Buying a used revolver
Jim Phillips
what to be careful about when considering a used revolver.
Can someone point me in the direction of a good posting on the
subject, recommend a book, or just email the answer.
Please keep in mind that I know how to handle and shoot a revolver
safely, I just don't know enough to pick up a used one at the
local guns-R-us shop and access the amount of wear and/or damage
the gun has experienced.
And it's not that I don't trust the salesperson :-^
thanks
james
--
James K. Phillips Sprocket Scientist ja...@pvi.com
Precision Visuals, Inc. ja...@teal.csn.org
6230 Lookout Rd
Boulder, CO 80301 (303) 530-9000 x308
David L Pope
# I'm considering the purchase of a used revolver. I have no idea on
# what to be careful about when considering a used revolver.
The problems I noted after playing with my first used revolver
purchase all centered around the cylinder motion. My Webly .455
(converted to .45 auto-rim) had a LOT of rotary motion in the
cylinder. Grab the cylinder and try to rotate it (they ALL seem to
move a little in the uncocked state). Now cock the hammeer and see
how much it moves, which should be VERY LITTLE (hundredths of an inch).
Now drop the hammer gently while pulling the trigger. The cylinder
should be locked tightly in position. Hopefully, in this position,
the chamber will be exactly lined up with the forcing cone.
Hope this helps.
David L. Pope
Bob DeBula
#I'm considering the purchase of a used revolver. I have no idea on
#what to be careful about when considering a used revolver.
#
#Can someone point me in the direction of a good posting on the
#subject, recommend a book, or just email the answer.
#
#Please keep in mind that I know how to handle and shoot a revolver
#safely, I just don't know enough to pick up a used one at the
#local guns-R-us shop and access the amount of wear and/or damage
#the gun has experienced.
#
I don't claim to be an expert on this one, but I have bought
(and resold) a few used revolvers over the years. My
experience is almost entirely Smith & Wesson double action
revolvers, so your Colt, Charter Arms, Dan Wesson, Ruger, etc.
mileage may vary (although a lot of the principles apply).
1.) Unless it is very heavily used or has been fired with corrosive
ammo, most post war revolvers tend to have pretty nice barrels
(i.e. rifling is sharp, crisp, and distinct). Still, #1 check
the bore for wear or abuse. Check the muzzle for unusal wear
as well.
2.) Check the cylinder gap between the cylinder and the back of
the barrel. The gap should be tight enough that you can barely
perceive light (I believe I've seen that this gap should
be ~.006" or less from what I remember -- actually, I judge
them by appearance without any gap gauge). Make sure there
is no unusual wear on the front of the cylinder to indicate
that the rear of the barrel is touching the cylinder at any point.
3.) Check just above the cylinder gap to see if any gas erosion
of the frame has taken place. Note that there may well be
crud, what you are looking for is *cutting* (i.e. an eroded
groove in the top strap). You may well have to borrow cleaning
materials from the shop keep to wipe accumulated crud off
to determine if there is top strap cutting. Note that large
quantities of crud can be indicative in & of themselves.
It can indicate that there is a lot of lead splash from the
cylinder gap (could indicate bad timing). Or it can indicate
that the previous owner was a slob and may be indicative of
the care the revolver received (or lack thereof).
4.) Check the rear of the cylinder where the notches are for
a wear ring. A large amount of wear (brightness or in
advanced cases an actual groove) can indicate that this
cylinder has "been around". This wear is caused by the
small (usually rounded) latching post at the bottom
of the frame (I forget at the moment the actual S&W term
for this part). The part serves to lock the cylinder
in place when the hammer is cocked (to help assure
proper alignment).
5.) Check the locking lugs on the extractor star (at the
rear of the cylinder with the cylinger open). These
lugs should not have a rounded worn appearance or any
chips missing. Some toolmarks may be evident and might
be OK (newer stuff doesn't seem to get the same level of
polish). Work the extractor star in and out of the
cylinder a few times to determine if the extractor
rod might be bent or unusually resistant.
6.) Close the cylinder (presuming safe gun practices and
the revolver is unloaded of course). Now, I usually
hold the grip with one hand and wrap my hand around the
base of the frame (just below the cylinder). Now, I take
my thumb and index finger and grip the cylinder. Then,
I *lightly* try to wiggle the cylinder back and forth.
