65-3 problem child

[rm06]

Nearly two years ago I acquired a 65-3 3". I purchased it via auction and what I received was basically a beater and the seller would not accept a return. I've had a lot of successful gun auction transactions and unfortunately I was bound be get burned at some point, obviously he knew he was selling a gun with problems and was dishonest about it's condition. Okay, lesson learned, moving on...

I took it to my gunsmith for repair and there it has sat untouched as he is closing down his business, he contacted me last night to return it to me for which I am thankful. The point of my posting is not to lament the difficult road I've had but I would like to get this repaired if possible. I'm a shadetree gunsmith at best and I do enjoy working on them when it's within my skill level however this one may be a bit beyond it. Here are the issues I am aware of:

- badly out of time
- excessive end shake

I can post some pictures after I take possession of it again hopefully this weekend. I know the timing can be repaired with a new hand and end shake can be remedied with shims. Is frame stretching a real thing? Could this account for the end shake?

Hopefully it is not trash. Would I be best served to send this back to S&W and see what they say?

 

[Borderboss]

I'm sure there are plenty of very competent revolver mechanics out there, but the fact of the matter is that most gunsmiths are probably working on 50 auto pistols for every revolver they work on (conservative estimate). So when my 1954 M&P (pre-M10) developed a crack in the barrel (thread posted elsewhere), the only shop I even thought about sending it to was Clark Custom.

Clark still works on a lot of revolvers. They may have been more expensive (just a guess), but they did a first class job and had the gun back to me in less than four weeks. And communication was awesome. Highly recommended.

 

[Toolguy]

I haven't seen any evidence that a frame will stretch under normal use. I think that idea is put forth by those who are speculating on how end shake comes about, but don't really know.

From my experience, endshake develops over time from the recoil of each shot peening the yoke barrel where it butts up against the inside of the cylinder.

I agree with Borderboss that Clark Custom is well qualified to do revolver work. I would feel good about sending it to them.

 

[flintsghost]

If I were you, I would either find a competent smith locally as there are quite a few in Colorado or I would send it back to S&W. For one thing you may be about to learn that a hand doesn't always solve a timing problem. Occasionally you need a new ratchet. It sort of depends on how many times it's been down that road. But you need to call S&W by phone and talk to them. They have slowly moved on from many of the older guns and won't service those that parts are no longer available for. The 65-3 is old enough that they may not work on it anymore but it's possible they still do.

 

[gwpercle]

Since I live in Louisiana I was able to drive over to Clark Custom Guns and talk to them about fixing up a S&W model 64 , a well used police trade in ,
38 special... They fixed all the worn stuff, did a nice target trigger job and installed a mount for a Millet SP-1 red dot sight....that bad boy is a tack driving target gun now.
I don't know how or what magic they do but shooting this gun puts a smile on my face and a song in my heart.
Consider sending it to them...every shooter should experience one realy good shooting revolver in their life...I'm smiling just thinking about this gun ! Sweet !
Gary

 

[Hapworth]

There are still a few eminently skilled revolversmiths working; a quick search on this forum yields several excellent names.

I can personally vouch for Frank Glenn of Accuracy Unlimited in Arizona -- known widely as one of the best and my experience matches that; very easy to work with, too.

I've had mixed experiences using S&W. Warranty work on the new ones I might still, as that's mostly just parts swapping these days. But I'm not sending any of my old revolvers there for refreshes -- I think the traditional revolversmithing knowledge is disappearing.

 

[chief38]

Timing and end-shake are relatively easy, inexpensive and quick to fix. Shame on your LGS for letting it sit there as these are not time consuming jobs! A few shims (sold by Powers Custom) and an oversized Hand usually fixes the those two problems and it should have been a quick turn around.

 

[AZretired]

It's been awhile, 2009, but I sent my 65-2 back to S&W for the exact same issues and I bought it new back in '79. But S&W replaced the hand fixed the end shake all for $120 shipped to my door. It took less than 8 weeks, I couldn't be happier with the work. But as I said that was ten years ago.

 

[stu1ritter]

rm06, don't know where you are in Colorful Colorado, but in Denver there is a great S&W smith, http://www.tjsgunsmithing.net. I have seen many of their very nicely done guns at my club, custom work to basic repairs. You might try them if you are in the Denver area.

Stu

 

[ken158]

Send it to the factory and you will get factory repair in short order as compared to sending it to another gunsmith. Seems like an easy solution to me...

 

[sigp220.45]

If you are near Denver, drop it off at the Colorado School of Trades. Its like barber college for guns. The students work on guns under the watchful eyes of top notch gunsmiths. They basically just charge for parts, and will call you if your tab goes over 100 bucks. They fixed a Colt Agent for me and did a great job.

 

[rm06]

rm06, don't know where you are in Colorful Colorado, but in Denver there is a great S&W smith, TJ's Gunsmithing. I have seen many of their very nicely done guns at my club, custom work to basic repairs. You might try them if you are in the Denver area.

Stu

If you are near Denver, drop it off at the Colorado School of Trades. Its like barber college for guns. The students work on guns under the watchful eyes of top notch gunsmiths. They basically just charge for parts, and will call you if your tab goes over 100 bucks. They fixed a Colt Agent for me and did a great job.

I very much appreciate the recommendations, I will keep those both in mind for future reference. I'm SE of town, both Denver and Aurora are easily accessible. I have been working with a 'smith on repairs, I will keep the thread updated with progress.