S&W Model 15-2 shallow grooves.

P

Polinese

New member
I picked up the above model today to give to my Dad as a present, and I was so excited to find it that I didn't think to check the barrel.

Looking at it I feel like the lands and grooves look pretty shallow... I stuck a 38 in the end of the barrel and it stopped well short of the case which I thought was a good indicator.

Question being: do revolvers usually have shallower rifling than say my bolt action rifles?
 
Don't think you have anything to worry about. Just got mine out to look at just for the heck of it and yeah , the 15s rifling looks shallower than the .35 Whelen. Still scary accurate.
 
That's good to hear. It's in great shape, ejector rod is the only wear i could really find but when I looked at those grooves I got nervous.
 
I plan to. Gotta test drive it before I give it to the old man. I just didn't want to hand it off to him and find out the barrel was shot out or anything.
 
Polinese said:
...do revolvers usually have shallower rifling than say my bolt action rifles?
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Yes. Older S&W revolver rifling is optimized for non-jacketed lead bullets, and is shallower than the rifling used in firearms that are optimized for jacketed bullets. It should still shoot jacketed bullets very well, though. :)
CajunBass said:
If the barrel was shot out, the rest of the revolver would be falling apart.
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+1. I have never seen a S&W revolver with appreciable barrel wear that didn't also have ridiculously loose lockup and cylinder play.

FWIW very heavy lead buildup can obscure the rifling on a S&W, but the bore will usually appear roughly textured, with grooves that appear rounded and irregular in depth. If the edges of the lands and grooves are sharp and distinct, and the surfaces appear smooth, everything's OK- fire away. :D
 
Thanks guys. This was my first revolver purchase so I'm still learning most of what I need to know about them.

And he'll still get it after the test drive... took me too long to find one of these to give him... and I have a model 10 tapered barrel on layaway for myself :D
 
How long a barrel?

I have a Model 15 and it is one of the best S&W ever made. It handles and points like a single action and it is accurate as hell! It feels good just to hold it. :)
 
It's a 4 inch barrel. Same type my Grandpa carried on duty til the day he died. My dad is just starting to look into getting into shooting again and figured this would be a good gun for him to start with.
 
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