Hammerdown
11-14-2008, 02:41 PM
Hello
Max has asked me to give some steps in checking a S&W revolver out before Purchase to make sure it is a good one. First we start with appearance features. Look close at the finish.If you notice the lettering on any of the Factory stampings appears Weak it more than Likely has been refinishing.Pre-War S&W's will have a B Prefix stamped up under the extractor Cut out on the flat of the barrel if they came blued or an N if they came Nickel finished. After world War II in the Late 1940's this feature was dropped in that are but most were stamped with the prefix-N- on the face of the cylinder and usually on the side of the grips frame. Ask the sales person if you can remove the Grips ? Make sure the flat tipped screw driver fit's the screw head tightly and remove the screw. leave the screw in place once it has cleared all the Threads Push the grips off by applying pressure to it. This will keep from chipping the grips if they are a tight fit. Once they are off, Look at the right Panel. The Older vintage S&W's with the factory service grips all had the guns serial number stamped into the right grip Panel. if they are target grips S&W did not stamp them with the serial number but as you get into Guns from the 1980's period there may be an Ink stamp Date of month and year on the right panel and this only mans that the grips were made on that date it does not mean the gun shipped then. The 1980's also saw the serial number disappear from the smaller Magna style or service style grips, and this was replaced with a Green Ink Dot often on both Panels. S&W used to have Two fitting Process's. One was called Soft fitting where all the parts for a certain gun were fitted and stamped with serial numbers including the grips then the final Process which is called Hard fitting where all the Parts are final fitted and this is where grip Panels are fitted to fit the frame they are on. Sometime in the Early 1950's S&W did away with the soft fitting Process as it was time consuming and made a change to all frames were standard size so parts would interchange without tedious fitting, and this is where we saw the serial numbers end on grip panels, and the fit was not as tight as the earlier ones as we often see Gap's or Parts of the grip that do not extend to the edge of the revolver they are on. Once you get the grips off, look closely at the side of the grip frame. if it is a Nickel gun it should have a Large N Prefix stamped on it and if it is Blued they usually did not stamp that on the newer models. You may see a Diamond shape and the prefix R-N on the grip frame. This means that the factory refinished the revolver as it was originally Blued and a finish change was made to now Nickel. On the Older vintage guns you may see a Five sided star on the Grip butt. This indicates it has been back to the factory for some service work be it a refinish or Parts replacement. Often when we see the five sided star we also see a date code on the side of the grip frame. Say it shows to have 4 11 56 in sequence. This means that the gun was repaired or parts replaced on April 11, 1956. There may be other Numbers on the grip frame but for most Intended Purposes these are bin stocking numbers or Inspector numbers as the gun moved through the Process of being completed. Look at the said of the grip frame and make sure it is Square. I have seen grip frame twisted on more than one occasion. Look at the Strain screw. This is the screw in the Lower front of the grip frame that applies pressure to the guns main spring. They have these on all S&W's except the smaller newer-J-frames which have a coil main spring if they were made after 1950. Make sure it is screwed all the way in as some owners feel if they back them out a little it gives you a slicker action. It will reduce trigger Pull by doing this, but it will often introduce Light Primer strikes and cause Misfires. Look closely at the revolvers side Plate. Make sure the screw holes are Not dished out. If you see them dished out or oval shaped it has been refinished and the Polished got carried away with removing corrosion. make sure the screw heads are Not Buggered up. This can be done discretely while talking to the Gun shop owner by simply feeling them with your fingers. if they are sharp it has been apart by an amateur, and this may mean Internal issues might have been an issue or Curiosity by the owner may be the Other reason. Look close at the Factory S&W Trade Mark stamping. if it does not appear strong the gun may have been refinished. If you Look real close where the side plate goes towards the front of the revolver frame, right at the Junction the side plate will almost look bent in nature. This is very Normal as when S&W Polishes side Plates they do so in an up & Down Fashion, then turn the Part 90 Degrees to Polish the lateral part of the side Plate that travels towards the front of the revolver's main frame.Look close at the Barrel Stampings. If they appear deep and sharp it has it's original finish. If they appear weak or washed out, chances are it has been refinished.Now we will walk through the steps I take when looking one over to add to my collection. First and always