I Am Descended From Men Who Would Not Be Ruled
Fiat Justitia, Ruat Caelum
I had a 14-6 that I bought new in 1998 that did the very same thing. I shot that gun for 19 plus years with nothing but cast wadcutters in 38 special WC cases using 3.2 grs of Bullseye.It was a very accurate revolver.Then one day I shot it and the accuracy was gone. The day before it shot normal. When the accuracy went it would not stay on a 2 foot piece of paper at 25 yards.It also started spitting lead.
So I sent S&W a e-mail and they sent back a prepaid shipping label. They had the gun for about 6 weeks before they called me on the phone and said that there was nothing they could do to fix it since they had no barrels in stock. They said they were going to scrape it and they would send me any handgun that I wanted for a replacement since my gun was covered under their life time warranty.So about 3 weeks later I got a new 686 that is every bit as accurate as my old 14-6..
If your friends model 14 is covered under their life time warranty maybe he should contact S&W and see what they say.
I cannot think of any answers to this mystery that have not already been asked and eliminated. Maybe the barrel is at its end of accurate life, but that is hard to understand with a lifetime of lead bullets being used. Since it is a pin-barrel variant.......I don't think I would send the revolver back to S&W given the company's stated absence of replacement barrels. The receiver seems to be just fine, and a replacement barrel like those mounted on PPC custom revolvers seems like a better resolution for me. I am not jazzed about the multi-step front sights on those Aristocrat ribs, but a nice Patridge up front with a matched-up rear sight would suit me right to the ground. Even in my dotage, I cannot brook optics on a revolver or self-loading pistol.
I don't paint bullets. I like Black Rifle Coffee. Sacred cows are always fair game. California is to the United States what Syria is to Russia and North Korea is to China/South Korea/Japan--a Hermit Kingdom detached from the real world and led by delusional maniacs, an economic and social basket case sustained by "foreign" aid so as to not lose military bases.
Are the grips solid to the frame. If the locating pin holes open up so will the groups. It may not be noticeable?
Hope this helps.
Dan
I Am Descended From Men Who Would Not Be Ruled
Fiat Justitia, Ruat Caelum
I own a model 14 I had to have retimed. It was the opinion of the gunsmith that DA shooting, of which this gun saw a lot, was tougher on the timing than SA shooting by an exponential amount. Unless it has been dropped and the crown damaged it is probably timing.
[The Montana Gianni] Front sight and squeeze
There are a finite number of things that could cause the revolver to turn sour. All of them have been discussed and in turn have been dismissed as not the problem. So, I am starting to think the revolver is not the main problem.
Disclaimer: The above is not holy writ. It is just my opinion based on my experience and knowledge. Your mileage may vary.
My feedback page if you feel inclined to add:
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/show...raight-Shooter
Thanks Yall!
Same mount used with both optics? I would screw a factory rear sight on and give it a try.
I think everyone has offered the likely problems and many have been eliminated.
I will relate an event that I experienced one time on a semi-auto pistol.
I had a Sig P220 that was a tack driver and then one day it just started shooting shotgun like patterns. The gun wasn't new but it was far from worn out. After much head scratching I finally found a small crack on the lug below the barrel. The only thing I could come up with was the possibility that the crack affected the lockup and therefore the consistency of returning to battery.
The crack was so small that I didn't see it at first but it was the only thing I could find wrong.
I related this story because it may be worth going back and re-examining the gun for cracks.
I also agree with Al, I wouldn't send it back to S&W and risk getting a newer gun as a replacement. I would attempt to fix it.
Last edited by Petrol & Powder; 07-03-2018 at 07:02 AM.
Today I was working on the Model 14 again, still no joy. Just before I ran out of ammo I shot a target with my Model 686, the cylinder of which just came back from DougGuy. Twenty five yard target fired at twenty five yards, with my own cast bullets. The problem with the Model 14 revolver is the main problem.
Don't know if the effects of this would be that severe but when the firing pin springs of a rifle get weak groups open way up.
BP | Bronze Point | IMR | Improved Military Rifle | PTD | Pointed |
BR | Bench Rest | M | Magnum | RN | Round Nose |
BT | Boat Tail | PL | Power-Lokt | SP | Soft Point |
C | Compressed Charge | PR | Primer | SPCL | Soft Point "Core-Lokt" |
HP | Hollow Point | PSPCL | