New to revolvers: is this normal?

[andrechuk]

I just purchased a GP100 and have noticed the satin stainless finish on the cylinder is being scratched by (correct my terminology if it is incorrect) the lower or bottom strap cylinder lock.

It's not too noticeable, and I figured it was normal until thinking about a blued cylinder (where it'd be very noticeable, and I've never seen this on blued revolvers).

Attached is a photo...I appreciate any comments/info.

 

[jakk280rem]

this is normal

 

[jakk280rem]

i have a ruger bisley vaquero in 45 that is blued. it has many miles on it and the drag mark is quite noticable.

 

[andrechuk]

Drag mark. Normal.

Thanks for the info.

 

[Magnum.35744]

andrechuk...

It's alright man. Just the guns way of saying everything is working properly and has a little character to it. I remember freaking out when I saw my grandpa's SS Ruger Security Six had a drag line . But like the other posts he said it was normal. And could be polished out anyhow. It's all good .

-Tre

 

[Old Fuff]

It's more then normal, it's necessary...

When the revolver is double-actioned quickly the cylinder can revolve ahead of the hand or pawl that turns it. When this happens the cylinder stop or latch may not be released soon enough to catch the notch in the cylinder and you'll skip a chamber. When the stop is released early (therefore making the mark) it acts as a brake, and slows the cylinder. You do really want that little mark. The only time you don't see it is on safe queens.

 

[The Lone Haranguer]

Just what I like to call a "turn line." Perfectly normal. It should however be nothing but a light rub mark and should not be jagged, crooked or have palpable (i.e., snag your fingernail if you run it across) scoring.

 

[Wheeler44]

That is the way that the revolver tells us what the gunshow seller won't.

 

[Danus ex]

It's normal, and it varies from gun to gun. I have four Colt D-frame revolvers and they've all got different looking lines. My carry gun, a Detective Special, has a very prominent drag line that almost shows bare metal. On the other hand, my main shooting gun, a Police Positive, has a drag line that's barely noticeable.

 

[foghornl]

I have heard it described as "Cylinder Locking Bolt Drag Line". It is normal on revolvers...it even shows up a bit on my SS Vaquero (Single-Action revolver) but you do have to look very closely.

Old Fuff described the action of the cylinder lock/bolt perfectly.

Shows up a bit, too, on my Blackpowder "Navy Colt"

 

[351 WINCHESTER]

All my revolvers have the drag mark. Normal. There is a fix if it bothers you too much. You can have a gunsmith stone down the cylinder stop slightly and this will eliminate the "problem". Personally I would not worry about it.

 

[bruss01]

Wish I had talked to you first!

You can put a stop to this.

Disassemble the revolver. Once you have the trigger group removed, the pawl can be easily removed by carefully sliding it to the side, off the pivot on which it turns. Now get a magnifying glass and look at it very closely. Does it look "rough", like it was just cut out of a piece of steel? It should look polished and have slightly radiused leading and tailing edges. If it's very rough, take a fingernail board and carefully give it a light dressing. Inspect frequently, and do not change the geometry - just SMOOTH what is there. Once that is looking about as good as you can get it with the fingernail board, take your dremmel and the POLISH WHEEL and a bit of that red rouge polish stuff. Buff it up nicely where ever it would contact the cylinder. DO NOT USE ANY SANDING OR ABRASIVE DISKS - THIS WILL REMOVE TOO MUCH METAL. USE ONLY THE BUFFING WHEEL. Clean it thoroughly to remove any traces of abrasive, oil lightly, wipe with dry cloth, and reinstall. If you want, you can use the buffing wheel to lightly ease the cylinder drag mark if you've already gotten a good one going. No promises. Too much polishing of the cylinder will look out of place, you'll end up having to do the whole thing to make it look right. If you're not a competent touch-up artist who trusts your own good judgement, you might want to just leave a good honest drag mark as-is. Your call.

Ruger GP's are notorious for this. I polished mine up on day one and I still, hundereds of rounds later (probably close to 1500), do not have a bad drag mark. A friend of mine recently got one and I helped her the same way. Hers was not bad, it honestly only required a bit of buffing. I guess 20% of all guns are made on a Monday, hmm?

 

[andrechuk]

I was just curious about it, I didn't think the back fifth of the cylinder would eventually get cut off or anything too serious, like that.

I may shim the hammer and trigger per Iowegan, but the drag line doesn't bother me.

I've also thought about chamfering the chambers to make reloading via my speeloaders (Safariland Comp IIs) smoother and more consistent. Does chamfering help much, in that regard? (I did a search but from the posts I read, I'm still not sure how much it would help).

Thanks for all the info.

 

[andrechuk]

Disassemble the revolver. Once you have the trigger group removed, the pawl can be easily removed by carefully sliding it to the side, off the pivot on which it turns. Now get a magnifying glass and look at it very closely. Does it look "rough", like it was just cut out of a piece of steel? It should look polished and have slightly radiused leading and tailing edges. If it's very rough,

I checked it out, and while it's not polished along its length, it is polished where it meets the cylinder. Obviously, this is from being burnished where it has rubbed on the cylinder.

I can't feel the drag line. It's basically just a polished line on an otherwise satin, stainless finish. I don't trust myself to make the line disappear by roughing it up, though I suppose if I were to get the gun bead blasted, I might request that the drag line area be relieved, first, or the lock be polished some more.

Thanks.

 

[DWARREN123]

You will have to pay big money for a revolver hat does not do that. Normal for 99.9% of revolvers.

 

[bruss01]

DWarren,

Yup, 99% of all revolvers will have SOME kind of drag mark. The pawl is supposed to drop RIGHT BEFORE the notch on the cylinder that it engages, ideally somewhere on the little indent that leads down into the notch. They tend to come from the factory with a bit of excess in order to prevent problems, better too soon than too late. The Ruger revolvers are notorious for dropping halfway or better between the notches, riding the cylinder and making a much more obvious mark. This is exacerbated when the pawl is rough. This was a common issue when I purchased mine in 2003... I believe Ruger may have become aware of it and improved the QC since then, because my friend's pawl was MUCH smoother than mine was, brand new.

The timing of when that pawl drops can be changed by a gunsmith, but that kind of work is not cheap and nobody I know wants to make that kind of investment for cosmetic purposes on a common everyday revolver like a GP. The GP is a good gun, a real workhorse and a glutton for punishment. But a beauty queen she is not, alas.

 

[Wild Deuce]

But a beauty queen she is not

One man's trash is another man's treasure and beauty is in the eye of the beholder ....

http://grantcunningham.com/pictures/PICT1160_large.jpg


also, ... about that "drag line"
http://grantcunningham.com/pictures/PICT1249_2.jpg

 

[Virginian]

A good well tuned Colt SAA won't leave a drag line. BUT, with improper cocking technique you can cause the cylinder to throw by the chamber. You pays your money and takes your choice.
As noted, polising the contact corner of the bolt will greatly reduce the drag line.

 

[Huddog]

Yes.