Best place to get B/C gap corrected?

[afultz075]

I have a 686-5 that unfortunately, has a B/C gap of .011. This is unacceptable to me and needs to be fixed. The gun is lovely otherwise and I really like the -5 variation so it's worth it to me to have it fixed.

I'm pretty sure S&W won't fix it under warranty as it still falls within their lousy specs, and even if they did, they would probably replace the barrel instead of machining the original and setting it back a turn (which is what they did with a pre-lock 640-1 I sent back that had a .013 gap). I don't want them to put a new-style barrel on a pre-lock gun that has a nice barrel otherwise, and take a gamble on getting a crappy new barrel (it seems like half the barrels on their new guns have crooked crowns and other issues). Plus I want to keep the original barrel to retain the original markings.

The only local gunsmith that I remotely trust to do the job takes an absurd amount of time to complete the work (he has a 10 month backlog on stuff like this), so that's out.

I've looked at Cylinder & Slide, but between the cost to ship the gun to them, the cost of the work, $38 test fire fee, and return shipping, i'll be out like $250, if not more, which is close to half the value of the gun. I know C&S does great work, but $250 is a tough pill to swallow.

Are there any other trustworthy sources to complete this work for a more economical rate? Or should I just bite the bullet and send it to C&S. I realize some people are going to recommend that I dump the gun and save myself the hassle, but the gun is perfect otherwise and I like the -5's because they are the only pre-lock 686's that have a pinned on front sight that can be changed without permanently altering the gun.

 

[Nightowl]

Call Smith and see if they will set back the barrel for you to .005 or .006 for you. It would certainly be cheaper that C&S. I sent a 627 back a few years ago to have the barrel set back to .005. It was about .009 at the time, so still within their specs. I had one of their action work packages done on it at the same time, so I don't remember what I cost me.

 

[SgtLumpy]

I think gap is not a particularly difficult job for most any gunsmith. Re-milling the barrel setback sounds extreme. I'm thinkin' most gunsmiths would either use shims or stretch the crane.

Nelson Ford in Phoenix is my guy. Hope you can find someone closer to you in PA.


Sgt Lumpy

 

[afultz075]

I think gap is not a particularly difficult job for most any gunsmith. Re-milling the barrel setback sounds extreme. I'm thinkin' most gunsmiths would either use shims or stretch the crane.

Nelson Ford in Phoenix is my guy. Hope you can find someone closer to you in PA.


Sgt Lumpy

That sounds like endshake you're talking about. In that case, I have shims and a yoke squaring reamer and can fix that problem myself, but fortunately, this gun has no endshake.

I think i'll give Smith a call and see what they say, however, I hear their queue for charge work is something like 8 months

 

[TAROMAN]

I have had a couple done at S&W in the past.
Work turned out perfect, .004" gap.
That said, I sent a Model 29 in in May and, 5 months later, its still in the queue awaiting evaluation.

 

[afultz075]

I have had a couple done at S&W in the past.
Work turned out perfect, .004" gap.
That said, I sent a Model 29 in in May and, 5 months later, its still in the queue awaiting evaluation.

Does anyone know what S&W charges to fix B/C gap? Unless it's significantly cheaper than C&S I might just pony up the cash and send it there as I really don't want to wait the better part of a year.

I really need to buy another set of feeler gauges to keep in my car when I go to gun shops or to meet people to buy Smith's so I always have a set with me. Too many revolvers floating around with out of spec gaps and this is the 3rd or 4th one i've picked up that I later found to have too wide of a gap. Really makes collecting Smith's a frustrating experience for me.

 

[J-FRAME]

A local S&W gunsmith set back a barrel on my 29-2 about 8 years ago.It took him a couple of weeks and cost $150 but it brought the gun back to life and is very accurate again. I think C&S and $250 is not a bad deal. At least they will not muck it up.

 

[kaaskop49]

Smith uses outside firms for some of their warranty work. When my 360 was having problems, it was sent to Bolsa Gunsmithing in CA. The contact info for these firms is in Smith product literature. Perhaps they could fix it for you on your dime (if you don't want to wait)? At least they could give you a time frame.

 

[Hapworth]

Pinnacle High Performance up in your neck of the woods has an excellent reputation.

Pinnacle-Guns.com: Pinnacle High Performance Custom Gunsmithing

Website says they're not currently taking work due to backlog, but perhaps you can call them and arrange something. They charge $80 to turn back the barrel and correct forcing cone/cylinder gap.

If they're not too far from you and will take the work, make a day trip out of it -- see some sights, get your revolver back in spec and save a buck.

 

[H Richard]

If you were a gunsmith and had to take the liability of removing a gun barrel, turning it on a lathe, making sure it lined up to square when re installed, test firing and entering it in your books then shipping it back and entering the transfer again, (probably about 5-6 hours total) would you do it for less than $200 - $250? Your plumber or electrician gets $40 to $50 per hour, your gunsmith has as much or more invested in equipment and training as either of those. If you want it done right send it to a "known" gunsmith.

