Inspecting Smith and Wesson Revolvers | Smith & Wesson Revolver Project

Inspecting a Smith & Wesson revolver is pretty straightforward, but you do need a systematic approach. Let me show you the process that I go through. First, we point the gun in the safe direction and make sure it's unloaded then we can look the gun over carefully noting any unusual wear, rust, dents, dings, scratches, or other signs of abuse. If the outside looks rough, there's a chance internally it's in similar condition. We should be cautious of guns that have been refinished if the gun required refinishing then perhaps there was similar wear to the internal components. Wood grips on a handgun are easily worn or damaged so they can be a good indicator of how much the gun has been used or carried. The side plate screws can say a lot about the gun also if the screw slots are damaged we can be sure it wasn't done by a professional and have to wonder what's been done inside the action. We check the condition of the rear sight screws as well the windage and elevation screws do tend to get more use but they still shouldn't be damaged or burred. We note the sight blade condition and position is it centered if it's far to one side it may indicate a misaligned barrel if one corner is damaged the gun may have been dropped. Next, we check the front sight it shouldn't be bent, broken, filed, or otherwise modified. There should be some cylinder movement front to back but not too much. The thumb piece should move smoothly and unlock the cylinder. The cylinder shouldn't hang up or stick in the front or rear and the yoke should pivot smoothly inside the frame. Now we can check the ejector rod, it should be screwed in tight. A common indication of misuse is the presence of plier marks on the end of the ejector rod. With the cylinder open I can spin it and look for run-out or wobble on the end of the rod then I push the ejector rod to the rear the movement should be smooth. Grasping the yoke ahead of the cylinder and pulling it forward and then for the rear is next. Fore and aft movement of the yoke indicates a poorly fitted yoke retaining screw. Now we examine the barrel forcing cone checking for roughness cracks or splits. The tip of the cylinder stop should be smooth with no dents or burrs. Watch as I pull the hammer back and note its movement. As the hammer moves to the rear the cylinder stop should drop almost even with the surface of the frame and then pop back up. It shouldn't hang up or drop below the bottom of the slide and the frame. We check the movement and condition of the hand look for any wear or alterations. I also inspect the ratchet faces and edges of the extractor on the cylinder. We look at the firing pin as it protrudes through the face of the frame is the firing pin hole enlarged has the edge of the firing pin hole been pinned up. Now I can check the firing pin itself it should pivot smoothly and be rounded at the tip. Using snap caps we check the single action timing by cocking the hammer six times very slowly. I'm watching to ensure that the cylinder stop pops up and locks the cylinder before the hammer reaches full cock. Now I can check the double-action timing by slowly pulling the trigger all the way through until the hammer falls. Again the cylinder stop should lock the cylinder each time the trigger is pulled before the hammer falls. We don't forget to check the muzzle for wear, nicks, or pitting the surface at the muzzle around the bore should be smooth and even. We also check the barrel cylinder gap using a feeler gauge. We will need to note the minimum and maximum amount of clearance between the cylinder and barrel and check these measurements against factory specifications for the model we have. A careful and systematic inspection like this will alert us to almost any problem we're likely to find in older used revolvers.

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Keywords: inspecting a revolver, s&w model 67, thickness gauge, feeler gauge, revolver inspection, s&w inspection, midwayusa, larry potterfield, potterfield, gunsmith, gunsmithing

Id: 95xjizDOrcc

Length: 4min 35sec (275 seconds)

Published: Mon Jul 01 2013