I am new to revolvers. Bought an S&W 627 PC as a grad present to myself. There is a slight, much less than 1 mm rotational movement in the cylinder. This is the same whether the hammer is back or not. Is this normal? How much rotational movement is acceptable?
Cylinder Movement on S&W
- Thread starter bskillet
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Tallinar
Member
Bearing in mind that a millimeter is about 39/1000 of an inch, then yes, less than a millimeter's worth of play when the hammer is cocked or while the trigger is still depressed after firing sounds about right to me.
I think in every revolver I've held, there is a very, very (I mean very) slight amount of rotational play here. As long as the gun times up correctly, I think you're gonna be just fine.
I think in every revolver I've held, there is a very, very (I mean very) slight amount of rotational play here. As long as the gun times up correctly, I think you're gonna be just fine.
Guillermo
member
That sounds like a good tight gun. Enjoy it.
A Colt is at "full lock up" when the hammer falls (check weapon, pull hammer back, pull trigger back and let hammer down while still holding the trigger) should have NO rotational movement.
A Colt is at "full lock up" when the hammer falls (check weapon, pull hammer back, pull trigger back and let hammer down while still holding the trigger) should have NO rotational movement.
gbw
Member
If it's a new gun the rotational play will increase slightly after some use.
The play exists because the bolt that snaps up into the slot in the cylinder to stop rotation is slightly less wide than both the cylinder slot and the slot in the frame through which it pokes.
Both slots will widen slightly initially with use. More if you fire the gun very fast in double action or yank the hammer back quickly. This is one way to gauge if the revolver has been heavily used or abused.
The rotation is limited by the slots in one direction and usually the 'hand' position (it rotates the cylinder when the trigger is retracted) in the other.
When the trigger is pulled the hand moves slightly higher forcing the cylinder into the bolt and the rotation will largely disappear at the moment of firing.
The play exists because the bolt that snaps up into the slot in the cylinder to stop rotation is slightly less wide than both the cylinder slot and the slot in the frame through which it pokes.
Both slots will widen slightly initially with use. More if you fire the gun very fast in double action or yank the hammer back quickly. This is one way to gauge if the revolver has been heavily used or abused.
The rotation is limited by the slots in one direction and usually the 'hand' position (it rotates the cylinder when the trigger is retracted) in the other.
When the trigger is pulled the hand moves slightly higher forcing the cylinder into the bolt and the rotation will largely disappear at the moment of firing.
rcmodel
Member in memoriam
On a Colt it will.
S&W doesn't work that way.
rc
Gato Montés
Member
I don't want to hijack the thread, but this was exactly my question. I rigged up a crappy camera to get an equally crappy video of the rotational movement in play. BTW, for a man with few tools, what's the best way of measuring rotational movement?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ejeWshf5dw8
Doesn't that seem a little excessive to you? I took it to a S&W repair center and they said it was fine, but...
(This is the Model 64 I got from J&G in the VG+ condition)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ejeWshf5dw8
Doesn't that seem a little excessive to you? I took it to a S&W repair center and they said it was fine, but...
(This is the Model 64 I got from J&G in the VG+ condition)
Gato Montés
Member
Figured I'd bump this due to the website's downtime.
MachIVshooter
Member
Nasser-
Your 64 is a bit loose, but nothing to lose sleep over. If you're really concerned about it, it can be fixed. Probably cost more than the pistol itself, though. Unless you're noticing really poor accuracy or actually getting slivers of bullet coming out of the cylinder gap, I'd just enjoy the gun.
Your 64 is a bit loose, but nothing to lose sleep over. If you're really concerned about it, it can be fixed. Probably cost more than the pistol itself, though. Unless you're noticing really poor accuracy or actually getting slivers of bullet coming out of the cylinder gap, I'd just enjoy the gun.
Gato Montés
Member
Now that you mention it, if this does prove to be a problem how much do you think it would cost to correct? From my own understanding, fixing the problem seems to usually involve fitting an oversized cylinder stop, which doesn't seem to be a $100 or more fix.
MikeJackmin
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I'm no gunsmith, but I have heard that a little wobble is actually a good thing - it can (supposedly) allow the bullet to self-center a bit as it enters the forcing cone.
I dunno if the theory is correct, but in practice, a little wobble is, in and of itself, not really a problem. If the gun were shaving lead, or sometimes failing to lock up, or sometimes over-running the lock, then yeah, you'd want to fix that. Absent those symptoms, just shoot it and enjoy it. It probably has more accuracy and service life left than most of us could fully put to use.
I dunno if the theory is correct, but in practice, a little wobble is, in and of itself, not really a problem. If the gun were shaving lead, or sometimes failing to lock up, or sometimes over-running the lock, then yeah, you'd want to fix that. Absent those symptoms, just shoot it and enjoy it. It probably has more accuracy and service life left than most of us could fully put to use.
dfariswheel
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The S&W, Ruger, Dan Wesson, Taurus, and the later Colt's like the Mark III to King Cobra revolvers are specifically designed to allow the cylinder to be slightly loose when the trigger is pulled.
This is to allow the bullet entering the bore to force the chamber into alignment with the bore.
The only modern DA revolver that locks the cylinder tightly in place is the older Colt action as used on the Detective Special and Python types.
The "Standard" for the S&W cylinder being too loose is to test fire. If the gun is accurate and doesn't spit bullet metal, it's good to go.
This is to allow the bullet entering the bore to force the chamber into alignment with the bore.
The only modern DA revolver that locks the cylinder tightly in place is the older Colt action as used on the Detective Special and Python types.
The "Standard" for the S&W cylinder being too loose is to test fire. If the gun is accurate and doesn't spit bullet metal, it's good to go.
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