S&W Model 14 soured

First topic message reminder :

Hello Folks,

My friend brought his 6" Model 14 to me. He said that for more than 30 years it has been the most accurate revolver he has owned. Then one day recently the accuracy went away. The sudden change made me think of a crack. I took the revolver home and examined it under bright light with high magnification, and could find none. He said the gun has only fired 148 gr and 158 gr cast bullets loaded to target velocity. The only thing I found was some lead buildup in the chambers. I thoroughly cleaned the gun and mounted a 2x pistol scope (it was already drilled and tapped). Using leather sandbags on a concrete bench, five shot groups were between 2-1/2" and 3-3/4" at 25 yards. My own Model 14 shoots around one inch. I reexamined the gun last night and can find nothing amiss.

What else should I look for?

Thanks, Tom

I talked to S&W.  The Model 14-2 is not covered by a warrantee.  They sent me a return shipping label, and will charge $90 per hour to examine the gun, with a $45 minimum.  If, as I suspect, the barrel is cracked and I just can't see it, they cannot repair it.  They will then ship the gun back to me as is.  I'm very reluctant to spend money when I think it is highly probable that it will be a complete waste.  I don't know what else I can do.

Opinions?

Greetings,

Barrels are available on eBay. However, "Caveat Emptor".

Replacing the barrel is not a difficult task, providing you have the proper tools.

Perhaps have a local Gunsmith examine the pistol?

You can always sell it "as is" at the local Gun Show.

Cheers,

Dave

Where are you located.

I decided to send the gun to S&W.  If they can tell me what is wrong, and if it helps me to return the gun to service, it will be worth the money.  If the barrel is cracked and the frame is sound, then I will have the foundation for a nice custom gun.  Thanks all, and I'll let you know what they find.

The Model 14 was returned from S&W.  The work order was terse:

Cylinder worn
Replace cylinder (blue)
Replace hand
Replace bolt

Yesterday I tested the gun.  It shoots one-inch groups at 100 yards.  All is well.

Take care, Tom

Did they send you back the old parts, so now that you know what to look for, you can see for yourself?

How much did they charge?  

Sounds like a successful repair!   :-)

Maybe the cylinder locking notches and bolt tolerances were too loose? Thinking that the cylinder notches could have been peened or an oversize locking bolt fitted would have also fixed it, but are not standard repair practices from a manufacturer. Good to see that S&W is still able to repair these older revolvers...

Boxturtle wrote:The Model 14 was returned from S&W.  The work order was terse:

Yesterday I tested the gun.  It shoots one-inch groups at 100 yards.  All is well.

Take care, Tom

1" groups at 100 yards?  That would be one heck of a factory revolver.
I tested three cleaned up DR legal Model 14s and they wouldn't hold 1" at 50 yards with all 6 cylinders.  If you won the lottery and ever want to sell, let me know!

How did you test that and how number of shots?  A photo of the target/setup would be interesting to many of us.

Share ammo load as well.

I'm so sorry.  I meant to say 25 yards.

 

+1 Crown does not take much to make them inaccurate a little ding will do it.