With the revolver locked up, it should not have an
excessive amount of play (judgement call here). During this
whole sequence, make sure you keep the revolver pointed
in a safe direction.
7.) In the case of a stainless revolver, some idea of range
use *might* be obtainable by the blackening of the
front of the cylinder. This doesn't mean much for
two reasons. First, it happens after firing relatively
small quantities of ammunition through the revolver
and may not be indicative of heavy use. Second, some
products such as "Flitz" are reputed to be fairly
effective in removing it.
8.) With the cylinder open, check the cylinder walls of
all five or six chambers for anything unusual. Some
light evidence of toolmarks from the original reaming
of the chambers is OK. A ring of crud toward the front
of the cylinders probably is lead and powder build up.
I'd try to see if you can remove it before purchasing
to make sure it isn't hiding any defects (rare
in my experience).
9.) Check the recoil shield/plate (part of the frame) at
the rear of the cylinder (again cylinder is open).
You might see a wear streak caused by the spring loaded
center pin in the cylinder (located at the center of
the extractor star). If the revolver has been opened
and relatched extensively, this might be a groove.
A groove here (as opposed to a wear streak) may well
indicate a lot of use.
10.) Close the cylinder and with the gun pointed in a safe
direction, cock it. Examine the firing pin (attached to the
hammer) for chips or cracks. It should be fairly smooth
and rounded. In the case of a Smith & Wesson, you can
cock the revolver with the cylinder open by first
pulling the cylinder latch rearward and at the same time,
cock the revolver, should you desire to check things
with the cylinder open.
11.) The next bit is touchy. I like to single cycle the action all
the way around the cylinder (by manually cocking the revolver
and then easing the hammer back down) at least once.
You are looking for "sticky" spots or other oddities
which are indicative of bad timing of the cylinder.
(I also like to check the play of the cylinder at each
stop to make sure there isn't excessive play for that
chamber). See item #6 above for details. The reason I say
this is touchy is that a lot of folks & dealers get
paranoid about your doing this (especially on new guns).
I do it for everything, or I don't buy it. New guns
are as (more in some cases) susceptible to bad timing
as often as used revolvers. Sometimes when someone
won't let you do this it means they have something to hide
(*not* always). I wouldn't do this if you aren't fairly
certain you're going to buy the revolver. I would also
ask first (especially at a gun show). I *would not*
ask to dry fire the revolver. I try to get an idea
for the trigger pull by cocking the revolver (pointed
in a safe direction once more) and "catching" the hammer fall
with my thumb (which is on the hammer during the whole
process). This gives me a feel for the trigger without
(generally) pissing off the owner or shop keep (many folks
intensely dislike "dry firing" as a practice). I'm not
so keen on dry firing when evaluating a purchase myself.
12.) Check the muzzle of the barrel for blue wear indicative
of holstering & reholstering the gun. I have often seen
guns with a *lot* of blue wear (mainly ex-police revolvers)
which were mechanically mint. They were carried a lot, but
not fired much.
13.) Check for rebluing. Check by examining the original stamped
lettering (i.e. "Smith & Wesson", "357 Magnum", the
serial number, etc.). Look at a new revolver in a shop
to get an idea what the original blue and lettering should
look like. This lettering should be crisp,
not smoothed and rounded looking (also true of what
are normally sharp corners and edges). Especially, look
for pitting *under* the blued finish. Checking for
rebluing can be an art in some (well done) cases.
Well, I guess that's enough for now, I'll try to see if there's
anything to add (I didn't even get into checking the
sights (for revolvers with adjustable sights)). Check the grips
for cracks (in the case of wood), etc.
Now, believe it or not, assuming a well cared for revolver,
most of this stuff can be completed in less than a minute
or two (with experience). Don't let the seller rush you,
take your time to look things over before you buy.
I hope this helps.
--
==========================================================================
Disclaimer: These are my views, not the U's
"If it's in the paper it must be true!" --- D. Doright
Rob Boudrie
#anything to add (I didn't even get into checking the
#sights (for revolvers with adjustable sights)). Check the grips
#for cracks (in the case of wood), etc.
Additional item :
Remove the grips and inspect the gun. Many guns (particularly blued
ones) have excellent finishes form immaculate care, but are really
corroded beneath the grips because the owner did not take the simple
step of removing the grips during cleaning.
Rob Boudrie
rbou...@chpc.org