Technical Question for the S&W 44 owners

[mesinge2]

I recently bought a 3" S&W model 629 Talo Edition (http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=542718)

Well, I went shooting for the second time and after cleaning of the usual burns on the outside of the cylinder I noticed that there were small pits in front of each chamber. I marked them on the following image (it was hard to see in the image). They are very small, equal in size, and on the outside of every chamber.

Is this normal?
Will they get deeper?

I have never noticed this on my Ruger Redhawk or S&W model 29 (but they both have longer barrels).

Is this a result of the shorter barrel?
Will this problem worsen or ultimately damage the weapon?

FYI, I only used standard pressure factory ammo.


View attachment 127629

Click Image to Enlarge

 

[The Lone Haranguer]

I still don't see anything. But in the location shown, I don't see how it can be from anything to do with firing cartridges. I would expect any pitting, if it is going to happen at all, to be on the face of the cylinder, which is blasted by hot gases and particles. My guess is these are dings picked up somewhere, or polishing flaws in the metal.

 

[mesinge2]

I could swear that it was not there before I fired it, but I could be wrong.
It is so weird I have been using revolvers in large bore calibers all my life and I have never seen this either.

My only thought is a question: Could this be caused by the gap between the cylinder and the forcing cone being too large?

A kind of flame cutting from escaping gases enveloping the cylinder?

 

[wanderinwalker]

Picture isn't clear enough to show the "pitting." But my gut instinct is that you're just talking about a half-moon mark on the side of the cylinder coming back from the face of the cylinger. Completely normal, IMO. My 629 and 19 both show this. Oh, so does my 18 in .22 LR (just not as pronounced).

Really, we're letting loose 35K PSI of hot, expanding combustion through a tube with a gap near the start. That hot gas is going to go somewhere and do something out of every possible exit it can find. I don't think it's an issue at all, just the nature of the thing.

And thinking about it, I'm pretty sure I usually just scrub the burn marks off with a brush and Hoppes on the 629.

 

[mesinge2]

But my gut instinct is that you're just talking about a half-moon mark on the side of the cylinder coming back from the face of the cylinder

That is exactly what it looks like. Will it deepen over time?

I usually just scrub the burn marks off with a brush and Hoppes on the 629

That's exactly what I did. Thanks for the post wanderinwalker.
It really helped me to understand this.

 

[MikeJackmin]

If you are still worried about the gap, just get a feeler gauge and measure it; clean the gun, press the cylinder back gently with your fingers (to make the gap as large as possible) and find the biggest gauge that will slip in and out without binding. Then measure again, with the cylinder pressed forward. The folks here will know what the correct dimensions should be.

 

[CraigC]

Nothing to worry about.

 

[jfremder]

I recently bought a 3" S&W model 629 Talo Edition (http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=542718)

Well, I went shooting for the second time and after cleaning of the usual burns on the outside of the cylinder I noticed that there were small pits in front of each chamber. I marked them on the following image (it was hard to see in the image). They are very small, equal in size, and on the outside of every chamber.

Is this normal?
Will they get deeper?

I have never noticed this on my Ruger Redhawk or S&W model 29 (but they both have longer barrels).

Is this a result of the shorter barrel?
Will this problem worsen or ultimately damage the weapon?

FYI, I only used standard pressure factory ammo.


View attachment 127629

Click Image to Enlarge

I get those exact same marks on my 6" 686. They are tough to remove, and catch a fingernail from front to back. Liberal scrubbing with a bronze brush and Hoppes #9 seems to work, for a little more abrasive, a pink pearl eraser seems to get the job done a little quicker

 

[mesinge2]

I tried a sheet of copy paper after I looked up online that copy paper is 0.004 of an inch.
It fit one piece of paper. Then I tried two pieces at the same time and it was a no go.
In my wierd experiment it must be between than 0.004 and 0.008 of an inch wide.

I brought it to my gunsmith and he said that I should contact Smith & Wesson and send it to them for a repair service. The problem is the front screw for the rear sight had a bur that was contacting the cylinder during rotation. The screw no longer has the bur. It must have been shaved off during firing.