Smith and Wesson revolvers

Yleefox · Post by **Yleefox** » Thu Jul 25, 2013 2:20 pm

I was out to the range and this elderly gentleman, who was a gun shop/gun smith for some 40 years before retiring, claimed that S&W revolvers loosen up and become sloppy after about 1500 rounds have passed through them. Sorry, but I had a hard time swallowing that statement, nevertheless, I thought I would ask the good folks on GT for their experience and/or opinions on this. He wasn't speaking to any specific model, just S&W revolvers as a whole. Any comments?

BTW, I've only owned one S&W revolver, a 686, and that was back shortly after they were introduced. Didn't keep it very long, not because it was a bad gun, just because I needed cash at the time.

PLM

Post by **Bullseye** » Thu Jul 25, 2013 4:49 pm

I'm not much into working on revolvers but I don't see too many S&Ws with end shake issues, especially not fairly new ones. Any revolver will loosen up a little but they still stay within acceptable tolerances.

R,
Bullseye

Yleefox · Post by **Yleefox** » Thu Jul 25, 2013 11:53 pm

That's pretty much what I expected to hear Bullseye. It just didn't make sense to me that such a small number of rounds would cause significant wear and tear on a firearm with Smith's reputation.

Thanks for taking the time to respond.

PLM

Redleg · Post by **Redleg** » Fri Jul 26, 2013 10:14 am

You sometimes hear that 686 revolvers are not designed to fire mostly .357s and will loosen up if you mostly shoot a lot of .357s rather than .38s. I do not know how true or untrue that is because I mostly fire .38s anyway in both my Smiths and my Rugers.

Hakaman · Post by **Hakaman** » Fri Jul 26, 2013 9:24 pm

I'm not a gunsmith by any stretch of the imagination, but I did check the lockup of each of my 357 revolvers. A S&W 686 (DA), and Ruger 357 Vaquero Bisley (SA). The Ruger 'appears' to have a little less wobble then the smith?, although the Smith has a lot more usage. Nonetheless, I think the wobble in each is acceptable. Appearance wise, I like the Ruger(polished SS SA), but like the handling and shootability of the Smith.
Haka

Medicine Hat · Post by **Medicine Hat** » Fri Jul 26, 2013 11:07 pm

I think the gentleman referred to maybe made an overly broad statement.
I have a S&W 38/44 N frame that was originally purchased by the WA. state police.
I routinely run pretty hot loads through it. It still mics within limits for cyl. gap, headspace with no noticeable end shake.
Admittedly, that's only one of many S/W's
Your mileage may vary.

greener · Post by **greener** » Tue Jul 30, 2013 8:17 pm

I've noticed they loosen up a bit with shooting. I suppose if you do a large number of the hottest loads possible, the S&W revolvers will get really loose. I have several S&W revolvers, most of which have been fired a "normal" amount with "normal" loads. I haven't noticed them loosening up exceptionally. Of course, my shooting ability may negate my ability to notice problems.

Maybe a smith with decades of experience has a perspective most of us don't have, but based on my experience, I'd buy an S&W revolver and shoot it frequently with a wide range of loads without any trepidation.

perazzi · Post by **perazzi** » Tue Jul 30, 2013 9:10 pm

Hot loads, yes, just like shooting out barrels on 220 swifts, or motors on NASCAR cars.

but, if you nurse them along with a steady diet of love, and cast bullets.

They're a Timex watch...

greener · Post by **greener** » Wed Jul 31, 2013 6:50 am

That'll do, perazzi

Yleefox · Post by **Yleefox** » Wed Aug 07, 2013 12:29 am

Nice group