Greetings all, first time posting on this forum, I am hoping you guys will be able to help me.

I have attached a picture of my new Smith & Wesson model 29-10. I recently purchased this gun from Bud's and have only put 50 rounds through it total. When I got home from the range I noticed some wear on the cylinder on the side that meets the barrel. Is this normal? This is the first .44 Magnum I have owned so I'm not sure if it is the energy of the bullet explosion that is causing it. Everything is very tight on the cylinder, everything appears lined up perfectly and there is no physical contact made on the side of the cylinder as it rotates.

I have owned other revolvers including a 1975 Colt Python (the bluing on this gun is pristine even with thousands of rounds through it)

Any insight into whether this is normal or something is off would be appreciated as I'm hoping to get years of use out of this model 29-10.

Thank you for your time.

Attached Images

Smith Wear 2 copy.jpg (43.5 KB, 515 views)

Powder burns?

Unless the cylinder is rubbing against the frame,that's lead.

The Cylinder is not rubbing against the frame as that was my first suspicion. The ammo I used is HSM Semi Wadcutter (lead) 240 Gr which seemed fairly filthy. I've cleaned it thoroughly twice and the wear doesn't seem to come off.

Lead is hard to remove,but it does come off with patience.Just don't get over aggressive and damage the blueing.

I usually use Hoppes No.9 Solvent with Qtips. Is that safe on this finish?

Thank you all for your replies

Any of the gun cleaning solvents will eventually work without damaging the blueing.The lead away cloths and various polishes will make short work of it on a stainless gun,but will also remove blueing,so I really wouldn't recommend them.

On my new PC627 the front sight screw was about .030 short. That caused the flash to be deflecter back down and leave the same mark (lead) on the cyl. Replaced the screw with one that is flush and no more marking.
e.

As ejeli said, look at the screw hole just above that area of the cylinder. Fitting a longer screw will change the flow of hot dirty gases.

It's interesting I noticed marks like that on the cylinder of my new Talo 629 3" 44. I've owned many revolvers in the past and never saw marks like this. Until now.

So is this a flaw that needs warranty repair or is this just how they do it now?

Well I was successful at removing the marks using some Q-tips and some of that Hoppes #9 Solvent. It looks like new again, however, right on the edge where the side meets the front of the cylinder I can see some steel (I'm guessing some bluing came off when I rubbed the solvent on the area with the Qtip)

This is concerning as I did not rub hard, and I can only imagine more bluing will rub off each time I clean it. I'm a little disappointed with the finish as I've put thousands of rounds through my Python, cleaned it hundreds of times, and the bluing is still excellent.

I had the same problem with a Colt New Frontier in 45 Colt when shooting lead.

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Dick

My saa does the same thing too.

Does shooting FMJ or JHP make a difference compared to pure lead bullets?

It's lead residue. I use break free and it comes right off.

Get some Ospho Blue from Brownell's. It'll make short work of small bluing jobs, like your cylinder wear, and holster wear on the leading edges of the barrel. Most of the time, once you get it as close in color as the surrounding blued steel as possible, and lubricate it, unless someone is really, really looking for it, it's invisible; it looks like the rest of the revolver.

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Ralph J.

What you are seeing is lead deposited on top of the blued steel. If you shoot lead you will see this on any S&W blued revo. CLP and a rag and lots of elbow grease will remove it (it helps to warm the cylinder with a hair dryer). DO NOT use any kind of polish or abrasive -and polish is a fine abrasive. It may not wear through the bluing the first time you do it but over time it will. The next time you shoot lead you will get to do it all over again. I've been dealing with this for years. I shot a Model 57 no dash for 10 years in USPSA with hard cast bullets and it always left a little lead on the front edge of the cyl. I just kept scrubbing it off with a shop towel and some CLP and so far the original blue is still there. It's just part of the game. If you can't deal with the lead splatter shoot jacketed bullets. Magnumdood - I think you meant "Oxpho blue". If you spend all your time trying to keep your gun looking like "new" you will go crazy. Trust me

Great advice guys, thanks. The front of the Hoppes #9 says "removes leading and metal fouling". I take it this is safe to use to rub the leading off from the cylinder?

It is indeed "Oxpho blue"; thank you, I stand corrected.

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Ralph J.

Just messin' wit ya. Actually "Ospho blue" sounds better - like some 80s band from Detroit.

Try Montana X-treme Cowboy Blend, it makes short work of lead removal.