Six reasons to own a revolver

[Certaindeaf]

Hello @Knobgoblin . I also suggest you put a heavy piece of leather between the pocket you are going to shoot through and your body. Normally there is enough hot gas and flame and unburnt powder that escapes through the cylinder gap on a revolver so it can badly damage your skin if its near cylinder gap. See the Hickoc45 video that uses a piece of paper near cylinder gap to illustrate why you never put fingers near or acriss a revolver cylinder gap. The paper got blown up with a big hole and burn marks.

I've shot a four inch revolver in the dark to test low flash vs ordinary powder. Both gave a flame several inches long from barrel. Low flash was much less bright/blinding. Other result was a Sheriff's deputy turned up. Neighbors who don't care about shots during day did worry about a full cylinder at night. Deputy was happy to see innocent paper plate targets and hear about low flash powder test, as he had never tested that either. My guess is without the leather protection, firing revolver from coat pocket might give you a nasty burn either from cylinder gap, muzzle, or both. Silhouette shooters who rest their revolver across one leg, legs toward target, use a piece of leather under the gun at the cylinder gap to avoid burning clothes and leg.

I've fired thousands of rounds and seen many hundreds of people fire hundreds of thousands of rounds retention shooting revolvers where the gun hand and gun is held tight against the body.. no injuries of any kind. After a while your t-shirt would get sooty but that's it.
I would never put a finger close to a barrel/cylinder gap though because it serves zero purpose and is potentially dangerous.

 

[Certaindeaf]

I can't think of one practical reason to choose a revolver for carry

The ability to put holes through things is practical so you're wrong.
Lolz

 

[Certaindeaf]

the key to S&W revolver happiness is a pinned barrel .

I bought a brand new unpinned 3" model 13 .357 magnum back in the 80's to have my armorer FBI.. bob the hammer and grind off the single action notch. On my testing it out, the barrel came unscrewed.
He shimmed and retorqued it to spec and it was a wonderful shooter from then on.

 

[Certaindeaf]

It went back but they couldn't find anything wrong. After shooting a couple cylinders worth it starts to lock up still. You open the cylinder and reseat and it works for a a few then has the issue again. I have 800 dollar paper weight until I send it to a competent smith I guess.

View attachment 1070339 View attachment 1070340

I've never seen a recoil shield firing pin bushing with a radius on it like that. Could very well be your problem.

 

[boattail]

Without any cases in this style of S&W the timing will be off. Period. Ask S&W. I had a timing issue with my 500, which of course was worse without any cases in it. Mine still had a timing issue when the cylinder was full, but that's different. Suggesting the timing is off because it's being "tested" with an empty cylinder is incorrect.
FYI, not many guns I've ever owned do I really want back with the sole exception of the pre-lock 686+. Say what you will, it was a fantastic revolver. I still consider it the perfect revolver.

Cases in the cylinder or not it was out of time. And yes, I am familiar with S+W being late timed out of the box. Anyone that looks at the pictures of the cylinder I posted and says that amount of slop and wear is acceptable is not someone I want giving me advice on how a gun should look and function. That gun shaved jacket and spit lead out the gap on every round fired.

Using a case in the cylinders to check for wear is an inaccurate way of checking the gun. New unfired cases will have play as they are loose in the cylinder. A fired and resized case will fit tighter, and a fired case that has not ben sized will fit the tightest. S+W wants a heavy purposeful roll of the cylinder to engage the cylinder stop and whether you are shooting double action or single, cocking the gun will get you that purposeful roll and engagement. When a cylinder hits that stop and then bounces back like mine did no cartridge in the chambers is going to hold that gun in time. Relying on the cases to hold the gun in time did not happen in my example.

When my 686+ came back from S+W with a new star and the old cylinder there was play at the interface still as only one worn part was replaced. The shop grabbed a brand new 686+ off the shelf and while it was tighter than mine there was play in that star as well and the gun was timed the typical S+W late. The 686+ has 1/3 the bearing surface on the start to cylinder interface. A heavier cylinder, coupled with smaller interface, and less angled cuts on the star legs is a poor design that will wear faster as mine did. That star drives the cylinder and helps stop its rotation on rebound after hitting the stop pawl. Look at the interface of a standard 686 then look at my 686+ and tell me that design is just as strong....you cannot.

I'm not bashing S+W, I'm pointing out design flaws. I can show you even more flaws with new Colts, Ruger's, and some others as well. This conversation went down the 686+ rabbit hole.....each manufacture has it's own gremlins.

 

[Pandaz3]

I've fired thousands of rounds and seen many hundreds of people fire hundreds of thousands of rounds retention shooting revolvers where the gun hand and gun is held tight against the body.. no injuries of any kind. After a while your t-shirt would get sooty but that's it.
I would never put a finger close to a barrel/cylinder gap though because it serves zero purpose and is potentially dangerous.

My son, at a Border Patrol range, when they used 357's, took a small piece of jacket shaving from an adjacent shooter. It lodged under his chin and is still there a quarter of a century later. Well, I haven't asked him about it in seven or eight years, but there last we talked about it. Still, he is a big proponent of revolvers and carried a J frame as back up till maybe two or three years ago. Now in ICE, he had to qualify with back up at least once a year. The qualifications were timed so fast reloads with that five shooter was true challenge. He used it till he switched to G-43, as back up, duty gun now an issued Sig 320.

