S&W Model 14 soured

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

Damage to muzzle crown? Side-to-side looseness in cylinder? Muzzle wear (check for “funnel mouth”) from improper cleaning? Damage/wear to forcing cone?

Did the change in accuracy occur over a long period or was it sudden? If the former, barrel/bore wear is possible, if the latter, I’d look for some specific damage. Hope this helps.

Froggie

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Green Frog

Damage to muzzle crown? Side-to-side looseness in cylinder? Muzzle wear (check for “funnel mouth”) from improper cleaning? Damage/wear to forcing cone?

---

All appear fine.

frame stretch? cylinder gap maybe opened up? grasping at straws myself. you said you cleaned the chambers. how about the bore?

I thoroughly cleaned all of the gun. Cylinder gap is excellent.

Did you shoot his loads when testing? or yours? If his, did he change anything?
May need to get the barrel scoped for wear!!!

Hi Jake,

I shot both his and mine. The interior of the barrel appears excellent. The forcing cone is also in excellent condition, as is the crown.

Thanks, Tom

What were the bullets sized to? Possibly too small and you would have a leading problem...my 2 cents worth.

It's the heat outside boolits getting to soft! Just kidding, if there isn't anything noticeable maybe slug bore and mic it! My problem is the guns are still the same I just don't shoot as well as I used to!

Hi Paul,

There is no significant leading, and the bullets are correctly sized for the 0.3575" throats.

Thanks, Tom

cylinder lockup worn, off timing?

I don't know if you cleaned and lubed the action. I'd check the hammer for drag and since you have a 14, I'd swap hammer springs. Could be inconsistent ignition.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Prodigal Son

It's the heat outside boolits getting to soft! Just kidding, if there isn't anything noticeable maybe slug bore and mic it! My problem is the guns are still the same I just don't shoot as well as I used to!

---

I've done this. Didn't expect to find anything, and didn't. The problem is a recent development. Thanks, Tom

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by OS OK

cylinder lockup worn, off timing?

---

This is a possibility I'm going to check soon. Next time at the range I'll drape the cylinder in paper and look for spitting of lead shavings.

Thanks, Tom

GEEZ,
That is a hard thing to hear. I have had a 14 6" just about that long. And I'm sorry to hear it. Mine is my favorite SMITH.

I bought my 6" model 14 3rd handed back in the mid `70`s. It had been tuned some and smoothed in the right places, I did a Wolff spring kit change and went from there. All I`ve put thru mine was 148 gr. target loads I made up using 3.3 Gr. of either HP-38 or Win 231 powders. It still is `scary` accurate to this day.Robert

Easy way to verify timing is with a brownells range rod.

Put 6 stick on bullseyes on a target and mark the cylinder with a pencil. Shoot one at each bullseye with at least 3 cylinders indexing each time with your start line. Is one charge hole a problem or not. That gives you a point to go on.

If it went from good to bad in short order, damage is likely the culprit. Did it get dropped? If landing on it's side, the cylinder stop and/or crane could be damaged. Does it still lock up tight? Any change from "before"? These are all I can think of if the crown looks good. When it went bad, had the owner changed ammo or load recipe?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by sutherpride59

Easy way to verify timing is with a brownells range rod.

---

That would be my suggestion as well. When a pistol that shot well and then goes sour there are a limited number of things that could be the problem.

A range rod will show if there are timing issues. I suspect that after 30 years of shooting the timing has gone wonky. It happens.