S&W 57 problem

B

Byron Quick

Staff In Memoriam
I just acquired a S&W 57 with a 4"barrel. The revolver has a S prefix serial number indicating a date of manufacture in late 1968 or early 1969. It is in excellent condition and if the box and papers were with it, could arguably be described as NIB-unfired...until yesterday:D

But now for the problem. I bought a box of Atlanta Arms & Ammo 215 grain SWC and a box of Federal 210 grain JHP. When I fired the gun, I felt a sting on my left cheek. I examined the fired round- primer ok, no obvious deformation. I examined the revolver, no sign of lead on the forcing cone. So I fired some more and received some more stings on my left cheek. So I changed ammo and began to fire the Federal. Same result, some stings to left cheek area, nothing obvious on my face in the mirror. This doesn't occur with every round but it is certainly at least half of the rounds fired. Any ideas what is going on with this revolver? Oh, the Atlanta Arms stuff was a very light load compared to the Federal.
 
¿ Indoor range with baffles between the stations ? If so, you may just be gettin a little burning powder bounce back off of a baffle. Check the timing of the gun, if obviously out, don't shoot till fixed. If pretty close to dead on......tape a piece of white paper to range baffle....take one shot with cylinder gap even with center of paper and about a foot out. Do this on both sides. Examine papers.....if little burn spots that is normal, if it looks like it has little bits of shiney stuff and holes in it...you are shavin bullets. Either from timing.......would show more on one side than the other. Or from mismatch tween size of chamber mouth in the cylinder and the bore. Over squoze bullets tend to lead the cone and spit.

Sounds like you gettin powder bounce back from range baffle. If this happened outside.........none of the above apply.

Sam
 
I had the exact same problem with my 57 four inch !

The Georgia Arms stuff was spitting lead all over the place. After 100 or so the lead built up on
the cylinder something terrible. Other GA stuff
I've used has been OK, but it wasn't magnum. I bet if I checked the BHN it's proly 15 or less. I shoot jackets now...dewey
 
CHECK THE CYLINDER GAP

It should be .006" or slightly less. If it's more, S&W should be willing to fix it. I once saw a .357 (Ruger Service Six) that had circa .125". I've gotten several great deals when I purchsed a used gun, that had a slight problem which the former owner disliked, but was unaware that the factory would fix. ANYTHING is possible in the wonderfull world of mass production. Chedk it out.

Yr. Obt. Svnt.
 
Take the gun to a competent gunsmith!
If the gun was of current manufacturer, I would say the barrel had turned and/or the frame had been stressed by firing TOO HOT LOADS through it.
 
I sent the gun back to S&W. It was slightly out of time and the forcing cone had come from the factory with too little chamfer. They fixed it.
 
Good show. Not all that unusual to find new guns a bit out of time and the lack of enough forcing cone seems to be pretty common.

Many don't notice.

Sam
 
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