you have a loose pile of blades.
Start by measuring headspace. That's the gap between the recoil shield and the back of the cylinder with the cylinder forward. Mx and match stacks of feller gauge blades until you het a stack that fits this gap with some (but not so much that you have to force things) resistance. Add up the thicknesses of the blades and that's your headspace.
Now measure barrel/cylinder gap. That's the distance between the back of the barrel and the front of the cylinder with the cylinder forward. Reserve the smallest gauges and use a stack of the larger ones to wedge the cylinder forward. (I just leave the gauges in that I measured headspace with, but I have a lot of duplicate feeler gauges.) Stack gauges until you can just push the stack between the cylinder and barrel. Add up the thicknesses and this is your b/c gap. It should be .004" - .010", preferably closer to .006" or so.
Now you can measure endshake. Take the stack of gauges out that was forcing the cylinder forward. Measure the b/c gap while allowing the gauges to push the cylinder fully back. The difference between this measurement and the b/c gap is endshake. On a S&W revolver this should be less than .002".
Technically these measurements should all be taken with the hammer down and trigger held back, but I'm not sure that's necessary.
Once you've taken these measurements report back and others (I'm certainly no expert here) can help you decide what corrective measures should be taken.
End shake can be corrected by stretching the crane or adding endshake bearings. Either of these fixes adds to b/c gap.
Clean the revolver, paying particular attention to scrubbing lead off of the front of the cylinder and back of the barrel. Don't worry about the stains, just get the lead.
Take the feeler gauge apart so that you have a loose pile of blades.
Start by measuring headspace. That's the gap between the recoil shield and the back of the cylinder with the cylinder forward. Mx and match stacks of feller gauge blades until you het a stack that fits this gap with some (but not so much that you have to force things) resistance. Add up the thicknesses of the blades and that's your headspace.
Now measure barrel/cylinder gap. That's the distance between the back of the barrel and the front of the cylinder with the cylinder forward. Reserve the smallest gauges and use a stack of the larger ones to wedge the cylinder forward. (I just leave the gauges in that I measured headspace with, but I have a lot of duplicate feeler gauges.) Stack gauges until you can just push the stack between the cylinder and barrel. Add up the thicknesses and this is your b/c gap. It should be .004" - .010", preferably closer to .006" or so.
Now you can measure endshake. Take the stack of gauges out that was forcing the cylinder forward. Measure the b/c gap while allowing the gauges to push the cylinder fully back. The difference between this measurement and the b/c gap is endshake. On a S&W revolver this should be less than .002".
Technically these measurements should all be taken with the hammer down and trigger held back, but I'm not sure that's necessary.
Once you've taken these measurements report back and others (I'm certainly no expert here) can help you decide what corrective measures should be taken.
End shake can be corrected by stretching the crane or adding endshake bearings. Either of these fixes adds to b/c gap.
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