Revolver Endshake Bushings/Bearings?

[hello57748]

What do you guys think about endshake bearings? Is this an acceptable way to resolve endshake on a revolver? Do they cause binding/malfunctioning in your experience? Should I pay the $200 for S&W to stretch the yoke (I know this is a more permanent solution). Let me know what you guys think.

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[po18guy]

Does Smith even stretch yokes? A talented 'smith could build up a small bead and then hand work it to spec. Otherwise, it might be triggershims.com as they offer endshake bushings.

 

[VinnieBoomBah]

Lots of info here

For anyone interested in fixing S&W endshake... - AR15.COM

Firearm Discussion and Resources from AR-15, AK-47, Handguns and more! Buy, Sell, and Trade your Firearms and Gear.

www.ar15.com

 

[JuglansRegia]

I have used the washer looking discs with good results. I believe they are made out of stainless shim stock.

 

[Certaindeaf]

Are you checking the endshake with the chambers loaded?

 

[CLT65]

I'm not a gunsmith but I like older S&W revolvers. I've been using endshake bearings for decades, and have never had a problem with them.

I've had a couple people over the years tell me they're the wrong fix and I shouldn't use them, but I've never really understood why, especially in an inexpensive older gun that doesn't get shot a lot.

 

[coop44]

I have seen the tool used for this. It resembles a tubing cutter. Instead of the cutting wheel though, it has a flat wheel. A tight fitting mandrel is inserted inside the yoke before use.

 

[gmerkt]

Huh. I'll be darned, I thought I'd invented end shake bushings. "Bearings" = bushings = shims = washers. And, I always thought I was being sneaky by using one.

Remember, installing an end shake "bearing" pushes the cylinder rearward and increases the barrel / cylinder gap. Not much of an issue for most people, but if you are shooting lower velocity loads, this can cause a bullet to stick in the barrel if the gap is too big. I've read that for every .001 of gap, there is a 1.5% loss of propellant gas pressure. More or less.

One time I had an old Smith & Wesson .32-20 revolver, 1905 (no change). It had been a target gun, fired who knows how many times. The forcing cone had actually been burned away to a huge gap. First time I attempted to fire a jacketed bullet in it, the bullet stuck midway down the bbl. There simply wasn't enough power remaining in the gas charge to push it out. Previously, I'd fired many lead bullets through the same gun, with lower charges, without problems. Of course the jacketed bullet presented a lot more friction in the bore.

 

[CLT65]

My first revolver long ago was a Dan Wesson .357 magnum. I shot it quite a bit, and probably loaded them too hot back then; I was young and dumb.

It had endshake, probably had some before I got it. I don't remember. I took it to a gunsmith who launched into a long explanation about the problem and what he would do about it, involving modifying the crane and frame IIRC. It would cost almost as much as I paid for the gun.

A guy in a gun shop gave me a couple bearings for it that fixed it right up, worked great until I sold it many years later. Fortunately cylinder gap isn't an issue on a Dan Wesson because of the barrel system.

A friend showed me an old Spanish revolver he'd bought a while back, asked what could be done to fix it up. It was pretty loose, terrible end shake, massive cylinder gap. Fixing the end shake would be easier than setting the barrel back for the cylinder gap, and it would still be a rattly old Spanish revolver. The best use for it is "wall hanger"!

 

[gmerkt]

The "stretching the yoke" seems semi-temporary. Because when the material on the yoke tube gets stretched, it also gets thinned out some. Which in my mind means it wouldn't last as long as the initial period of duration.

 

[coop44]

The "stretching the yoke" seems semi-temporary. Because when the material on the yoke tube gets stretched, it also gets thinned out some. Which in my mind means it wouldn't last as long as the initial period of duration.

Meh, doesn't get thinned out much. It also doesn't get thinned on the end. It's such a teensy weensy (technical term) bit it will last a good long time. The shop I worked at was at one time a s&w warranty center and it was perfectly acceptable.

Or buy one of these

CRANE STRETCHER

CRANE STRETCHER https://www.brownells.com/tools-cleaning/gun-tools/handgun-tools/crane-stretcher/

www.brownells.com

 

[fredball]

Welcome Aboard

 

[Cerberus Group]

Just saw this thread...is the endshake in the cylinder area or the yoke?

If it's the yoke, take the yoke screw out, and switch it with the screw on the side plate that's right behind the trigger.

The screw that's right behind the trigger has a bit of a larger crown on the end, a bit larger than the yoke screw...that may be enough to fix the problem, or at least snug it a bit.

The other solution is to call S&W and request a "Endshake Screw Yoke" It's a bit larger than both the original and the screw behind the trigger...and that should fix it. It's not a catalog part number...not sure if anyone makes them aftermarket.

 

[Cerberus Group]

https://gungaragestore.com/smith-wesson-s-w-revolver-endshake-yoke-screw-domed-head-blued/

 

[ma96782]

Not to mention the catalog from Brownells = YES.

Aloha, Mark