Is this "end shake"?

YosemiteSam357

New member
I just got back from checking out an older, used S&W model 65. Old enough to still have a hammer mounted firing pin, but not a pinned barrel. Gun looked pretty clean overall, but I noticed that with the cylinder open only the cylinder could be moved front to back on its axis a fairly large amount, like 1/16". No side to side play, and it locked up nice and tight with the cylinder closed.

Is this what's considered "end shake"? If so, I assume this is a pretty bad case. If not, could someone a) describe what end shake is, and/or b) tell me what would be involved in removing this "play" from the cylinder?

Thanks in advance,

-- Sam
 
End shake is the amount of fore and aft movement of the cylinder while it's CLOSED.

Ideally, you want no detectable movement.

Cylinder movement while the cylinder is OPEN is entirely normal.
 
Isn't it actually the movement of the cylinder back and forward with the cylinder closed and with the hammer cocked?
 
Cylinder endshake is actually movement of the cylinder yoke within the frame.

I think what one member refers to is that cocked guns do exhibit less side-to-side wiggle, especially in Colts, but that's normal. Fore-and-aft movement is the endshake problem...

Lone Star
 
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