should I send my revolver back to Taurus?

[carterbeauford]

I took my Taurus 65 night shooting for the first time recently. I noticed the muzzle flash comes out the sides instead of out of the muzzle... checked the cylinder/barrel gap with feeler gauges and it is .009"

Reason I ask is because I have heard horror stories about their customer service. Yes, it has a lifetime warranty, but is it worth the trouble? With some of the things I've read about Taurus customer service, I think I am better off trading it on a GP100.

 

[steelhead]

Ummm, all revolvers except the 1895 Nagant do that.

You are also still within the specs for cylinder gap (.002 - 0.10). My current revolvers' have gaps anywhere from .004 - .008. I sent a NIB S&W 637 back to S&W for a .012 gap. Your ".009" is just fine.

 

[tuckerdog1]

The rear sight blade on my Taurus 94 fell out and was lost, when a windage adjustment screw backed out. Seemed real simple to just send a screw & blade, but Taurus said I had to take the whole sight off the gun & send it to them for repair. The actual fix should take 30 seconds. They got it on Monday 9/11 ( sent FedEx so I could track it ). I'll let ya know how long it takes to get back.

Tuckerdog1

 

[carterbeauford]

Ummm, all revolvers except the 1895 Nagant do that.

Clearly this is the only revolver I own. I just figured the muzzle flash should be coming from the muzzle... it does on my buddy's Redhawk .44 mag. I read the sticky at the top of the revolver forum and wondered if it should be closer to .002" or .003" that is all.

 

[steelhead]

The Redhawk is doing it also but just isn't as noticeable. I've also noticed differences between ammo in how much flash is created at the gap and/or barrel.

For a defensive revolver it shouldn't be less than .005. Any smaller and you could run into cylinder binding issues. Jerry Miculek thinks the "smaller gap equals better accuracy" idea is hogwash.

I would definitely send it back if it is spitting at you - otherwise I wouldn't be in any rush.

As far as repair times, if it is your only gun I can see the concern. If not, then so what. If it takes 2 weeks or 6, it doesn't really matter. However, you might break even with having a local smith repair it (you still have to pay shipping costs for warranty repair) and you might get it back sooner.

Cheers

 

[Old Fuff]

Some like tight (.002" - .003") gaps, but if one shoots lead bullets it sometimes isn't long befre the cylinder starts dragging because of lead and fouling buildup. I have several older revolvers made during the "lead-bullet days," that have .007" - .009" gaps, and while they flash, the shoot fine. What does cause problems is when the chamber isn't concentric with the bore. That doesn't seem to be the case here.

 

[unspellable]

flash

Assuming the revolver is OK, how much flash you have at the gap vs how much you have at the muzzle is a function of the actual cylinder gap and the load. Obviously, a bigger gap produces more flash.

Flash is produced when very hot powder gases that are not completely oxydized hit the atmosphere with its available oxygen and ignite or flash. (It's really not unburnt powder.) With a milder load there is less gas and it will be cooler when it exits the muzzle. But if you observe from a safe distance to the side at dusk almost any revolver or pistol will produce a muzzle flash. Caution, wear glases when you do this! The cylinder gap will spit! If poorly aligned it will spit metal shavings! You don't need that sort of crap in your eye. Better mud in your eye at the bar after.

 

[carterbeauford]

I get "spit on" every once in a while shooting SWC bullets. I shoot HSM 158 grain loads that I buy in bulk from Cabelas, they make a nice flash. I would not call them mild.

 

[ronto]

I remember reading somewhere that .008 is within Taurus specs. That's way too much. .004 or less is more like it. That's one of the reasons why I bought a Ruger.

 

[steelhead]

I remember reading somewhere that .008 is within Taurus specs. That's way too much. .004 or less is more like it. That's one of the reasons why I bought a Ruger.

LOL

Factory range specs for Smith and Wesson are .002 - .010. Ruger is similar. Each revolver's gap is different - even if they were made consecutively. As long as they fall within factory specs - they are good to go. You may want to tweak it one way or the other but it has nothing to do with one brand's quality over another.

Jerry Kuhnhausen, who knows a little about revolver smithing, recommends anywhere from .003 -.010 and no less than .005 if you want to depend your life on it. My Ruger SP101 is .007 and it shoots just fine. My Taurus 627 is .004 and it shoot fine also.

