Highway Patrolman - bad charge hole ---

[Mowgli Terry]

I'd still give Smith a call. There's nothing of loose. Let me share my thinking on repairs to my revolvers. One, the 27, was a keeper. This is the handgun that was repaired with the wrong cylinder (not recessed). The expense would be spread over years I planned to have the gun. One the Model 29 the story was different. The cylinder was replaced. The cylinder was correct for the gun. The gun was updated. That one I was going to have to eat. As it happened it was traded to a friend for really interesting rifle.Those handguns having five chambers was entirely unacceptable. The cylinder was already damaged. Having the chambers opened up was off the table due to safety concerns There was nobody locally that could come close to repairing those guns. Took that off the table.Factory repaired in the end. Call to the factory is still suggested. Several years later another problem popped up. The the home ship did not work on guns with no model number. S&W rep gave a referral to a company that was able to do excellent work. That company is no longer in business. Culturally long winded down here. I apologize for the length of this post.

 

[Waveski]

Culturally long winded down here. I apologize for the length of this post.

No apology needed ; I am glad for your input. Regarding a call to S&W , I have not yet decided , but am leaning in that direction. I have already gone to the time , trouble and expense of acquiring a replacement cylinder , hoping that it would just drop in.(no luck...) It is a very nice recessed cylinder ; I guess I should go the distance. Other projects have held up a decision on the H.P. ...

I've had a bit of bad luck with revolvers of late. Perhaps making the Highway Patrolman right will turn that around.

 

[Waveski]

Finally made a move --- The damaged Highway Patrolman is now in the hands of a gentleman in Iowa. I acted on a tip from a forum acquaintance ... I am optimistic that I have found a good , available & reliable gunsmith. Soon the proof will be in the pudding , to use an old phrase. (The gunsmith and I have an aggregate age in excess of 130 , so I am entitled to use antiquated figures of speech.)

 

[Mowgli Terry]

Great, glad for you youngsters. Glad you found somebody that can still do the work. Take care and be safe.

 

[Waveski]

I am very VERY pleased to announce that my Highway Patrolman is back in my hands. The fitting of the replacement cylinder involved cleaning up the ejector star , tweaking the crane , and a slight facing of the forcing cone.

The barrel/forcing cone gap is now .005 . My smith also shimmed the hammer to prevent further frame contact , somehow "erased" the hammer abrasions without having to send the hammer out to be re- heat treated , re-blued the ejector rod (which I stupidly marred while attempting to install the cylinder myself) , and polished the action.

The cost was reasonable. I got me an honest to goodness old school gunsmith. I could not be more pleased with the outcome of this long dragged out situation.

To those who encouraged me to go to the trouble and expense to make the N frame right rather than unloading it , I thank you. This is a good day.

 

[Mowgli Terry]

Great that you got your handgun to your liking. People that can do that kind of work are getting scarcer each year. How about an update on how your 28 shoots. Thanks for bringing us up to date.
.

 

[bannockburn]

Waveski

Great to hear everything worked out for the best for your Model 28!

 

[Walkalong]

Awesome, and it's a beauty, much nicer than mine.

 

[CajunBass]

Glad you got it fixed. That's a great old lady you got there.

 

[gotboostvr]

So here's the important question;

How's it shoot?

 

[Waveski]

How's it shoot?

Well , I have not yet put the H.P. to much of a test ... just one quick session under less than ideal conditions : racing against darkness , barely could see the front sight. I propped up the box the revolver shipped back in and fired off a few rounds. 35' , standing unsupported. Had a few fliers at first then settled in a bit. I have not put a scale on the trigger but it feels smooth and breaks nicely.

I'll do better when I can see , but I was very satisfied with the result.

 

[gotboostvr]

At over 10 yards and in less than ideal conditions, that's not a bad group at all.

 

[JONWILL]

1. Over pressure cartridge. Most likely using reloaded ammunition that was loaded too hot. That is why the owner got rid of it. The reason the gun did not grenade is because it is so overbuilt.

2. Yes

3. It is not a simple drop in replacement part. The hand and bolt will need to be fitted to give the gun the proper lockup. I don't know if the "Mother Ship" still has old parts in inventory.

This it the correct answer. Over pressure.

 

[Waveski]

#1 was indeed correct , at least the first and third parts. My fault , or as I like to put it : "pilot error".
"Over pressure cartridge" - yes.
"That is why the owner got rid of it." - Nope. My doing , my fault.
"The reason the gun did not grenade is because it is so overbuilt." Most likely , yes.
And , #3 - "not a simple drop in" - also correct.

Some people learn the hard way. At least all that got hurt was my pride and my wallet. But - major silver lining - I hooked up with a great gunsmith. , also got a lot of good feedback here.

All's well that ends well.

 

[dahermit]

The model 28 was a favorite years ago for conversion to .44 Spl. This was a very common conversion and was my first thought. However, where would you get a barrel for .44 Spl now days? I'm still amazed that cylinders are available for .357.

Years ago (seventies I think), I had a M28 converted to .44 Spl. by Snapps Gun Shop in Michigan...but I think they are long gone. Nevertheless, what I would like to point out is that the conversion used the existing barrel...you would not need to search for a .44 barrel if converting to .44 Spl. is the way you want to go. Your cylinder may be junk though...

 

[robhof]

At this point the question on my mind is : If I were to acquire one of the cylinders I have seen listed, (Midway , USA Guns and Gear , and others ) , what are the chances it will be a drop in replacement? Swapping cylinders is easy ; timing and tuning is well out of my league. If I need to send the revolver off to a smith , 2 way shipping and all , the option of cutting losses starts to look practical.

Before you spend any money, CONTACT S&W, they might not help, but they MAY! worth the call or Email to customer svs.. A friend bought a Ruger P85 for $50, owner said it was unsafe, fired when safety was on, I knew there was a recall on the 85, told him, Ruger totally rebuilt the gun and sent it back no charge,(paid postage both ways too). S&W used to do that too, worth a shot before you invest.

 

[edwardware]

The cost was reasonable. I got me an honest to goodness old school gunsmith. I could not be more pleased with the outcome of this long dragged out situation.

And we need the NAME of said gunsmith! Give it up, don't be greedy!

 

[Waveski]

dahermit and rofhof ,

If you scroll up to post #80 you will find a summary of the work recently completed on the rehabilitated H.P. , including the installation of a replacement cylinder that I acquired a few months back. The original cylinder is now a paper weight.

 

[Saleen322]

For what it's worth, cylinder replacement training is included in the S&W revolver course. The replacement cylinder is made oversize and cut to fit. We use a ratchet tool to make the rough cuts on the cylinder ratchets and then file each one for final fit. It can be done is a couple of hours. I think I have l done not more than 2 or 3 cylinders and one of them was during training so it does not happen often.

 

[Waveski]

And we need the NAME of said gunsmith! Give it up, don't be greedy!

Mr Edwardware ,

In answer to your request I provide the following link , with the permission from the gunsmith , Evan Bennett. Very interesting article , I think.
http://www.albianews.com/news/article_ec0c57a4-23ad-11e8-9248-f35114b728cc.html

Saleen322 - The cylinder I provided to Mr. Bennett was from another revolver , not a factory new replacement. Your description of the procedure for fitting a replacement cylinder is very interesting ; I did not know that it was such a complex job.