Hello all,
I purchased a customized S&W PPC revolver from Cabela's last November. I don't plan on shooting PPC, but I've noticed that older PPC's can be found for a decent price, and I thought it'd be an inexpensive way to obtain a smooth, accurate revolver.

This one had a smooth trigger, decent bluing, excellent lockup and timing, Bo-mar sight rail, slab side target barrel, chamfered cylinder holes and a clean, bright bore - so I thought.

In the excitement of checking out a bargain, $350 tack-driver, I overlooked a noticeable blemish in the bore. It seems the tapped hole that accepts the cylinder retention stud on the barrel was drilled a bit too far and created a sort of depression halfway down the 6" barrel at the 6 o'clock position. It didn't create a through and through hole in the bottom of the barrel, but there is a small slit of a hole - when I shine a bore light through the barrel, there is a sliver of light visible through the tapped hole.

My question to you: What would you do about it? Call Cabela's? Shoot it anyway? Replace the barrel? Shorten the barrel and make a weird no sight PPC Snub? Or something entirely different?

I'm all ears!

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I have two trigger fingers

Revolver on it's Right side

Revolver upside down

With bore light shining

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I have two trigger fingers

What are your plans for this revolver? I assume you are going to use it for target and casual plinking? It does not lend itself to a hunting gun or a concealed carry gun. It would certainly work as a nightstand gun or home protection piece, although there are probably better ones for that purpose.

Have you shot the gun? How does it shoot? Can you feel any anomaly when you push a tight dry patch through the bore? I see nothing that would cause or create a situation that would make it unsafe to fire this revolver, especially when the screw is in place that holds the cylinder retention stud.

I would fire the gun, carefully and with full protection, of course, with some 148 grain wadcutter loads and see what happens. I would check for function as well as accuracy. If everything works well and the accuracy is not noticeably negatively affected (I don't think it will be), then I would not worry about the gun. I would not fire high pressure loads through the barrel, but then that's not what the gun was designed for in the first place. In fact, you may find that it will not strike primers of some ammo hard enough to reliably ignite them. Many such guns were made, for example, to only work reliably with Federal primers, known as the softest primers of them all. I would not worry about firing standard loads through the gun, but no +P or high pressure reloads. I would fire several hundred rounds of wadcutters, then several hundred rounds of standard pressure loads, frequently checking the bore for any changes that might show up. And I'd keep a close eye on that bore always, just because. But if nothing changes, I would not be concerned after the initial testing. I would be VERY careful not to pull the trigger again after any round fired sounded and/or felt anything other than normal. IF a squib load were to stick in that bore beyond the weak spot and you send another round behind it, things could get interesting!

This is a personal opinion, so you take it for what it's worth and consider what it cost you to get it. You are ultimately the one who has to make a decision about what to do with the gun you've bought. And you have to take the ultimate responsibility for what happens if you follow my advice, anyone else's advice, or take your own advice. Nobody can guarantee anything. You could have a new barrel installed if you want to keep the gun. I doubt seriously if you would be willing to sell it to someone else without full disclosure. I also doubt you need a paperweight of the size of that PPC revolver. I would guess (guess, you hear?) that the gun has been fired quite a lot since that job was done. And I'd also guess that it's previous owner was willing to trade it in to Cabellas, who either has not closely inspected it or ignored the situation, without full disclosure.

And you could always go back to Cabellas, if it's been a reasonable period of time since you bought the gun, and show it to them and ask for your money back. You might just get it. You have my opinion here for consideration. I will not be insulted in any way if you laugh and point your finger at me and call me stupid. You would not be the first. All I can say is that if I had any expectation that there would be a problem other than maybe poor accuracy with that barrel , I certainly would not suggest what I did. Please take my advise at your own risk. It's just food for thought.

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So long ... Ken

kthom, I wanted to thank you for your response to my question. I realize that it's two months late, but Thanks! To answer your questions, this is a plinking gun. I will only use waducutters or similar target loads. I have fired it and it shoots really well. The bore feels smooth with the cloth in the bore. There are no snags or catches. I'll just continue to shoot it and keep an eye on it. Funny you mention squibs. I just experienced my first in a model 22-4 45 acp. I heard the difference and didn't send another down the barrel. I'm still working on getting that slug unstuck!

Thanks again!

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I have two trigger fingers

You are welcome, Sir! I've been around since the days of PPC competition and have seen a lot of things like this, including a great many squib loads fired. I still carry a couple of brass rods in my range kit, one to fit inside a .38 barrel and one about .44 caliber sized, just in case. Long ago, I learned to slide my thumb and forefinger slowly down the outside of the barrel on any revolver I'm thinking of buying. If someone has egged the barrel by shooting a round down the barrel behind a stuck bullet, you can feel the bulge most times. That would not be the case in your situation, of course. But with that screw in place in the barrel, I very seriously doubt you will ever have a problem firing target or even standard .38 special loads in that gun. Like I said, just keep an eye on it for any change that might be seen, and if that happens, then another decision will have to be made.

I've seen more than one bullet stuck in a barrel. I can't imagine sending two or three bullets down the tube behind a stuck slug, but it has happened. Good for you that you noticed the squib and called a cease fire! Squibs can happen with any ammo. Thankfully not often though. You've got a nice example of a PPC revolver there.Whoever built the gun or later created that problem oughta be ashamed! But it should still be an accurate and fun to shoot gun at the range. Good luck with it!

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So long ... Ken

I have 3 SW revolvers that were purchased used with barrel rings only noticed when cleaning. All shoot vg.

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Tommy

I can tell you from a similar thing that I did on a friends PPC S&W I was putting a under lug on his bull barrel gun and I drilled a little deep on one of the mount holes on the bottom of the barrel. I showed it to him when he came to get it and I told him "no charge" he said Oh that wont hurt, the next match he had high over all and won it all. You could see it with a bore light, I dont think it was quite as pronounced as yours. I would not worry a bit it will shoot better than most of us can hold. Jeff

As far as safety goes---I doubt that you could lift the box that holds all the spent brass for the rounds that gun has put down range. If the guy who had it built was dedicated to PPC, he probably shot 5 to 15 thousand rounds a year. ( I shot about 7 to 10 thousand per year in the 5 or so years I was a serious participant) Even well worn, quality built PPC guns will shoot better that most of us ever could. In the upper Midwest and Rocky Mountain West PPC shooting is pretty much dead. So good quality PPC guns come along with some regularity as us old guys thin the herd and buy something we think we might use. You have what should be a great gun. Use it, shoot it and enjoy it for many years.. GB

You could always install a 6" K-38 barrel.

Timely thread. I just got back a mid 70's K-38 that I had used for target work. A SAO gun, 6" factory barrel and a Bo-Mar rib. It was a tack driver with wad cutters. Sold it as I had no use for it in MT.

Happy to get mine back.

I have one of those barrels and if you want it, I will make you a heck of a deal. PM me and lets talk.