Loose Revolver! Is it dangerous??

L

lawdogkms

New member
How loose can a revolver get before it's unsafe?

For example, I bought a Taurus 85UL in 1999, and loved to carry it on a daily basis, but I've become concerned that the slop in the cylinder is abnormal and excessive..

I've got to be honest, most of the rounds it has fired have been my issue 158 GR +P Winchester, but it hasn't had more than 400 of them, with a total of maybe 550 rounds through it..

If I wiggle the cylinder lightly to the left while it is locked up and scribe a line on the cylinder using the top of the frame as a guide, and then twist the cylindler lightly the other direction and scribe a line, I get about a 1/16" gap between the lines..

I can't think of another way to gauge the slop in the cylinder..

The "front to back" motion of the cylinder is pretty much nonexistent, it's just the side to side play that concerns me.

It still shoots good, is very accurate for a snubby and has a great trigger pull (much better than my 642), but I'm concerned that it may fall apart at the worst time..

What do you revolver experts think?

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Range Rod

A range rod needs to be dropped in to see whether at either extreme the cylinder is out of alignment with the bore. If the range rod doesn't drop straight in or has trouble dropping in, you're going to get a lot of shaving from the forcing cone area and this is a potential hazard to shooters on either side of you (and yourself if it lead shavings spits backward). For the .38/.357 caliber gun, the range rod should be .346 +/- .002.
 
Check the lockup using the proper method.

On Tauri I'm not sure...on S&W's it is checked
by thumbing back the hammer, pulling the trigger
and holding it back while checking each cylinder.

If the cylinder rotation is "excessive" under the
proper checking method, it might be a problem
you'll want a qualified gunsmith to resolve for you.

Even with higher-pressure loads, it shouldn't
be exhibiting looseness with just 400 rounds thru it.

Is it exhibiting other symptoms such as shaving
lead [which would suggest that it is out-of-time]?

Let us know what you determine...all info for the
database is good. ;)
 
When it starts throwing CHUNKS, instead of bits, out the sides, then you're getting to the danger zone.

Revolvers are pretty good about letting you know that.

Will it become really dangerous, though? Probably not, unless someone is standing beside you when you're shooting.

If it's too far out of alignment, the firing pin simply won't hit the primer. And when that happens, the chamber and bore are still fairly well lined up.
 
Thanks for the replies..

No it's not spitting lead or anything like that..

Also, I noticed that if I dry-fire it, either single or double action, and keep the trigger pulled to the rear after the hammer falls, the cylinder has little to no play at all...

The play is only when the hammer is at rest, and the trigger has returned to it's resting position, that the slop is noticed...
 
slightly off-topic: service life

As a newbie, this thread has brought up a question on my end. What is the typical service life of a firearm? I would guess it depends on material/quality/design. Is it possible to make an educated guess on how long a 640-1 would hold up with: 1) std pressure loads 2) +p 3) +p+, etc. Meaning, a stainless j-frame could expect to shoot 10,000 std pressure loads before it becomes "totalled"...5,000 +p rounds...or 3,000 +p+...? OR, can all firearms be fixed to "like new"? Is there a point where shooting it makes it unrepairable, even if money was not an issue? I assume the frame is the limiting factor here?

What would be the expected life of a full-size stainless kimber? or an inox Jetfire?

I know there are some posts that say it's difficult to wear out a gun...but what if it's a favored/sentimental gun...that sees maybe only 5000 rounds a year...but how long would it last? 3 decades? a lifetime? 2 generations? something i can pass down to grandchildren?

hope that made sense.
 
Are you checking this at "full lockup"? By that I mean, trigger still pulled back after cycling the action, either by dry-firing or manually dropping the hammer (slowly) while still holding the trigger back?

Because the cylinder isn't going to be fully locked until you do that.

Tested "in full lockup", yes, I'd say that's a lot of play. BUT, if it's naturally dropping into a good (or even fairly close) alignment, it can still work OK.

See also:

http://www.thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=57816
 
"Also, I noticed that if I dry-fire it, either single or double action, and keep the trigger pulled to the rear after the hammer falls, the cylinder has little to no play at all..."


You just solved your problem. Your gun is fine. You just checked for the cylinder play when the gun was in the exact mode it would have been in when the round went off. IE hammer down, trigger all the way to the rear. Unless it is locking up out of time, which I doubt because you said there is no spitting, it seems like a fine little gun. To reassure yourself that there is no serious spitting, just get a piece of cardboard and hold it a few inches from the each side of the gun when you fire it. (preferably a longer piece of cardboard so that your hand is not near the cylinder gap) A few specks here and there would not be abnormal, anything that actually went through the cardboard might need a check up.
 
You asked about service life: I have about 20k rounds through my SW686 and the only "service" it has required is to put one .002" shim in to remove the cylinder end shake. It does have a bit more play at lockup than when new, but still shoots dead on. I shot 597/600 last night at 25 yard PPC league.

As for taurus service life? Any decent gun shooting reasonable ammo should be able to go at least 30k - 40k rounds without major problems IMO.
 
Jet,

There's no easy answer for your question. A lot of it depends on the power of the rounds that you through downrange.

Rounds loaded to the firewall are going to be a lot more wearing on any gun than light target loads.
 
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