Hey guys, was watching Jerry Miculek the other day, which of course is always inspiring. Here is my question:

I have an older S&W 27-2, wonderful guy, shoots great (had trigger work done one time, excellent double action but seems a bit light single action, is that normal?) but I have always babied it, meaning I don't shoot it much and not a lot of rounds when I do. the finish has some spots that got bit by rust, but overall its in great shape. mostly I just love it so baby it.

but can I shoot it too much? I don't want it to get "loose" or shoot it out. sorry if it's a stupid question, just wonder.

also, 38special in 357, I've never really done that, because don't want to burn that ring in the cylinder that I hear happens if you shoot 38 in 357 too much. is that a major problem? I don't load for handgun so am thinking what is least expensive shooting ammo.

Also, I have a 4" dan wesson, can these be "timed" IIRC it has a good amount of blowback onto your hands when fired. I don't know if this is just because it's short or because it's timing is off.

Thanks guys.

Red

I'm sure Jerry has worn out quite a few revolvers but that, plus some talent, is what it takes to be able to shoot that well.
Yes you can wear out a revolver or automatic by shooting it but by then you will have spent a lot more on ammo than a new revolver will cost - plus you will have had a blast and be a much better shot.

500 or so hot loads every weekend for a year might do it.

I can't afford to shoot that much, maybe 500-1000 a year would be possible. I just wondered on the 27-2, somebody told me once that the hammer mounted firing pins weren't as durable as the newer designs and could break???

i was told the uberti cattleman .45lc had a life of about 3000 rounds...this has come from several shooters... i've got 2 of them... .

On a Smith & Wesson you can pretty much replace everything that might conceivably wear ot with a new part when the time comes.

Except for the bolt stop notches on the cylinder.

When they become oversize it is pretty a sign the gun is worn out. But if you keep everything else replaced when it needs it you should not, in theory, ever have a problem with the bolt stop notches ever becoming oversize.

I have a 45 LC Redhawk over 10,000 medium loads through it. It just got pulled apart and all was done was a new spring, timing adjusted, and a worn trigger piece. the Smith said its ready for another 10,000, Maddog
PS. it still shoots a tight group at 25 yds.

I'd say it is the VERY rare occasion when someone shoots enough to wear a revolver out (barring poor maintenance and stupid stunts). As has been said, most of the parts that are susceptible to wear are replaceable. If you are worried about "that 38 spl ring" just load 38 loads in 357 cases and problem solved.
The rugers are well known to be a bit stouter than most others, but as long as you care for it and use good sense not pushing the bounds and such that S&W will last a good long time.

thanks guys. I'd guess this thing has less than 2k rounds through it total.

what is timing involve? in thinking of asking local shop to time the Dan wesson 4". is there a way to tell if a gun is out of time? I took the s&w to local smith, he used his finger to out drag on te cylinder and cycled it. said it was fine?

Can you shoot it too much? No.

Can you wear it out? Absolutely.

You might be able to replace most things on the S&W revolver but when the frame stretches, you're done. They do not like a steady diet of heavy loads. If you want a D/A revolver that will withstand some abuse, go with a Ruger. If you want the ultimate in strength and precision, get yourself a Casull.

You will find that the cylinder stop notches will wear & peen much faster under repeated rapid double-action shooting, especially the N-frames. The cyl stop window in the frame will also wear and widen but it can be corrected up to a point. Leisurely single-action shooting isn't nearly as hard on the revolver as rapid double-action.

With full magnum loads, you'll find noticeable barrel throat/leade wear beginning after several thousand rounds. I replaced one M29 bbl after ~10K rounds 'cause it would no longer group less than 6 MOA whereas it would do 3 MOA when new. BTW ~10K rounds required replacing the cylinder stop 3 times, IOW about every 3500 rds(lots of DA shooting). FWIW 99% of this shooting was with 22/2400/265cast, a fairly stout load.

Don't know how this will compare with your 357 but it's food for thought.
Regards, Joe

Thanks a lot gents. I guess it's better to wear out parts than let it be a safe queen. I'm gonna see how the dan wesson shoots too, I haven't shot it in so long I can't remember. I'm not trying to be Jerry Miceluk or anything, I just want to have some fun.

Red

quote:

Originally posted by Dago Red:
Also, I have a 4" dan wesson, can these be "timed" IIRC it has a good amount of blowback onto your hands when fired. I don't know if this is just because it's short or because it's timing is off.
Red

Red,

It sounds as though your Dan Wesson has excessive end float or an excessive barrel to cylinder gap. I'd have a revolver smith look into that first, then alignment, then timing.

Timing is nothing more than the mechanical sequence of the cylinder bolt being fully locked into a cylinder bolt notch at the same instant the trigger-hammer lock work is fully locked and ready to release. Don't confuse this with an alignment problem. If it were mine and really was concerned about a timing problem I'd have someone who specializes in revolvers take a look at it.

If you're going to shoot a lot, plan on the Dan Wesson wearing out a lot faster than a S&W. They just aren't built anywhere near as well...at least the ones that come through my shop aren't.

Depending on the Dan Wesson model you may not have the cylinder gap set correctly.

I can't imagine shooting enough to wear out a smith and wesson 27. A k frame, absolutely but not an N frame in 357.

No Way. Go For It, your wallet will scream when it's time to put it away for a while.
KY Jim

Yes you can eventually wear ANYTHING out.

In some circles it is a common practice to have 2 or more identical guns.

Many times Competition shooters that shoot a lot will have one gun they shoot, one gun as a spare, and one gun in the shop...

People I know that shoot the "gun" they carry a lot many times have at least 2 identical guns.

One they carry, and shoot only a little, and the one they practice with or shoot in competition a lot.

Also if a person shoots a lot, and carries an aluminium framed gun, many of us had the identical gun with a steel frame and practiced with it, as the steel frame gun will hold up longer...

What NE 450 No2 said.

If you shoot it A LOT, or even if you merely dry-fire it rapidly, you WILL eventually wear out the bolt and cylinder stop notches if nothing else.

I've already related my long-term experience with accuracy degradation in a 44 Mag S&W, and the 357 is usually even more erosive on the barrel leade due to higher pressures. IIWY I'd expect noticeable accuracy differences at about the 3000-5000 round level or maybe even before, depending upon your accuracy standards and skill level.

Worn out? Of course not.

Needing a smith's attention and correction and replacement of small parts including an occasional barrel? Absolutely!
Regards, Joe