N frame end shake

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amazingflapjack

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Hi everyone-I need some instruction today. What is "end shake" and how is it fixed? I have heard this term before, but really don't know what it is. I am told that it is "relatively easy" to address, with some simple tools. The gun in question is a 27-2, but would the process be the same on all N frames, and S&W's in general? Thanks for your help! flapjack
 
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Endshake is the amount of wiggle the cylinder has back and forth. It needs some to function but too much can create excessive barrel/cylinder gap and can cause ignition trouble if the cylinder slides away and the firing pin can't reach the primer.

Use flat feeling gauges to measure the B/C gap. Check it while putting pressure on the cylinder to push it to the rear, then again pushing it forward. The difference is endshake. I think .003" is considered acceptable.

But seriously, I can't imagine a Model 27 having a problem.
 
SaxonPig said:
I must have missed them.
Click to expand...

Look at enough S&W's of any model made after the mid-70's well into the 80's and you will find plenty of examples with too much shake in both the cylinders and cranes. Among other problems. But it occurred in earlier years, too, just not as often.
 
I have several older Smith revolvers that have a fair amount of fore-aft cylinder play. The worst example is my Model 14-2, made back in '65. It's as loose as a goose. It's also my most accurate revolver. In the right hands (not mine!) it could take the wings off a fly at 25 yards. I've never had a light strike with it, either. I've never worried about the gun's end shake, given its superb performance.

I have several others that display a fair amount of end shake. These include my 66 no-dash ('71) and my 27-3 ('88). To my knowledge their performance hasn't been affected by the loose cylinder. So, I've decided simply not to worry about the "problem." If it ain't broke . . . . .
 
stevieboy said:
I have several older Smith revolvers that have a fair amount of fore-aft cylinder play. (snip) So, I've decided simply not to worry about the "problem." If it ain't broke . . . . .
Click to expand...

It is mostly a concern on heavy recoiling guns. The cylinder slams back and forth during recoil, and as the round count goes up, the end shake will increase. It becomes a vicious cycle, the more clearance there is, the more the gun beats itself up. M29s are the most vulnerable to this for obvious reasons. A M29 set up with basically zero cylinder shake and a properly supported crane will go almost indefinitely without "shooting loose." Of course a gun set up this way won't tolerate any crud under the extractor.
 
I had a gorgeous 3-1/2 inch .357, a "pre-27" (sorry, Dr. Pig, I had to do that!) made in, I think, 1949 or 1950. It had been refinished at the factory and not shot after that, before I bought it. Endshake was way excessive and apparently the factory service department didn't notice that when they refinished the gun. I qualified to carry it at work and the bad endshake was caught by the department armorer and fixed before I qualified with it.

One can fix this with washers made for the purpose, or by peening the bearing surface on the yoke and recutting it to the correct length.

Incidentally, that gun taught me to not carry pretty, expensive guns to work!
 
For some reason some people think that I object to the term "pre-27." I do not. Doesn't bother me.
 
Power Custom endshake and yoke bearings work wonders!

PB080001.JPG


I bought this 28-2 and it was BEAT up, the endshake was so bad it was like a semi-auto slide, I had to use 4 .002 bearings to get it back in spec, along with a yoke bearing. The bearings, I'm told, wear better than peening the yoke and will be a permanent fix to the gun.

I have a few Ruger GP-100's that were like new and had some endshake and I added a bearing to tighten them up.

The best thing you can do for your revolver is correct that endshake with bearings, or else it will continue to beat itself up.
 
stevieboy said:
I have several older Smith revolvers that have a fair amount of fore-aft cylinder play. The worst example is my Model 14-2, made back in '65. It's as loose as a goose. It's also my most accurate revolver. In the right hands (not mine!) it could take the wings off a fly at 25 yards. I've never had a light strike with it, either. I've never worried about the gun's end shake, given its superb performance.

I have several others that display a fair amount of end shake. These include my 66 no-dash ('71) and my 27-3 ('88). To my knowledge their performance hasn't been affected by the loose cylinder. So, I've decided simply not to worry about the "problem." If it ain't broke . . . . .
Click to expand...

I have too agree with stevieboys statement. I think there is too much concern with a little end shake. I had a combat masterpiece made in 1951 that was well worn in all areas. I did the end shake test and the revolver failed. But the revolver was still one of my most accurate revolvers and never had a light strike. I have revolvers that are much tighter and still don't perform as well as the combat masterpiece. I believe unless there is a degrade in performance one should leave well enought alone.

Howard
 
My thought.......if there's enough endshake to get at least a .002" bearing in the cylinder, it's well worth it. It takes 5 minutes and the bearings cost about $1.50 a piece when you order a 10-pak of them.

The revolver will be thanking you 10,000 rounds down the road, for that endshake bearing you put in now......it will help to head off any future problems from that cylinder slamming around in there.

That is, if you use the revolver as a heavy shooter.......if it's something that sits in the safe and sees a couple hundred rounds a year, I wouldn't worry about it.
 
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