Smith 64 forcing cone issue

jefflrrp · #1 10-25-2016, 01:20 PM

To all the knowledgeable minds on the forum:

I recently bought a Department of Corrections trade in Model 64 .38 with a 4 inch barrel about 2 weeks ago. It is one of the more recent Smiths, as it has the lawyer lock.

Anyway, fast-forward to this morning. I went out to my brother in law's to break it in, and ran about 50 rounds thru it, a mix of 125 and 158 grain +p ammunition without a hitch. Along with 8 rounds of the Underwood full power FBI load. And afterwards, I noticed that the left side of the forcing cone towards the bottom appears to have been peened back, and there is a small chip as well. The forcing cone appears to now have formed a very small lip on that side, enough that it catches on a fingernail. And the left side also appears to be slightly misshapen as a result. The right side of the forcing cone appears to have no issues.

When I bought the gun, the lockup was very good, and the trigger and hammer and firing pin appeared to be working correctly. Everything was very smooth.

Could it be that a cylinder hole or two is out of time, and that rounds are impacting the forcing cone in that area? I didn't notice any (more than usual) lead residue on the underlug or forcing cone during firing, though.

Or maybe the forcing cone was not heat-treated or made correctly? And the full power Underwood rounds exposed that problem?

Please help. Any info would be appreciated. What should I do?

Thanks

Jeff

murphydog · #2 10-25-2016, 02:15 PM

Welcome! If this was not present when you bought the gun, it is hard to imagine this was caused by factory spec ammunition of any quantity. Erosion of the forcing cone might occur with large numbers of high pressure loads but chips or grooves there would be unusual. Others will be along with differing opinions. Hope this is helpful.

TAROMAN · #3 10-25-2016, 02:28 PM

Welcome to the forum.
A well used trade-in revolver needs no "break-in".
No telling what abuse it may have been subjected to.
When shooting, was it spitting lead?
How about accuracy?
If it's shooting well and not spitting lead, that may be only a cosmetic issue.
Otherwise, it needs the attention of a qualified revolversmith, which happens to be an endangered species.
As a last resort, phone (not e-mail) S&W customer service 800 331 0852.
My experience is that they have been very helpful, usually sending a prepaid FEDEX shipping label

jefflrrp · #4 10-25-2016, 02:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TAROMAN

When shooting, was it spitting lead? Was not spitting lead, at least I didn't think it was. It was somewhat smokey, but I attribute that to shooting reloads, and mostly lead HPs
How about accuracy? Very acceptable accuracy. Could shoot a lot better if there was a better shooter behind it. I was getting decent groups at 7 and 15 yd
If it's shooting well and not spitting lead, that may be only a cosmetic issue.
Otherwise, it needs the attention of a qualified revolversmith, which happens to be an endangered species.
As a last resort, phone (not e-mail) S&W customer service 800 331 0852. Thank you. I may end up doing that
My experience is that they have been very helpful, usually sending a prepaid FEDEX shipping label

Thanks for your reply

Kernel Crittenden · #5 10-25-2016, 02:57 PM

The M64-8 has S&W's 2-piece barrel system. I can't really see what's going in the OP's pictures because there're out-of-focus at the spot in question. Perfect on the yoke cutout.

jaymoore · #6 10-26-2016, 12:44 AM

If, and I'm guessing here as the photos aren't that good but seem to be directed toward the outer part of the rear end of the barrel, the damage is on the outer portion of the barrel, it's likely due to the cylinder impacting the barrel as it closes. Have seen it infrequently. Usually associated with lots of endshake.