Preventing a Turn Line

[ToddG]

Well a 10-5 followed me home from a recent trip. A real drawer gun -- very tight, good bore, nice finish. Shoots well but there is a problem. It has no turn line. Yet.

I was looking for a shooter not a collector but this is nice enough that I'd like to prevent a turn line showing up. I read somewhere about using tape on the cylinder to protect the bluing. Sure, I can carefully apply thin Scotch or thicker gaffer's tape around the cyl but I am concerned that when heating up from shooting the glues will migrate into to the metal, turning my concern about a thin scratch into a wide discoloration.

Any suggestions? I'll probably just accept that fun with the gun causes wear but figured I'd ask the experts just in case. Ounce of prevention, you know.

 

[cowboy45]

Don't do it. The only thing it will accomplish, is a mess you'll have to clean up. The turn line is a timing issue. Don't worry about it and enjoy the gun.

 

[jimmyj]

Hi:
Many years ago I shot bullseye matches and one of the top shooters was a "Older" gentleman who used Colt Officer Model Match .22 and .38 revolvers.
Before a match he would apply a drop of gun oil to the cylinder locking bolt and each one of the cylinder notches. His Colts were like new and never developed a "Turn Ring".

 

[66Park]

I'll probably just accept that fun with the gun causes wear.

That would be my advice. Scratches can bother me. Bluing wear can bother me, but I never let a turn line bother me. They are just a fact of life with a revolver. A fine Smith and Wesson that has never had the trigger pulled is a sad thing to me. There are lots of ways to enjoy a fine gun. Looking at it is definitely one, but not pulling the trigger and not at least putting a few rounds through it really limits the enjoyment to me. Of course, you're not me, so do what you want.

 

[lhump1961]

+1...I wouldn't let a turn ring bother me. I have a couple of blued guns that I don't shoot much but I do shoot them from time to time. I baby them and clean them very well...the only mark on them is the marks you get from firing...a bit of a turn ring and a bit of a flame cut and a bit of a shadow on the front of the cylinder...unavoidable and doesn't take away from the beauty of the guns.

For me I get the maximum enjoyment from my "safe queens" by using them this way. I have other guns that I shoot much more and I can tell you that there isn't a whole lot of difference between my regular shooters and my occasional shooters! Take care of it and it will hold it's beauty forever. JMHO.

edit: Here's a 19 that gets shot from time to time...you be the judge. Most of the turn ring is from cycling the action over the years and some from shooting.

 

[GLL]

This 3rd Model Target .44 Special has a very heavy turn line from many thousands of enjoyable rounds. It goes to the range on a regular basis. Even with that line it is still "collectable" and worth a couple hundred $$ !

Shoot your new 10-5 and enjoy it as well !

Jerry

 

[suckersrus]

If you want it to look like it has never been shot -- Don't Shoot It!
Lock it up.

Look for another "shooter" you won't have to worry about.
As soon as you find your shooter, make sure it is unloaded then throw it out into the gravel parking lot.
From that point on you will not be worried about it.

 

[ToddG]

Pretty much my opinion. I will try the oil trick but I'm a shooter not a collector. Like fine cars, they do no good in a garage. Or living in a sock.

 

[Farmer17]

Blue Wonder makes a product that won't stick to blue but it will stick to bare metal. I have done several whole guns and several, just the cylinder for the turn line and it worked very well most of the time. The gun won't look brand new but it always looked either a little better or a whole lot better.

 

[Krogen]

The turn line is a beauty mark! Admittedly, I'm not a collector. My way of enjoying my firearms is by shooting them. I'm sure I have defaced many a future collector's item. To each, his own. If it's going to be used, then a turn line doesn't bug me in the least nor does honest blue wear. Abuse does, however. Evidence of use and tender care on a well-used firearm is not abuse.

By the way, I don't think the oiled Colt is a good example. I recall they don't have the timing scheme as our beloved S&Ws, so they don't exhibit the turn line unless out-of-time. Perhaps a Colt lover can enlighten us. That is, if you're brave enough to admit it!

 

[DWalt]

I wouldn't worry about a turn line. The only sure way to avoid a TL is to not shoot it. You can minimize the TL by indexing the cylinder carefully prior to closing it, i.e., align the top chamber with the barrel.

