Revolver timing question

U

Unkel Gilbey

New member
A friend of mind has a Taurus 5 shot .357 that is starting to spit lead and other nasties out of the side when it's fired.

My question is, what exactly causes this? I realize that it's most likely because the cylinder hasn't lined up with the bore and is shaving the side of the bullet as it travels through the gap, but which components are causing this? Is this an easily remedied problem? Is this a high or low dollar fix? Is this a common problem with these pistols?

Thanks in advance for clearing this up for me.

Unkel Gilbey
 
There are a couple of things that can cause this, but the gun should be taken to a gunsmith before it is fired again.
 
Couple of things...

1. The hand is worn, and is no longer indexing the cylinder to where it should be. Relatively easy to fix.

2. The indexing notches are worn. Same effect as a worn hand. A bit harder and more expensive to fix, because you also normally need to have the hand either replaced or reshaped.

3. Worn or damaged cylinder bolt, usually in combination with 1 and/or 2.

4. In a worst case scenario, a split barrel.
 
If timing turns out not to be the cause, I think it might be excessive barrel-cylinder gap caused by the frame stretching, a fairly common problem with small frame Magnum revolvers, and one that, alas, will only get worse.

Jim
 
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