I just looked at another no dash 686 and checked the timing. I used the method of slowly pulling back the hammer while putting a little finger friction on the cylinder to see if it locks up.

Five chambers lock up perfectly, one has a tiny bit of a mismatch, meaning I can hear the lock click as I move the cylinder after the hammer is back.

I wonder why only one chamber seems to be a bit off? Is this something to be concerned about?

The gun looks to be in excellent shape otherwise, with solid lockup and almost no endshake.


Speaking of which, I already own a 686 that I've had for many years. It's my best shooter. Until recently when a gun smith showed me how to check for timing, I was blissfully unaware of the issue of timing. Of course, after checking my trusty old 686, I get a slight "click" on all chambers on that gun...
How much does this really matter, the gun shoots perfectly?

Thanks, SandSpider

I'm far from an expert, but if it shoots great, is accurate, and doesn't shave or spit lead, I would leave well enough alone and call your 6 shooter good.

In addition to this you should NOT "drag" the cylinder on a S&W to test for carry up. It's a Combat Revolver and somewhat dependent on the inertia of the cylinder to carry it into lock. The positive aspect of this is that it won't "skip" chambers in rapid fire no matter how many times you drop it in the mud and it won't need a "tune up" nearly as frequently as a Colt.

The hand is going to move the exact same way every time you pull the trigger, or cock the hammer. The ratchet teeth in the extractor are engaged by the hand to turn the cylinder and one or more of them can be cut or worn ever so slightly more/different than the others. That hand is going to push the teeth the very same distance each and every time and if one or more of the ratchet teeth are not exactly like the others, you will get a different degree of movement/rotation. There is a "range" in which the bolt should lock the cylinder and it may not be in the exact same place each and every time on individual chambers. Most folks like to see the bolt engage the notch in the cylinder just before the hammer reaches it's full rearward motion. Like the folks above have mentioned....inertia from the revolving of the cylinder plays a part in this as well. As long as the bolt latches to the cylinder recess before or just as the hammer falls, it's fine. All this assuming there is not a burr or something blocking the bolt from engagement on the cylinder itself.

Thanks for the explanation, that makes sense.

I bought the gun, but haven't shot it yet. Will do so today. One thing I have noticed is that when checking for lockup, i.e. lowering the hammer with the trigger pulled and checking for radial cylinder play, one position feels looser (more play) than the others. Since the gun hasn't been shot enough to be worn, this must be tolerance from the manufacturing, no?

One of the hardest things to do is describe how "loose" a gun may be. It's a relative thing. What may seem loose or looser to one person may feel perfectly normal to another. It's just hard to judge unless one has the gun in his/her hands, or it positively is demonstrating a problem. It may be true (based from reading many posts here on the forum) tolerances have slipped a little over the years. If the sucker fires off and doesn't do foolish things like spit lead, or demonstrate a serious issue.....fire away. It will let you know if it's real sick.

The above posters are right on. Don't know where that came from, putting finger pressure on the cylinder to check carry-up. There is no such external manual pressure when firing, so why induce it?

years ago, someone said if you put a "bit of little finger pressure on the cylinder as you cock the hammer, this is to simulate the 'added weight' of rounds being in the chambers (loaded)" ........basically you are "fooling the gun, and actually causing the "don't come up"(DCU)
As noted above the inertia created , and cause by rotation in a normal firing sequence, the gun will time just fine, in fact MOST folks cause MORE inertia ( pull the trigger harder in double action) than average. I do not think you can even measure this sort of thing and besides like the "what's loose", is very subjective and opinionated, varying from person to person. Shoot the gun, IF it "splatters, shaves lead ,cause blow by", etc., then be concerned.................
Used to love to see an "old timer" fool the seller into thinking his gun is way out of time and needs works by the dragging finger method, sad really,PT Barnum was right..................

__________________
dan
NRA Benefactor,PMA

If you're buying a revolver, the correct way to check for timing is to put a little drag on the cylinder and test each chamber slowly in DA and SA. It's going to cost $100 or so to get it fixed by a competent gunsmith, and may be a bargaining chip if you really want the revolver.

In practice, there is enough inertia in the cylinder to execute lockup in normal operation, DA or SA, and the hand will move slightly when the trigger is pulled. Consider this if you own the revolver, before you send it off for repairs.

Unlike Colt, S&W revolvers are not designed to take up all the slack in the lock when the trigger is pulled. It's a lot easier on the hand and star if they don't get slammed when the bullet spans the cylinder gap.

Thanks for caring enough to follow up my post! Dan, happy to meet another LEO/Benefactor member. Neu: respect your slant on this, but it's something I cannot see or do.

Please feel free to follow up any of my future posts, both of you!

Kaaskop49
Shield #5103