 

[murphydog]

The line is a normal by-product of the cylinder function. Some have it worse than others, but all revolvers that have been cycled more than a few times will have one.

There is a post here with a letter from Doug Wesson in the 1930s stating this, I think.

 

[tlay]

Don't worry about the turn line. Try some good wax such as Renasance wax to help out.
I have always wondered why the manufacturers of revolvers would not have cut a small groove around the cylinder to help with the turn line.

 

[NYlakesider]

To me unless a revolver is going to be a investment only and never do more than live in a safe it will have turns lines.

With that said all my revolvers show that they are well loved and have very uniform and well earned turn lines.

 

[Alan Quackenbush]

Some of my revolvers have had very sharp edges on the cylinder lock which, in my opinion, would hasten a line forming as it drags around.. I suggest taking some very fine grit sandpaper, like 800 or 1000 grit, and very carefully and very slightly round off the top edges of the cylinder lock and then polish the edges and top of the cylinder lock. This probably won't totally stop a ring forming but likely will slow it down a lot--especially if you keep a bit of lube on it.

 

[panamajack310]

Hey, like regular wear on a revolver a turn line shows character. I would also not put tape on the gun that will ruin the finish over time. Just keep the gun and be happy. There is one way to prevent a turn line. Never cock the hammer, never shoot the gun and never handle the gun. If the cylinder is not being opened and turned then you will not get a turn line.

HAVE FUN WITH IT THAT IS WHY YOU BOUGHT IT!

 

[shawn mccarver]

A turn line is evidence of a properly functioning revolver. There is no way to prevent it, nor should you try. These letters, with the reply from none other than Col. D. B. Wesson himself, explain it.

 

[rct269]

As noted above, the turn line is a timing issue. I once returned a gun (K-22) to the factory---primarily for refinishing. I asked them to give it to their very best craftsman---and to make it as good as it could be---also that I didn't care how long it took or how much it cost. The gun came back----in 1960. It has had about a half a box car full of ammunition through it since----and there is NO turn line. (Actually there is a turn line. It's about 3/32" of an inch long, and appears at the small end of the lead into the cylinder stop notch----at each cylinder.)

This topic (and my story) came up in conversation with Jinks at a point in time. He said it (the timing) was "all wrong", that "they never should have done that", and that revolvers so timed would skip cylinders during rapid double action use. It's worth noting that approximately half of that half a box car of ammunution was expended in very rapid double action fire---during my McGivern emulation days----which never seemed to work out quite like it should. The revolver never skipped a cylinder. It's sitting on the shelf today---looking and functioning like a brand new gun---if you don't get too picky about it.

Ralph Tremaine

 

[aphelion]

It is possible to minimize the blueing wear by polishing the cylinder stop top to a mirror finish and breaking the sharp edges, as another poster mentioned above. The M28-2 below has accumulated over 9000 rounds in the last almost 40 years, and the wear is minor. It shows up more in this photo than it does in normal light. Way back then, I polished the stop on my new guns as soon as I got them, and the results are the same for them. As others said, you can't stop it completely if you are going to use the revolver for more than a paperweight.

 

[rct269]

Chapter Two: I just noted a comment above concerning a Colt, so I guess that's fair game.

I have a Roper Custom Officers Model (circa 1935)---grips/sights/hammer/action job. There is just a hint of a turn line---probably from before Roper and his merry men got their grubby little paws on it. The bolt/cylinder stop timing works thus: The bolt SNAPS down (completely) just as soon as the hammer/trigger is moved---even a little bit. It stays down---all the way down until it SNAPS back up---about a bolt width before the notch. Interestingly enough, the lead into each bolt notch has had the (blue) finish removed such that the bolt SNAPS onto white metal----and there still isn't a turn line---not even one 3/32" long.

Chapter Three: I have a Colt SAA which has been treated to Oglesby's "Shootist" conversion. There is NO turn line----anywhere.

Epilog: Like the man said----it's a timing issue!

Ralph Tremaine

And to perhaps belabor the point, the timing of ANY revolver can be changed from what a factory deems expedient to what you want. See your neighborhood gunsmith!