Lessons Learned - Buying a used revolver

[les45]

I learned a couple of valuable lessons in the last few months on buying used revolvers. Thought I would pass them on for those like me who thought they knew a little bit about guns but still have something to learn.

Rule 1 - dry fire all cylinders in both single action and double action. At the store, I dry fired a couple of cylinders and declared the gun acceptable. When I got it home, it had two cylinders that pulled hard in the last 1/4" or so. Turned out the gun had a bent ejector rod. I live 100 miles from the gun store so I ended up fixing it myself (luckily an easy $10 fix).

Rule 2 - test for "pushoff". If you've never heard of that term you are not alone. It is a dangerous situation where you can push forward on a cocked hammer and it will drop (Google the term if you want to know more). I had done a trade with a guy (drove 60 miles to meet him half way) and he called me the next day to tell me about the pushoff problem. I offered to un-do the trade. Another 60 miles one way. The gun is now sitting at my gunsmith's shop waiting on parts.

Add these to all the other things you do to check tightness, timing, etc. when buying a used revolver. (it would be nice if someone could come up with a sticky to include a checklist of all the things you should do when buying a used gun)

 

[Alnamvet68]

Excellent advice....and yes, it should be a STICKY!

 

[Hapworth]

I post these two links a lot -- definitive revolver pre-purchase checklists. They should be stickied in giant neon somewhere here:

Revolver Checkout Procedure

https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B6F...hLWE4YzMtOTdmN2YwNmY4NzM2/edit?hl=en_US&pli=1

 

[2K7]

and #3.....

as mentioned above, pay particular attention to checking the timing on all 5 or 6 chambers (depending on revolver). Cock it slowly and make sure the cylinder locks fully before or right as the hammer hits full cock.

I've seen new, out of the box revolvers that are out of time.

 

[Old cop]

Dry fire & hold the trigger back so the weapon is in full lock-up. Turn the gun around so you can look down the barrel and shine a light through the back of the cylinder and across the recoil shield. You should be able to see that the cylinder aligns perfectly w/the barrel. Do this for all cylinders. Another way is to drop a pencil down the barrel with the trigger back in full lock-up, if the gun is at least a thirty-eight.

While not perfect it has kept me from buying a couple of wheel guns that did not pass either test.

 

[Dale53]

One other thing that is easy to check, is barrel/cylinder gap. I bought a nice 686 (6") from an estate sale. The gun had not been fired much (ANIB) and I jumped on it. I got it home and discovered that it had about .012" barrel/cylinder gap. To me, that is unacceptable. Fortunately, I have a good relationship with my pistolsmith (and he is only about 20 miles away). He set the barrel back on thread and gave me the barrel/cylinder gap I specified. I ended up with better than a factory new revolver for very little extra. I am a happy camper. The revolver shoots EXTREMELY well and now, no spitting...

It turned out very well for me, but most people do not have a good pistolsmith relatively close by and some are VERY expensive. It's "more better" to be sure before you buy...

Dale53

 

[STCM(SW)]

One other thing is to bring a bullet of what ever calaber the revolver is and see if it goes through the chambers of the cylinder.
Too loose or won't go through at all will be a reason to reject it.
The too tight cylinder chambers can be opened.
I have had this on serveral 38's & two 45 Colt revolvers.
Worse were a S&W 45 Colt with chambers that were .447/.448.
A .38 Spl S&W that were .353/.354.
None of them shot worth a dam till they were opened.

 

[snuf]

The way the factories are building them now you might want to check for a canted barrel.

 

[Xfuzz]

I'm good about checking timing and such.
I did get stuck once with a 27 with "push-off".
All the above are easy fixes it is just aggravating thay
it got by me during the purchase process.

 

[snubbiefan]

Push-off can also be the result of a Bubba trigger-job. Anytime I see a gun (especially a fairly recent model) that is reported to have a "trigger-job" for sale, I generally pass it up, or at least consider the cost of replacing parts. Not just anybody has any business stoning or filing on sear engagement lock-work.

 

[il Padrino]

One thing I look for now which I never looked at before (luckly I never got burned) is to check for cracked forcing cones. Especially if the gun is dirty that crud might be hiding a crack in the barrel forcing cone.

 

[Hapworth]

When possible, I run a dry patch through the bore of a prospective purchase; unscrupulous sellers can hide mild pitting with a light coat of oil.

 

[snubbiefan]

I just assume any used gun I purchase is like a used car......it's had the **** shot out of it and go from there.