Posted: 8/20/2026 4:55:50 PM EDT
 I guess I need to get the barrel set back |
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Originally Posted By Ameshawki: I think Smith says anything up to 0.012 is in spec. Used to be 0.006. What vintage Smith? 1969 m19-3 Attached File I had just ordered shims to work on the endshake but then when I measured it I saw how bad it is lol Im a big fan of doing stuff myself but I think I'll skip this. |
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I had a Model 19 one time with a pretty big cylinder gap. Actually the forcing cone was getting slashed diagonally. The previous owner must have been firing magnums through it. It was way louder than a gun with a correct gap. If you try to push it forward you can get light strikes. Might need Federal primers. |
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Odd for a gun of that vintage. Something is going on, not something good. It would suggest a professional at least look at it. The 19 is on the edge for a 357 magnum. It works but it requires some care and careful feeding. I suspect yours has had a steady diet of magnums at some point in its life and you're now seeing the results. I have several k frames in 357. They don't see a lot of magnum ammo. |
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Originally Posted By backbencher: How does the barrel get set back without everything up front going cockeyed? It will take a complete turn "in" of the barrel. Idk off hand the pitch of the barrel threads to determine how far in 1 turn makes but it's not the route I would take. |
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Originally Posted By RiverSwine45: It will take a complete turn "in" of the barrel. Idk off hand the pitch of the barrel threads to determine how far in 1 turn makes but it's not the route I would take. Originally Posted By RiverSwine45: Originally Posted By backbencher: How does the barrel get set back without everything up front going cockeyed? It will take a complete turn "in" of the barrel. Idk off hand the pitch of the barrel threads to determine how far in 1 turn makes but it's not the route I would take. That is a serious gunsmithing project and not many smiths are capable of it anymore. |
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Originally Posted By Ameshawki: Odd for a gun of that vintage. Something is going on, not something good. It would suggest a professional at least look at it. The 19 is on the edge for a 357 magnum. It works but it requires some care and careful feeding. I suspect yours has had a steady diet of magnums at some point in its life and you're now seeing the results. I have several k frames in 357. They don't see a lot of magnum ammo. Ive shot quite a few magnums through it myself. Not as many and my m66-8 but a few. |
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Originally Posted By RiverSwine45: Possibly check the hight of the ejector lugs. A new ejector could set the cylinder closer to the barrel if the original is worn down. That can change the end shake as well provided prior to shimming fwd movement didn't contact the barrel. Definitely one of the things I like about the new models. The ejectors are definitely easier to fit |
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Originally Posted By backbencher: How does the barrel get set back without everything up front going cockeyed? Brian Pearce was comparing some of his older guns vs his newer guns and some have been set back twice. Looks almost a half inch shorter lol. |
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I had a similar issue with one of my S&W Model 36s and was looking for a relatively inexpensive/DIY remedy since the gun was a bit of a restoration project. A member on the S&W forum suggested a method for reducing the B/C gap that involved installing shim(s) between the cylinder and extractor and shortening the crane barrel by about the same amount. He had used this fix on k,l, and N frames and stated that since the shim sits flush against the back of the extractor, it's not subject to much/any wear. This fix also doesn't affect headspace. My B/C gap was .015 so I installed a .008 shim and shaved the crane barrel using a Lyman EZee trim hand case trimming kit and the appropriate size pilot. It reduced the B/C gap to .007 and has functioned flawlessly. |
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Originally Posted By AJR576: I had a similar issue with one of my S&W Model 36s and was looking for a relatively inexpensive/DIY remedy since the gun was a bit of a restoration project. A member on the S&W forum suggested a method for reducing the B/C gap that involved installing shim(s) between the cylinder and extractor and shortening the crane barrel by about the same amount. He had used this fix on k,l, and N frames and stated that since the shim sits flush against the back of the extractor, it's not subject to much/any wear. This fix also doesn't affect headspace. My B/C gap was .015 so I installed a .008 shim and shaved the crane barrel using a Lyman EZee trim hand case trimming kit and the appropriate size pilot. It reduced the B/C gap to .007 and has functioned flawlessly. Can you post a pic where you put the shims? |
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Here's a pic of the shim...it actually sits flush to the cylinder: ...and one of the ejector when at rest...  And here's how it was explained to me... If you think about it, the shims used the normal way take a lot of wear and tear, because the yoke is stationary, and the cylinder is turning against them. In this application, they are more protected because the shims and cylinder are all turning together, so there is no rubbing or friction on the shims. I also asked about any issues with stressing the extractor during firing and he stated that the extractor is only supporting the primer ignition (and it's more than strong enough for that) and the brass is pushed back into the recoil shield upon firing. It all made sense to me so I gave it a try since my alternative was to pay a gunsmith more than the revolver is likely worth to fix...plus I enjoy DIY projects. I also bobbed the hammer, lightly polished the internals, replaced the mainspring with a new (full power) spring, installed a Wilson Combat reduced rebound slide spring, cleaned up some dents/scratches, and installed new grips (which are extremely comfortable). And the final result is a .007 B/C gap with almost imperceptible endshake. I've got about 400-500 rounds (mostly wadcutters but some +p) through it since and it's been flawless. And here's the revolver... 