 

[Lennie]

great read on servicing wheel guns, specifically Smith and Wesson

Sixgun Flu

Double-action revolvers, especially big bores, seem more prone to get out of kilter through ordinary use and may, occasionally, require some minor adjustments t

gunsmagazine.com

 

[2506]

Revolvers. Meh.

 

[Longwalkhome]

I can remember all the arguments in the gun rags about autos vs revolvers but the world changes and doesn't go back. I like them both and shot both for many years, today's shooters missed a lot of fun with the revolver games. There is ICOR competition that works well for defensive revolver and Old West for just running a thumb buster six gun.

 

[Lennie]

Revolvers. Meh.

View attachment 1072100

If the Bisley Blackhawk starts feeling unloved, PM me. I will give it a wonderful new home.

 

[RVTECH]

If the Bisley Blackhawk starts feeling unloved, PM me. I will give it a wonderful new home.

Oh man ! The Bisley is the way to go with a SA revolver!

I had the opportunity to try Oremikes .45 Bisley and I wish I had experienced shooting one much sooner!

I am currently looking for a Ruger Bisley in .357 but they are hard to find (locally).

 

[Lennie]

Oh man ! The Bisley is the way to go with a SA revolver!

I had the opportunity to try Oremikes .45 Bisley and I wish I had experienced shooting one much sooner!

I am currently looking for a Ruger Bisley in .357 but they are hard to find (locally).

GunBroker.com - Error

www.gunbroker.com

Based on the Gunsmith, this is a great deal on a Vaquero Bisley.

here is another one, it is not listed a Bisley so it will not get a lot of buyers looking at it.

GunBroker.com - Error

www.gunbroker.com

 

[RVTECH]

Based on the Gunsmith, this is a great deal.

I am sure it is but I want adjustable sights so I'll keep my eye out for a 'standard' model!

 

[oremike]

I am sure it is but I want adjustable sights so I'll keep my eye out for a 'standard' model!

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[UnionMillsNW]

Recently read a John Grisham short story where 4 shell casings found at the crime scene were positively linked to the revolver found in the defendant's house (the cylinder had 2 live rounds and 4 empty chambers). Let no gun facts get in the way of a good story.

There was a Colt prototype revolver that ejected spent casings. Maybe John Grisham is a "Forgotten Weapons" fan!

As for me a firearm is a tool. So depending in the task at hand I choose the appropriate tool. In my military experience I want a semi auto and all the magazines I can carry... but if I'm walking around the woods in Oregon I usually have my Pietta 1873 single action revolver....

 

[orygun]

Cases in the cylinder or not it was out of time. And yes, I am familiar with S+W being late timed out of the box. Anyone that looks at the pictures of the cylinder I posted and says that amount of slop and wear is acceptable is not someone I want giving me advice on how a gun should look and function. That gun shaved jacket and spit lead out the gap on every round fired.

Using a case in the cylinders to check for wear is an inaccurate way of checking the gun. New unfired cases will have play as they are loose in the cylinder. A fired and resized case will fit tighter, and a fired case that has not ben sized will fit the tightest. S+W wants a heavy purposeful roll of the cylinder to engage the cylinder stop and whether you are shooting double action or single, cocking the gun will get you that purposeful roll and engagement. When a cylinder hits that stop and then bounces back like mine did no cartridge in the chambers is going to hold that gun in time. Relying on the cases to hold the gun in time did not happen in my example.

When my 686+ came back from S+W with a new star and the old cylinder there was play at the interface still as only one worn part was replaced. The shop grabbed a brand new 686+ off the shelf and while it was tighter than mine there was play in that star as well and the gun was timed the typical S+W late. The 686+ has 1/3 the bearing surface on the start to cylinder interface. A heavier cylinder, coupled with smaller interface, and less angled cuts on the star legs is a poor design that will wear faster as mine did. That star drives the cylinder and helps stop its rotation on rebound after hitting the stop pawl. Look at the interface of a standard 686 then look at my 686+ and tell me that design is just as strong....you cannot.

I'm not bashing S+W, I'm pointing out design flaws. I can show you even more flaws with new Colts, Ruger's, and some others as well. This conversation went down the 686+ rabbit hole.....each manufacture has it's own gremlins.

I'll not argue the point about the change in design of the star. I'm sure it was a cost cutting measure taken to eliminate the pin that S&W used to locate the star, keeping it in time. I thought it was more than a bit odd, but when my 500 came back from S&W without rounds in the cylinder it was still late to the party. Filling the chamber with loaded rounds and checking, it was correct. I get your differentiation between a sized vs. unsized case. I didn't check it at home with loaded rounds, but I checked it again, with loaded ammo when I hit the range. In the instance of my gun, before repaired, if cocking the hammer back to shoot single action and stopping when the hammer locked, the cylinder wasn't on the bolt. If I had cocked the hammer all of the way back, it was. Still, we all know that's not right. I suppose I shouldn't have said that there's no way it will be timed correctly without cases in the cylinder, but even S&W knows the problem can be worse with an empty cylinder.
My comment was geared towards the fact that this style of star isn't as tight, or apparently as durable as the "old way" of manufacture. The 686+ I had was timed correctly, even without cases in it, but in this pic you can see the sloppiness of the star in the cylinder. Yeah, probably not the best of design changes.