First make certain by Opening the cylinder to make sure the weapon is safe. You can't imagine as a NRA Range safety officer how many idiots have handed me a Loaded Gun. You can never be too safe. Lock up of the cylinder. Place you fingers on each side of the revolvers cylinder and wiggle it back and forth. if it moves some but stays locked up this is normal. Grab the front and rear of the cylinder with it still closed and see if it can be moved. if it moves it may require some shim stock internally in the revolver's cylinder to over come excessive end shake. Now Point the revolver at the floor and slowly cock the hammer back. Once it is in the firing mode Position wiggle the cylinder gently to make sure it Indexed and Locked up correctly. If it did Not index meaning the cylinder did not lock up. advance it to the next station of lock up by turning the cylinder, then while Pointing it towards the ceiling, again pull slowly back on the hammer to the full lock up Position. If it failed to lock up in either direction while pointing it down or straight up, Smile at the sale Clerk and hand it back to them. This is Often a timing Issue where it can either be worn internal parts which means it has to go back to the factory for a rebuild or it may indicate that it has fired many hot Loads and something is Tweaked in the action from it. Either way, it is Far Better to pass on one than it is to get stuck paying for it to be rebuilt.Next hold the revolver in your hand and spin the cylinder. if the cylinder does not spin free and even it may have a bent crane assembly and this will show with cylinder wobble. This is caused by either some idiot slamming the cylinder shut way too hard, or swinging it shut by flicking the gun sideways like we see Hollywood actors do often. While the cylinder is Open look closely at the face of the cylinder. make sure there are no rub marks on it where it has been coming in contact with the forcing cone { "End of the barrel that is Screwed into the Guns Main Frame"} If you see rub marks it is Often caused by a Tight forcing cone Tolerance. This problem can be Remedied by the Insertion of cylinder shims sold by Brownells but if it has this condition, it is one way of getting the sellers price down for an easy fix by either self or a gun smith the repairs are Minimal.Look closely at the cylinder extractor star. make sure it is Not sharp by gently rubbing your thumb over it. if it is sharp this is Often caused by shooting way too Hot loads through the revolver and this is another High Dollar fix as the factory had to rebuild the cylinder extractor and it can be costly.
Max has asked me to give some steps in checking a S&W revolver out before Purchase to make sure it is a good one. First we start with appearance features. Look close at the finish.If you notice the lettering on any of the Factory stampings appears Weak it more than Likely has been refinishing.Pre-War S&W's will have a B Prefix stamped up under the extractor Cut out on the flat of the barrel if they came blued or an N if they came Nickel finished. After world War II in the Late 1940's this feature was dropped in that are but most were stamped with the prefix-N- on the face of the cylinder and usually on the side of the grips frame. Ask the sales person if you can remove the Grips ? Make sure the flat tipped screw driver fit's the screw head tightly and remove the screw. leave the screw in place once it has cleared all the Threads Push the grips off by applying pressure to it. This will keep from chipping the grips if they are a tight fit. Once they are off, Look at the right Panel. The Older vintage S&W's with the factory service grips all had the guns serial number stamped into the right grip Panel. if they are target grips S&W did not stamp them with the serial number but as you get into Guns from the 1980's period there may be an Ink stamp Date of month and year on the right panel and this only mans that the grips were made on that date it does not mean the gun shipped then. The 1980's also saw the serial number disappear from the smaller Magna style or service style grips, and this was replaced with a Green Ink Dot often on both Panels. S&W used to have Two fitting Process's. One was called Soft fitting where all the parts for a certain gun were fitted and stamped with serial numbers including the grips then the final Process which is called Hard fitting where all the Parts are final fitted and this is where grip Panels are fitted to fit the frame they are on. Sometime in the Early 1950's S&W did away with the soft fitting Process as it was time consuming and made a change to all frames were standard size so parts would interchange without tedious fitting, and this is where we saw the serial numbers end on grip panels, and the fit was not as tight as the earlier ones as we often see Gap's or Parts of the grip that do not extend to the edge of the revolver they are on. Once you get the grips off, look closely at the side of the grip frame. if it is a Nickel gun it should have a Large N Prefix stamped on it and if it is Blued they usually did not stamp that on the newer models. You may see a Diamond shape and the prefix R-N on the grip frame. This