Is this normal for a revolver?

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megatronrules

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I have a S&W 340 M&P and just noticed when the cylinder is closed there is a very small amount of play in the crane/frame.

What I mean by this is theres a bit of a gap between the crane and frame that becomes visable,this happens when I push the cylinder outward when its closed. This is very slight mind you but I figured I'd ask if it were a problem or dangerous or anything.
 
This is not a problem, as long as your weapons inherent accuracy is not suffering. I have many smith revolvers and they have a little play, which is the norm. Ruger revolvers have an additional latch on the crane, yet there is no obvious accuracy difference. In fact, I would say my Smiths are more accurate.
 
It is hard to say for 100% certain without actually being able to see it, but this sounds normal to me. S&W revolvers also have a tiny, minimal amount of play even when the hammer is cocked and the cylinder is in full lockup.
 
a bit of a gap between the crane and frame that becomes visable,this happens when I push the cylinder outward when its closed.
Click to expand...
You are very fortunate then.
Most of the newer ones have a very visable gap all the time, without pushing on the cylinder.

rc
 
yes a small amount of play will always be there. as others have said, if you have to push to see it, it's pretty tight.

i have some older revolvers which are so closely fitted that it looks solid (except for the line) until you push on the cylinder, but i don't expect that level of workmanship today.

i had a M-34 which a former BIL "opened the gap" for me by snaping the cylinder open and shut like he had seen on TV. the cure is almost as bad.

it's too ugly to detail. i'll just say it entails vice, a Q-tip and a lead babit
 
I have a 500 Magnum that I purchased new. Shortly after I purchsed it, I called S&W to ask them if some play in the cylinder and possibly in the crane is normal.

He said without hesitation "what you are explaining is completely NORMAL."

When you shoot it, if there is any lead or copper shearing and you or bystanders feel shrapnel, then I would stop and immediately sent it back to have them work on it. If not, then fire away! When you open the crane, never swing it open, but rather open it carefully. If you swing it you will undoubtedly bend the crane connecting rod, which, in turn, would do just as you are explaining!
 
This play is normal with modern revolvers, Ruger and Taurus more so that S&W, in my experience.
However, as one poster noted before, I own and have owned some 'classic' revolvers, American and British, where there isn't any play whatsoever. I guess we can't expect that level of machine tolerance these days.....
 
Its a funny thing someone here mentioned " hollywooding" or flicking it closed one handed could cause this. I bought this gun new and have never done this to my 340 M&P or any other revolver ever. I showed this gun to a friend a couple of weeks ago and he flicked it closed one handed,could him doing this once cause this? If the problem is a bent cylinder rod is it some this my local gun smith could fix? Do I have to replace the rod with a new one of can this one be unbent?
 
he flicked it closed one handed,could him doing this once cause this? If the problem is a bent cylinder rod is it some this my local gun smith could fix? Do I have to replace the rod with a new one of can this one be unbent?
Click to expand...

thie problem isn't caused by a bent ejection rod, it would be caused by the crane actually being "sprung"...that's why it doesn't align as closely with the frame...it needs to be "bent" back
 
Could my gunsmith bend the crane back properly or would S&W have to do this? Like i said the movement play is very slight but I was more worried about functional issues. I really chewed him over that and I won't type here some of the choice word that were used on him. Hes is new to gun and shooting but he has gone to the range with me a few time and has always handled a firearm safely. This is why I was shocked when he used the Hollywood method to close my guns cylinder.

Looking at the guns crane it doesn't look bent it looks perfectly straight,is this something the you need measuring tools to determine? Can it be notice with the naked eye?
 
if the crane is "sprung", it is still straight, it is just no longer sitting at the correct angle

in my experience, it is just determined by eye...how it lines up with the frame.

i just looked at a few of my revolvers to double check.

stainless: M-696 - it looks like someone just drew a pencil line on a solid piece of steel; M-642 - were it not for the color difference between alloys, you wouldn't know it was there.

blued: M-14 & M-17 - you have to angle it in the light to see the line at all
 
9mmepiphany is this dangerous to me at all to fire the gun this way? As I sai i just noticed this it is quite possible that it was this way all along perhaps? This gun had to go back to S&W a month after I bought it to have a new crane fit to it under warrenty,and when I got the gun back I only examined it for forward to rear movement inside the frame which was it was sent back for. It never occurred to me to check it for crane to frame fit/play at all.

however since I never noticed this before I just assumed my friend hollywooding it closed was the cause. But from what I'm reading here it seems like some of the newer S&W guns have these minor fitting issues these days so i don't know. I guess if the gap worsens or it starts spitting or shaving lead its ok,if any of the above occurs I'll just sent it off to S&W and have them fix it under their lifetime guarantee.
 
it's not dangerous as long as the cylinder is still lining up with the barrel.

it is less of a problem with Pythons than S&Ws as the hand on the Colt pushes the cylinder into the frame, whereas the S&W pushes it out as you pull the trigger.

the only reason i noticed that mine was out of alignment was that it was spitting lead sideways and wasn't as accurate as before...bear in mind that mine was only a .22lr
 
When someone flicks your revolver shut educate them. If they laugh it off never let them touch any of your guns again.
 
Drail Oh I educated him alright on why that should never be done to a revolver in real life,even though some think it looks cool in the movies. I was Pissed at him and won't type the things I called him here. He did get a stern warning to never handle one of my revolvers like this ever again.
 
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