 

[Confederate]

Steelhead's right -- it's in tolerance. Besides, the Taurus repair people might move the cylinder forward and create excessive headspace, causing possible misfires. You're better off leaving it as it is. In the old days, some shooters swore .006 was the perfect gap. It's what everyone was trying to achieve. Now people think the smaller the better, but who knows?

 

[RustyShackelford]

TaurusUSA.com/Taurus customer service

I'd check the www.TaurusUSA.com website or contact them by phone. Taurus does not put out the toll free customer service # but you may get it from another THR.org member.

I requested a new product catalog from Taurus several times but never got it, :banghead: .

My good friend had a used Taurus revolver that had major problems. Taurus sent him a brand new model 66 that he likes a lot!

I bought a Taurus Protector .357magnum in 2004. The revolver came with adj rear sights(that was not listed in the product photo or description). I wanted it to be fixed sighted because I would use the Protector for pocket carry, . The Taurus barrel was not ported either which is what I wanted. I sold the Protector in 2005.

Rusty

 

[RON in PA]

Cylinder barrel gap flash is normal and more pronounced when shooting under lower illumination. In my experience gap flash can be brighter than the flash from vents on a ported semi-auto.

 

[ronto]

O.K.... I'll buy a .005 gap...but not a .010 or even a .009. I want as much gas pressure pushing the bullet up the barrel not blowing out of the cyclinder gap. A smaller gap on a steel revolver is not a problem as long as your keep everything clean to keep the cyclinder from binding up and it's not a newer S&W revolver which some have had binding problems.

 

[BryanP]

To give you an idea, here's a night-time shot of a Taurus .454. Someone posted this picture here some time back. I can't remember who, so I can't give them credit.

 

[Old Fuff]

I have various makes of revolvers with gaps that run between .004" to .010" and I haven't noticed any meaningful difference on terminal ballistics or effect.

Published velocity and energy data are based on information collected from a particular revolver or test fixture. In the case of revolvers barrel length plays a part, as does the brand/lot of powder used. The performance from an individual gun depends on that gun, and the slight velocity loss due to barrel/cylinder gap is usually negligible, numbers on paper not withstanding.

Those who are seriously worried about such matters should forget about the barrel/cylinder gap and buy a bigger gun, or better yet - an automatic pistol.

 

[unspellable]

Gap

Cylinder gaps specs vary depending on this and that.

For a personal defense revolver the ideal gap is 0.006, 0.005 to 0.007 is fine. Too tight and you run a risk of binding due to fouling , pocket lint, or what ever.

For field use the ideal for most revolvers would be 0.005, 0.004 to 0.006 is fine. The field revolver does not require the 107% reliability you want for a personal defense revolver.

Some revolvers, such as the DW SuperMags run a nominal gap of 0.003.

Many manufactures consider a gap up to 0.010 acceptable although 0.010 sure doesn't earn any brownie points with me.

An advantage to the Dan Wesson is that the gap is easily adjustable, set it to what ever suits you.

I took a couple of Dan Wessons and ran many loads over the chrono with various cylinder gaps. A 44 mag began to spit badly at 0.012 inch.

I have the numbers some place, but I'm going to be away for a week or so.

 

[Jkwas]

You are also still within the specs for cylinder gap (.002 - 0.10). My current revolvers' have gaps anywhere from .004 - .008. I sent a NIB S&W 637 back to S&W for a .012 gap. Your ".009" is just fine.

I agree. You can't judge a taurus by S&W specs, they are two different animals.

 

[carterbeauford]

Those who are seriously worried about such matters should forget about the barrel/cylinder gap and buy a bigger gun, or better yet - an automatic pistol

I wasn't as concerned with the ballistics, its ability to throw 158 grains of lead downrange hasn't been compromised. I own two semi-auto pistols, neither one of them powerful enough for carrying in the PA woods at night.

When I posted the thread I forgot that the ejector rod has never been straight either. Again, not a big deal, maybe I am asking to much for perfection out of a $300 revolver. It has never failed to shoot, just some little things that could be fixed.

 

[tuckerdog1]

as promised

Can't say this was actual "service", but per my earlier post,
I got new sights for my model 94 sent back in 1 week.

So I have to give Taurus a thumbs up on that. Looking at the guarantee, sights are not covered. They did this as goodwill.

Tuckerdog1