means that the factory refinished the revolver as it was originally Blued and a finish change was made to now Nickel. On the Older vintage guns you may see a Five sided star on the Grip butt. This indicates it has been back to the factory for some service work be it a refinish or Parts replacement. Often when we see the five sided star we also see a date code on the side of the grip frame. Say it shows to have 4 11 56 in sequence. This means that the gun was repaired or parts replaced on April 11, 1956. There may be other Numbers on the grip frame but for most Intended Purposes these are bin stocking numbers or Inspector numbers as the gun moved through the Process of being completed. Look at the said of the grip frame and make sure it is Square. I have seen grip frame twisted on more than one occasion. Look at the Strain screw. This is the screw in the Lower front of the grip frame that applies pressure to the guns main spring. They have these on all S&W's except the smaller newer-J-frames which have a coil main spring if they were made after 1950. Make sure it is screwed all the way in as some owners feel if they back them out a little it gives you a slicker action. It will reduce trigger Pull by doing this, but it will often introduce Light Primer strikes and cause Misfires. Look closely at the revolvers side Plate. Make sure the screw holes are Not dished out. If you see them dished out or oval shaped it has been refinished and the Polished got carried away with removing corrosion. make sure the screw heads are Not Buggered up. This can be done discretely while talking to the Gun shop owner by simply feeling them with your fingers. if they are sharp it has been apart by an amateur, and this may mean Internal issues might have been an issue or Curiosity by the owner may be the Other reason. Look close at the Factory S&W Trade Mark stamping. if it does not appear strong the gun may have been refinished. If you Look real close where the side plate goes towards the front of the revolver frame, right at the Junction the side plate will almost look bent in nature. This is very Normal as when S&W Polishes side Plates they do so in an up & Down Fashion, then turn the Part 90 Degrees to Polish the lateral part of the side Plate that travels towards the front of the revolver's main frame.Look close at the Barrel Stampings. If they appear deep and sharp it has it's original finish. If they appear weak or washed out, chances are it has been refinished.Now we will walk through the steps I take when looking one over to add to my collection. First and always First make certain by Opening the cylinder to make sure the weapon is safe. You can't imagine as a NRA Range safety officer how many idiots have handed me a Loaded Gun. You can never be too safe. Lock up of the cylinder. Place you fingers on each side of the revolvers cylinder and wiggle it back and forth. if it moves some but stays locked up this is normal. Grab the front and rear of the cylinder with it still closed and see if it can be moved. if it moves it may require some shim stock internally in the revolver's cylinder to over come excessive end shake. Now Point the revolver at the floor and slowly cock the hammer back. Once it is in the firing mode Position wiggle the cylinder gently to make sure it Indexed and Locked up correctly. If it did Not index meaning the cylinder did not lock up. advance it to the next station of lock up by turning the cylinder, then while Pointing it towards the ceiling, again pull slowly back on the hammer to the full lock up Position. If it failed to lock up in either direction while pointing it down or straight up, Smile at the sale Clerk and hand it back to them. This is Often a timing Issue where it can either be worn internal parts which means it has to go back to the factory for a rebuild or it may indicate that it has fired many hot Loads and something is Tweaked in the action from it. Either way, it is Far Better to pass on one than it is to get stuck paying for it to be rebuilt.Next hold the revolver in your hand and spin the cylinder. if the cylinder does not spin free and even it may have a bent crane assembly and this will show with cylinder wobble. This is caused by either some idiot slamming the cylinder shut way too hard, or swinging it shut by flicking the gun sideways like we see Hollywood actors do often. While the cylinder is Open look closely at the face of the cylinder. make sure there are no rub marks on it where it has been coming in contact with the forcing cone { "End of the barrel that is Screwed into the Guns Main Frame"} If you see rub marks it is Often caused by a Tight forcing cone Tolerance. This problem can be Remedied by the Insertion of cylinder shims sold by Brownells but if it has this condition, it is one way of getting the sellers price down for an easy fix by either self or a gun smith the repairs are Minimal.Look closely at the cylinder extractor star. make sure it is Not sharp by gently rubbing your thumb over it. if it is sharp this is Often caused by shooting way too Hot loads through the revolver and this is another High Dollar fix as the factory had to rebuild the cylinder extractor and it can be costly.