Crane to Frame Fit?

R

Randy63

New member
Hello All,

I was at a show yesterday and saw a S & W 27-2 that looks like new. I looked it over and it looks to have very few rounds through it. The fit where the crane meets the frame was about perfect, it looked as if it were one part, however when I tried to move the crane away from the frame it moved a small amount, probably about .001". Is this amount of play acceptable?

Thanks,
Randy
 
Thanks Mike,
What would be the maximun amount of movement be before this would be considered a problem?
Randy
 
I've never see a standard figure for this, because a couple of different things can come into play, some of which are a problem, and some which aren't.

The best rule of thumb probably is if the chamber moves noticably out of line with the bore, it's a problem.
 
Keep in mind that under normal use

the right side of the cylinder is never put under any inward stress(toward the left). IIRC, a sloppy seam line indicates a history of poor handling. The cylinder should not be slapped open and allowed to slam to a stop under its own weight. Its mass should be halted by your hand and then pulled the rest of the way out to allow for the extraction of empties or loading, as needed.:)
 
To elaborate on what VL posted...

That nifty looking move "as seen on TV" where the character hits the cylinder release with the right thumb while flipping the wrist, thus slapping open the cylinder, then taking a look at how much ammo is left, spinning the cylinder (to look cool I guess) and then flipping the wrist again, slapping the cylinder shut
is one of the worst things you can do to a revolver, short of dropping it on its side.

People that know guns don't ever do that.
Only wannabee's, dumba$$es and TV people do it.

I was once in a little shop and asked to see a nice M&P.
The owner took it from beneath the glass and proceded to do what I described.
I told him he really shouldn't do that, 'cause it's hard on the crane'.
He looked at me like a young smartmouth (I'm 25) and told me that's nonsense, he does it on all the guns, and they're okay.

Needless to say, I didn't buy that M&P, or any other guns there.

If the crane does become "sprung" on a gun, due to misuse or dropage (sp?), a competent can fix it with a jig and a lead babbit.
But, it'll never be as good as new, so take care of those oldies.

-Kframe
 
Archie, no need to worry.

It's in Minnesota and (big surprise) went out of business just a couple years ago.
Wasn't really a big shop in the first place, so not a huge loss.

Sure was a shame seeing a gun abused like that, though.

-Kframe
 
Which way the cylinder is pushed depends on the gun. On an S&W, the hand would, in theory, be forcing the cylinder outward; on a Colt, the reverse. In actual practice, the S&W cylinder pin (extractor rod) is supported at both ends, and there is minimal stress on the yoke. If there is significant play in the yoke to frame fit, something else may be wrong, like an expanded hole in the breech face.

Jim
 
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