 

[sac-gunslinger]

If it is within S&W specs why are you considering it?

I am a licensed aircarft mechanic. In inspecting and repairing parts we are guided by the FAA approved specifications. Those include ranges for tolerances. I worked in a shop where the owner (from a different profession) insisted the tolerances were too loose and insisted I assemble an engine where all the tolerances were set to minimums. Warned against it but he insisted. The completed engine would not turn over because the tolerances "stacked" and the cumulative effect was an engine built too tight.

Factory tolerances are set where they are for a reason.

 

[afultz075]

If it is within S&W specs why are you considering it?


Factory tolerances are set where they are for a reason.

Because the only reason it's "in-spec" is because S&W has been loosening this tolerance for years. The old ones used to have a max tolerance of .010, then they bumped it up to .012.

A revolver with a gap this large spits a ton of junk out of the sides and the flash from the gap is outrageous.

 

[BLUEDOT37]

Because the only reason it's "in-spec" is because S&W has been loosening this tolerance for years. The old ones used to have a max tolerance of .010, then they bumped it up to .012.

A revolver with a gap this large spits a ton of junk out of the sides and the flash from the gap is outrageous.

My M357NG came with a .012" gap. I hate knowing it's that big but so far it hasn't presented a problem. With it's 2-1/2" bbl. I haven't noticed "gap flash", yet. I had a M28 Highway Patrolman years ago that I bought new & had a B/C gap you could drive a VW thru & it had horrible "gap flash" & peppered you like crazy with debris so much I flinched because of it, not the recoil.

 

[afultz075]

Well, it's going to C&S, just put my deposit down for the work. It's also getting a fiber optic front sight while it's there (i'm already spending a good bit to ship it there, so why not).

I decided the extra $100 or so it'll cost to have them do the work is a small price to pay compared to waiting the better part of the year letting S&W do it, or even worse, taking a gamble on a lesser known shop.

 

[sac-gunslinger]

Because the only reason it's "in-spec" is because S&W has been loosening this tolerance for years. The old ones used to have a max tolerance of .010, then they bumped it up to .012.

A revolver with a gap this large spits a ton of junk out of the sides and the flash from the gap is outrageous.

But the specs are for a different series of gun. You can't choose specs for a different series just because you think it sounds better. If I did this with certificated aircraft parts I would loose my license.

My ex-boss used to say "why that's enough room to stuff a cat through!" Yup, but the design engineers measured the cat before they worte the specs.

 

[Skipw]

Fremont, Nebraska

 

[J-FRAME]

My old home town-grew up there. Know Bill L a little bit. He did a action job on a 18-3 for me when he was first started out for $ 15. Of coarse I only made $3.25 so 4 hrs of my labors . About right. Funny

 

[Hapworth]

But the specs are for a different series of gun. You can't choose specs for a different series just because you think it sounds better.

OP is referring to specs codified long before -- and applied to -- the L "series" (frame) revolver...and N, K and J frames, too. Where are you getting reference in this thread to "specs for a different series", or where the OP is choosing specs arbitrarily based on preference?

The Kuhnhausen manual states revolvers were supposed to leave the factory with between .003" and .006" barrel-cylinder gap -- regardless of which kind of frame -- and that .008" is the maximum before performance is affected.

Sometime well after that, with no discernible change in the fundamentals of their revolver design as related to barrel-cylinder gap, and no explanation I'm aware of for the reasoning behind it, S&W's "in spec" tolerance stretched (literally) out to .012".

That's fine if something else changed allowing for .012" to remain near optimal as compared to half that. But what? And if nothing has changed, why has sub-optimal become acceptable when before it wasn't?

I'd love to be educated from a qualified source as to the rationale behind this change. Perhaps it's a good one. Perhaps not. But based on what is known, it doesn't appear to have changed in order to make better revolver, and may do the opposite.

Ideally, specs -- any specs -- are organized around reasonably achieved optimum performance, but in the battle between craft and commerce, "ideal" is often a victim.

Bottom line: OP is correct in pointing towards original specs in contemplating turning the barrel back, and those specs apply to his and several other S&W frames.

 

[kennethdlarson]

I just got my 6" 28-2 back from S&W after they turned the barrel back and re-cut the forcing cone. It cost me $139 and ~ 7 months time. They did a great job!

 

[Blackbarry]

I recently sent S&W my "new" 627 with a BC gap @ 0.019"! They had it 2-3 months. Charged $121. The BC is now 0.004" and they replaced the trigger return spring and some associated parts that were "out of spec". They returned all parts. I waited longer than I wanted, but the work is excellent.