357 S&W mod 13-2, had shaving hit person directly behind me. Cylinder has slight play. This is an older service revolver. Is cylinder replacement viable? What are the locking groves on the cylinder called? They look worn. The cylinder locking device (name?) on the lower part of the frame looks ok. Does S&W work on these issues?
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357 cylinder alignment
- Thread starter guhzoo
- Start date
thegunsmith
Inactive
Most likely you will need a qualified gunsmith to diagnose and repair it. For a gun like this, it could be cost prohibitive.
Is the play apparent in the had or could it just be the cylinder stop (the thing that is under the cylinder and sets it into place. Often the "Star" looks worn but isn't to the point of failure.
Has the weapon ever had a "trigger job" or an "action job"?
To check basic functionality, you can unload the weapon and then close the cylinder, take up the slack in the trigger and then start the trigger pull, but hold it so it doesn't release. Look at the cylinder stop as you attempt to rotate the barrel to see if the play still exists. If it does, then the "lockup" issue is likely to have more to do with the stop than with the ejector/"star".
Look at the face of the frame to see if the hand (the little beak looking piece that moves out of the frame as the hammer is drawn back) is very altered, deformed or broken at the tip. If this is the case, then it is likely that the hand is the cause of the timing concern.
That said, any further diagnosis would likely be better performed by a gunsmith in person, and an estimate made then to the cause/cost to repair. other causes can be weak springs, believe it or not, or an unbalanced crane, both of which are not easily repaired in conjunction with parts fitting (though anyone who can strip their revolver can re-spring it) and tuning the gun to the springs
Is the play apparent in the had or could it just be the cylinder stop (the thing that is under the cylinder and sets it into place. Often the "Star" looks worn but isn't to the point of failure.
Has the weapon ever had a "trigger job" or an "action job"?
To check basic functionality, you can unload the weapon and then close the cylinder, take up the slack in the trigger and then start the trigger pull, but hold it so it doesn't release. Look at the cylinder stop as you attempt to rotate the barrel to see if the play still exists. If it does, then the "lockup" issue is likely to have more to do with the stop than with the ejector/"star".
Look at the face of the frame to see if the hand (the little beak looking piece that moves out of the frame as the hammer is drawn back) is very altered, deformed or broken at the tip. If this is the case, then it is likely that the hand is the cause of the timing concern.
That said, any further diagnosis would likely be better performed by a gunsmith in person, and an estimate made then to the cause/cost to repair. other causes can be weak springs, believe it or not, or an unbalanced crane, both of which are not easily repaired in conjunction with parts fitting (though anyone who can strip their revolver can re-spring it) and tuning the gun to the springs
Dfariswheel
New member
There could be any number of reasons your S&W is spitting lead, and there's no way to know without actually examining the gun.
It's very unlikely it needs a replacement cylinder.
The best option is to have a real expert examine the gun and diagnose the problem or problems.
I'd suggest sending it in to the S&W factory and let the real experts look it over.
They'll figure out the problems and send you a letter telling you what needs to be done and how much it'll cost.
Unless the gun is pretty abused, repair costs probably wouldn't be a huge amount.
Contact S&W or read their web site for details on how to ship it to them.
It's very unlikely it needs a replacement cylinder.
The best option is to have a real expert examine the gun and diagnose the problem or problems.
I'd suggest sending it in to the S&W factory and let the real experts look it over.
They'll figure out the problems and send you a letter telling you what needs to be done and how much it'll cost.
Unless the gun is pretty abused, repair costs probably wouldn't be a huge amount.
Contact S&W or read their web site for details on how to ship it to them.
Dfariswheel
New member
Chubbs:
That's NOT the appropriate repair for your S&W unless the gun has been improperly re-barreled, or was flat defective from the factory.
The forcing cone is a critical part of the barrel and the critical deminsion is the diameter of the outer mouth of the cone. If that's out of spec, the gun would be spitting on all chambers.
Opening up the forcing cone to try to correct a problem on one chamber is not a legit repair method.
If you have one chamber off, you should have S&W look at it. It probably needs adjustment of one ratchet lug on the ejector.
Opening up the forcing cone if it's currently the correct size "may" stop the spitting, but it's also likely to degrade the accuracy of your gun.
The first thing you should do with this gunsmith is ask to see the precision drop-in plug gauge used to gauge the forcing cone for proper size.
If he has a deer in the headlights look, or dismisses your request....see another gunsmith.
Here's what the precision gauge looks like:
http://www.brownells.com/.aspx/pid=626/Product/BARREL-CHAMFERING-PLUG-GAUGES
That's NOT the appropriate repair for your S&W unless the gun has been improperly re-barreled, or was flat defective from the factory.
The forcing cone is a critical part of the barrel and the critical deminsion is the diameter of the outer mouth of the cone. If that's out of spec, the gun would be spitting on all chambers.
Opening up the forcing cone to try to correct a problem on one chamber is not a legit repair method.
If you have one chamber off, you should have S&W look at it. It probably needs adjustment of one ratchet lug on the ejector.
Opening up the forcing cone if it's currently the correct size "may" stop the spitting, but it's also likely to degrade the accuracy of your gun.
The first thing you should do with this gunsmith is ask to see the precision drop-in plug gauge used to gauge the forcing cone for proper size.
If he has a deer in the headlights look, or dismisses your request....see another gunsmith.
Here's what the precision gauge looks like:
http://www.brownells.com/.aspx/pid=626/Product/BARREL-CHAMFERING-PLUG-GAUGES