 

[boattail]

I'll not argue the point about the change in design of the star. I'm sure it was a cost cutting measure taken to eliminate the pin that S&W used to locate the star, keeping it in time. I thought it was more than a bit odd, but when my 500 came back from S&W without rounds in the cylinder it was still late to the party. Filling the chamber with loaded rounds and checking, it was correct. I get your differentiation between a sized vs. unsized case. I didn't check it at home with loaded rounds, but I checked it again, with loaded ammo when I hit the range. In the instance of my gun, before repaired, if cocking the hammer back to shoot single action and stopping when the hammer locked, the cylinder wasn't on the bolt. If I had cocked the hammer all of the way back, it was. Still, we all know that's not right. I suppose I shouldn't have said that there's no way it will be timed correctly without cases in the cylinder, but even S&W knows the problem can be worse with an empty cylinder.
My comment was geared towards the fact that this style of star isn't as tight, or apparently as durable as the "old way" of manufacture. The 686+ I had was timed correctly, even without cases in it, but in this pic you can see the sloppiness of the star in the cylinder. Yeah, probably not the best of design changes.
View attachment 1072601

One way to look at that interface is to picture the hand rotating the ratchet and the star turning the cylinder. Which legs of the star are doing the work? The legs are cut to drive or cut to stop and some are just along for the ride. I chose the new Colt King Cobra to replace my 686+ because it has a great interface of the star to cylinder....but the Colt was not free of design defects...that is a Whole nuther story

 

[Ura-Ki]

My reasons for carrying a wheel gun, simple:
1) WAY more powerful cartridge options should I need them vs any semi auto
2) Ability to shoot Black Powder and cast bullets with little issue
3) With a Black Powder pistol, I have the maximum range of power potential, and projectile types, especially with cartridge conversion cylinders
4) Ruger Magnums and Super Magnums, nothing compares for absolute power and reliability
5) Colt Magnums, nothing shoots more accurately, or looks as good, or fits the hands as nice
6) Metaba Super Magnums, classy, funky, cool, reliable, changes the whole game, now you have a semi auto revolver that flat out works!

7) Revolvers are damn sexy!

 

[Longwalkhome]

I love my semi autos , great guns and fun to run. My friend builds a lead bullet reload in 9mm to shoot in his 9mm and trys it along the way to see if the reload runs in other 9mm guns. Some won't run well with his reload.

You don't hear that about revolvers and revolvers allow so many bullet shapes that you can go years having fun experimenting. Some semi autos shoot wadcutters but that is all they shoot. Revolvers can change weight of bullet, weight of powder, bullet shape and in some cases use different calibers like 38..357 or 44mag and 44 special or 44 Russian. Even 45 acp revolver can use 45 auto rims.

I could list the bad things about revolvers but guys will argue on what I say as its never happened to them. I have no time at this old age to argue.

 

[Bobbygun]

I'll not argue the point about the change in design of the star. I'm sure it was a cost cutting measure taken to eliminate the pin that S&W used to locate the star, keeping it in time. I thought it was more than a bit odd, but when my 500 came back from S&W without rounds in the cylinder it was still late to the party. Filling the chamber with loaded rounds and checking, it was correct. I get your differentiation between a sized vs. unsized case. I didn't check it at home with loaded rounds, but I checked it again, with loaded ammo when I hit the range. In the instance of my gun, before repaired, if cocking the hammer back to shoot single action and stopping when the hammer locked, the cylinder wasn't on the bolt. If I had cocked the hammer all of the way back, it was. Still, we all know that's not right. I suppose I shouldn't have said that there's no way it will be timed correctly without cases in the cylinder, but even S&W knows the problem can be worse with an empty cylinder.
My comment was geared towards the fact that this style of star isn't as tight, or apparently as durable as the "old way" of manufacture. The 686+ I had was timed correctly, even without cases in it, but in this pic you can see the sloppiness of the star in the cylinder. Yeah, probably not the best of design changes.
View attachment 1072601

I'm struggling with what I'm looking at with your photo and the photos from others of the star. And, I struggled even more trying to get a decent picture of my 686+. When I look at mine, the star looks like the cuts in the star are far from perfect/symmetrical. But, when I slowly rotate the cylinder, they look much more alike than I thought from looking at the "still" view. I suppose I should just quit reading this thread, since I've always been 100% satisfied with my pistol. LOL I have had this pistol a long time, but it has probably seen less than 3K rounds in its lifetime. Only about 25% of those were .357 Mag, the rest .38 Special.

I'll attach my best crappy picture. If you can educate me further, please feel free to try. I've gotta go hang a treestand for an older buddy, so I won't be able to respond until this evening. Thanks.