Revolvers

J

John Travis

Happy to be here
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Dec 22, 2016
Messages
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Lexington, NC or thereabouts.
Wait! What? Revolvers?

Say it ain't so, JT!

Yep. 'Fraid so. Revolvers are my first love. Rather than take the time to slow-type all this out, I decided to just link to an article that I wrote for Hunter Elliot to use at rangehot a couple years back. Saves time and edits to correct my many typos.

So, without further ado...

1911 Tuner's take on revolvers and making them last. -

Many have come to know me through my technical posts on the 1911 pistol, but what most don’t know is that I don’t love the 1911, even though I shoot it a little better than other pistols. I’ve just got a lot of experience with it and I understand it well…but I don’t love it. […]
rangehot.com rangehot.com
 
John Travis said:
Wait! What? Revolvers?

Say it ain't so, JT!

Yep. 'Fraid so. Revolvers are my first love. Rather than take the time to slow-type all this out, I decided to just link to an article that I wrote for Hunter Elliot to use at rangehot a couple years back. Saves time and edits to correct my many typos.

So, without further ado...

1911 Tuner's take on revolvers and making them last. -

Many have come to know me through my technical posts on the 1911 pistol, but what most don’t know is that I don’t love the 1911, even though I shoot it a little better than other pistols. I’ve just got a lot of experience with it and I understand it well…but I don’t love it. […]
rangehot.com rangehot.com
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Was wondering when you’d get into revolvers. Attaboy
 
John Travis said:
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Brought back some memories, there.👍

When I was a kid, I used to go with my Dad to the Pleasant’s Hardware on Northwest Blvd in Winston. Couple fellows I remember that worked there…Mr. Brinkley and Mr. Blakemore.
 
When I was growing up I was raised around a father who favored revolvers over bottom feeders. Never really caught the bug. Then when I got older and picked up the hobby I initially was enamored with fancy plastics and polymers and all the new fangled jazz. But as I have matured in the hobby, I see these new things as tools, but they lack the soul of old steel and wood.
 
Ha how true, how true. Not my Model 19 tho! I said the same thing. And had the same result.

For my 2.0 Reloading Era, prior to even starting, I have been laying in a stock of N frames and GP100's for just this reason.
 
John Travis said:
Wait! What? Revolvers?

Say it ain't so, JT!

Yep. 'Fraid so. Revolvers are my first love. Rather than take the time to slow-type all this out, I decided to just link to an article that I wrote for Hunter Elliot to use at rangehot a couple years back. Saves time and edits to correct my many typos.

So, without further ado...

1911 Tuner's take on revolvers and making them last. -

Many have come to know me through my technical posts on the 1911 pistol, but what most don’t know is that I don’t love the 1911, even though I shoot it a little better than other pistols. I’ve just got a lot of experience with it and I understand it well…but I don’t love it. […]
rangehot.com rangehot.com
Click to expand...
I’m curious how many rounds you shot in the L frame to loosen it up? I went through a spell of shooting at 50 & 100 yards with a 8 3/8” 686 and shot a lot of 158 & 180gr bullets that were loaded to max and slightly beyond. Never saw any signs of loosening up.
 
Etruett said:
I’m curious how many rounds you shot in the L frame to loosen it up?
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I really couldn't say. I never kept records and estimated my round counts and just used endshake as a yardstick.

I measured endshake on a new revolver with a dial indicator...recorded it...and rechecked every 6 months or so. When there was an additional .006 inch, I squared up the yoke and used endshake washers to bring it back to or nearly to original levels and relegated the gun to limited use with moderate loads.

I did the same with my beater 1911s by gauging the hood to breechface clearance, and watching for .006 inch of slide stretch by rechecking once a year.

I stopped using jacketed bullets for recreational shooting years ago. With the added stresses on the gun, faster bore wear, especially in the first inch of so of rifling, and...because I poured my own bullets...the expense, there's just no real reason.

L Frames are pretty durable, and you'll have to shoot a buttload of ammunition to reach that point. For K Frames and jacketed bullets, you can figure on .001 inch per thousand rounds and probably twice that for the Ls...and triple that with lead bullets for both.
 
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I was actually surprised at the durability of the L frame. At the time, I was not only shooting long range but working up a good load to use on hogs. I started out with a N frame but when I gave the 686 a try, I was floored by the much better accuracy. Not saying that L frames are more accurate, but my 686 was better than the mod 27 with the loads I was using. Ironically, I wound up going down a dual path. The most accurate load at 100 yards wound up being a 38 special loaded fairly hot as long as there was no wind, so the stress on the 686 got cut way down.
 
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