cylinder gap of 0.011?

[Jayhawkhuntclub]

Just got a used model 10 with a cylinder gap of 0.011. I don't think I've ever owned a gun with one over 6 or 7. The gun shoots well. As far as I can tell it doesn't spray any lead. I have yet to chronograph it as of yet. Any thougths?

 

[OKFC05]

That's within current specs for new ones.

 

[haggis]

Set a piece of cardboard on either side of your gun and fire it. That will tell you fairly quickly if there is side discharge or not.

If the chambers are co-linear with the barrel, you shouldn't have much side spray. You'll need a range rod to check that. Do the cardboard test first - you may not have a problem.

Buck

 

[Neumann]

Specs are sometimes skewed to the manufacturer's benefit. A gap that large is going to cause a lot of spatter and back splash. I'd look for something between .003 and .007. Any less than .003 and the cylinder is going to hang up on fouling and be hard to turn. Sometimes excessive gap is due to crane alignment, which is easy to fix.

If this is a shooter you want to keep, you can have the crane and endplay adjusted, and the barrel set back one thread, faced and re-coned. Otherwise, you can wear gloves and a face shield, and make sure there's a partition between you and the next lane.

 

[scooter123]

The 38 special operates at a pressure low enough that gap shouldn't be a big problem, however I expect that you'll find it's a pretty good light show if you shoot it in the dark. Basically, it's not ideal but not really worth the expense of having hte barrel set back to correct it. So, if it's accurate and shooting well your best choice is to simply ignore it.

BTW, up until perhaps 1995 or so most revolver shooters didn't even know what their B/C gap was. So for well over 100 years revolver shooters were shooting with B/C gaps this wide or worse without any concern or clue that there might be something "wrong" with their gun. To sum it up IMO I sometimes that that we have become too picky for our own good at times.

 

[HBW1412]

BTW, up until perhaps 1995 or so most revolver shooters didn't even know what their B/C gap was. So for well over 100 years revolver shooters were shooting with B/C gaps this wide or worse without any concern or clue that there might be something "wrong" with their gun. To sum it up IMO I sometimes that that we have become too picky for our own good at times.

This is a great point. My 629-5 has a cylinder gap of .009 on the left side and .010 on the right and I'm able to shoot consistent 3" groups at 100 yds with handloads. There doesn't appear to be any cone erosion and it doesn't spit lead. (I have used the cardboard setup somebody else mentioned - it works well)

When I first got this revolver in Oct. 1999 I didn't even know there was such a thing as cylinder gap. It may have come from the factory with a .009/.010 gap or the gap could have widened after nearly 27,000 rounds.

I personally wouldn't worry about it unless it starts to cause real problems like spitting lead or cone erosion.

 

[Titegroups]

If you owned a Dan Wesson you knew what cylinder gap was.

 

[Retired W4]

The one problem I have had with B/C gap on an S&W was no gap. They were rubbing and caused a problem with rotation.

 

[chief38]

That indeed is within S&W Spec's however it exceeds my personal spec's. I like to keep the B/C Gap between .003" and .007" and personally I would bring the .011" down to .006".

Is there endshake on this particular revolver?

Chief38

 

[growr]

If the gun shoots well, leave it alone........just my thoughts.

Randy

 

[Jayhawkhuntclub]

Yes she shoots very well. Even likes my cheap handloaded cast and loves Winchester white box. I haven't noticed any splatter. The cylinders seem to line up well withthe barrel. I've probably shot it about 100 rnds. It was one of those Ohio prison gaurd guns from Outdoor Superstore. Overall, I'm pretty happy with it. Thanks for all the advice. I don't think I'll worry about it unless it gives me a reason too.

 

[Lou_NC]

If you owned a Dan Wesson you knew what cylinder gap was.

I own both S&W and Dan Wesson revolvers, and I was thinking this very same thought.

For your reference, the gauge that Dan Wesson supplied with their revolvers for setting the gap was 0.006".

Lou

 

[Jayhawkhuntclub]

I own both S&W and Dan Wesson revolvers, and I was thinking this very same thought.

For your reference, the gauge that Dan Wesson supplied with their revolvers for setting the gap was 0.006".

Lou

I don't get it. Seems to me that 0.006" is slightly high but not unreasonable. What am I missing?

 

[OKFC05]

I don't get it. Seems to me that 0.006" is slightly high but not unreasonable. What am I missing?

Actually, .006 is about minimum if you intend to do a lot of fast double action shooting, like the action pistol sports. Slightly less velocity is no problem, but a gun that hangs up near the end of a long match from fouling is a quick way to lose. Most of us who do such shooting like a revolver to have a little extra in all moving tolerances to allow for fouling. We even like a trace of play in the cylinder lockup.
My favorite IDPA Model 66 has a .010 gap, and it causes no problems.

 

[HBW1412]

If you owned a Dan Wesson you knew what cylinder gap was.

All of the revolvers I own are S&W. I don't like any of their semi-automatics. I go with Colt and Springfield Armory for those.

The 629-5 revolver I spoke of earlier was the first revolver I purchased instead of being inherited from family members.

Am I understanding correctly that Dan Wesson sent a cylinder gap gauge in the packaging?

 

[WardenRoss]

...Am I understanding correctly that Dan Wesson sent a cylinder gap gauge in the packaging?

The barrels for some Dan Wesson models were interchangeable. Thus the need for a gap gauge to switch barrels and adjust accordingly.

 

[44wheelman]

My DW 445 Supermag and 357 Supermags cam with .002 shims. High pressure is better with less gap.

I had a M17 (10 shot alloy cylinder) that spit all over me...it had an .008-.009 gap. I've had an M10 that works just fine with about that same gap.

It's my understanding 95% of powder burning/detonation occurs before the bullet leaves the cylinder... not a big deal.

 

[alwslate]

Yes she shoots very well. Even likes my cheap handloaded cast and loves Winchester white box. I haven't noticed any splatter. The cylinders seem to line up well withthe barrel. I've probably shot it about 100 rnds. It was one of those Ohio prison gaurd guns from Outdoor Superstore. Overall, I'm pretty happy with it. Thanks for all the advice. I don't think I'll worry about it unless it gives me a reason too.

If your gun is a used md 10 from a batch sale of guard guns
the .011 BC gap is probably due to parts being mixed at some
point and your cyl and crane not being original to your frame
and barrel.