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Originally Posted By Y-T71: Following this out of curiosity and, just in case a future acquisition is in need. Currently, I'm at the opposite end of this; got a 610 Mountain Gun that I can barely get a .002" feeler gage in. Hasn't been fired so I'm not sure if it's gonna be an issue yet. It will. Carbon build up will quickly bind the cylinder. |
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Originally Posted By Ameshawki: It will. Carbon build up will quickly bind the cylinder. Originally Posted By Ameshawki: Originally Posted By Y-T71: Following this out of curiosity and, just in case a future acquisition is in need. Currently, I'm at the opposite end of this; got a 610 Mountain Gun that I can barely get a .002" feeler gage in. Hasn't been fired so I'm not sure if it's gonna be an issue yet. It will. Carbon build up will quickly bind the cylinder. I'm kinda anticipating an issue. Guess it'll be my turn to start a thread on how to fix that! |
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Originally Posted By AJR576: Here's a pic of the shim...it actually sits flush to the cylinder: https://imgur.com/MXpeKda.jpeg ...and one of the ejector when at rest... https://imgur.com/t9g3aGV.jpeg And here's how it was explained to me... If you think about it, the shims used the normal way take a lot of wear and tear, because the yoke is stationary, and the cylinder is turning against them. In this application, they are more protected because the shims and cylinder are all turning together, so there is no rubbing or friction on the shims. I also asked about any issues with stressing the extractor during firing and he stated that the extractor is only supporting the primer ignition (and it's more than strong enough for that) and the brass is pushed back into the recoil shield upon firing. It all made sense to me so I gave it a try since my alternative was to pay a gunsmith more than the revolver is likely worth to fix...plus I enjoy DIY projects. I also bobbed the hammer, lightly polished the internals, replaced the mainspring with a new (full power) spring, installed a Wilson Combat reduced rebound slide spring, cleaned up some dents/scratches, and installed new grips (which are extremely comfortable). And the final result is a .007 B/C gap with almost imperceptible endshake. I've got about 400-500 rounds (mostly wadcutters but some +p) through it since and it's been flawless. And here's the revolver... https://imgur.com/W2y8Jjq.jpeg Thanks. I guess it can't hurt to try. |
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Originally Posted By Ameshawki: It will. Carbon build up will quickly bind the cylinder. Originally Posted By Y-T71: I'm kinda anticipating an issue. Guess it'll be my turn to start a thread on how to fix that! Or get so hot it expands. But try it out. If you're not shooting cast bullets then maybe 10mm will be clean enough that you won't notice an issue. |
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Originally Posted By 03RN: Thanks. I guess it can't hurt to try. You're welcome. If you install 2 x .004 or .005 shims that will set the B/C gap at .009/.007 which is within spec. I was able to get larger shims from TriggerShims.com a while back but Lance said that the largest he now goes is up to .007. With regards to trimming the crane barrel, go slowly and only remove enough so the cylinder closes smoothly/without binding. |
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Originally Posted By AJR576: Here's a pic of the shim...it actually sits flush to the cylinder: https://imgur.com/MXpeKda.jpeg ...and one of the ejector when at rest... https://imgur.com/t9g3aGV.jpeg And here's how it was explained to me... If you think about it, the shims used the normal way take a lot of wear and tear, because the yoke is stationary, and the cylinder is turning against them. In this application, they are more protected because the shims and cylinder are all turning together, so there is no rubbing or friction on the shims. I also asked about any issues with stressing the extractor during firing and he stated that the extractor is only supporting the primer ignition (and it's more than strong enough for that) and the brass is pushed back into the recoil shield upon firing. It all made sense to me so I gave it a try since my alternative was to pay a gunsmith more than the revolver is likely worth to fix...plus I enjoy DIY projects. I also bobbed the hammer, lightly polished the internals, replaced the mainspring with a new (full power) spring, installed a Wilson Combat reduced rebound slide spring, cleaned up some dents/scratches, and installed new grips (which are extremely comfortable). And the final result is a .007 B/C gap with almost imperceptible endshake. I've got about 400-500 rounds (mostly wadcutters but some +p) through it since and it's been flawless. And here's the revolver... https://imgur.com/W2y8Jjq.jpeg What grips are those? |
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Originally Posted By M4A1SOPMOD: What grips are those? They're Thai made grips that I got off Ebay. They required some fitting/sanding but (IMHO) they look great and they're very comfortable. Here's a link to the exact grips... https://www.ebay.com/itm/273620148012?_skw=j+frame&itmmeta=01M16WNR07MFK10KX2ECRBJQQF&hash=item3fb5081f2c:g:zDgAAOSwq2xcSq3G |
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Originally Posted By 03RN: 1969 m19-3 https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/433221/9aca3eb4-c070-430c-a2e4-070c080576be-1_a-3814427.JPG I had just ordered shims to work on the endshake but then when I measured it I saw how bad it is lol Im a big fan of doing stuff myself but I think I'll skip this. Originally Posted By 03RN: Originally Posted By Ameshawki: I think Smith says anything up to 0.012 is in spec. Used to be 0.006. What vintage Smith? 1969 m19-3 https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/433221/9aca3eb4-c070-430c-a2e4-070c080576be-1_a-3814427.JPG I had just ordered shims to work on the endshake but then when I measured it I saw how bad it is lol Im a big fan of doing stuff myself but I think I'll skip this. I’m guessing your frame stretched? or do you think it just beat the cylinder bearing surfaces and yoke fit? Do get it fixed if there is that much play in the cylinder as it’s a slide hammer now and only going to get worse. |
