Tightening up a vintage Smith?

T

tex_n_cal

New member
I am eyeing a pre-war .357 S&W. Condition is pretty good, but the barrel has been shortened, and aftermarket sights have been added, so collector value has been reduced. It's still a pretty interesting .357, and reasonably priced.

I have noticed the cylinder has a fair amount of side to side play, even with the hammer down and the trigger pulled back. If I decide to buy this veteran, and it doesn't shoot well, how big a deal is it to tighten up the cylinder lockup? New Hand? New Bolt? New cylinder? Anyone have experience with shops doing this work?

Thanks!
 
Colt and Smith & Wesson have different lockwork and because of this holding back the trigger doesn’t do anything for the lock-up. Start by inspecting the cylinder stop slots in the cylinder. Are they peened out or burred? If so, and it isn’t too bad the metal can probably be peened back. If there are no problems with the cylinder the next thing to look at is the cylinder stop - the part in front of the trigger that locks the chamber(s) in line with the barrel. It may need to be replaced, and you’ll need a pre-war part because the ones made today are slightly different. However a good pistolsmith could probably modify a current generation cylinder stop so it would work.

I suggest: Cylinder & Slide, Inc.
245 East 4th. St.
Fremont, NE. 68025
http://www.cylinder-slide.com

You potentially have one of the finest revolvers ever made. It is undoubtedly worth putting some money into it.
 
If, as is often the case, there is a slight raised area next to the side of the cylinder notch cuts where the cylinder stop arrests the rotation of the cylinder you can swage the raised area back to near its original dimension by using a burnishing tool. The surface of the burnishing tool must be profoundly hard, and must have a mirror finish if the cylinder is not to be scratched or otherwise danaged. A piece of hardened ½" drill rod that has been polished with crocus cloth will work well. So do punches and ejector pins used by diemakers. Secure the cylinder in a vise with padded jaws and apply quite a bit of pressure while moving the drill rod along the axis of the cylinder in the problem areas. Use the diameter, not the end of the burnisher to do the work. You'll actually feel the burnisher ride over the problem area on the first few passes. Check your progress frequently by using the cylinder stop as a gauge.

Colt owners have another option: new bolts are generally a bit oversize. But if you use this procedure, pay a lot of attention to fitting the bolt actuator tip to the cam on the rebound lever.

Best wishes,

Bob
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top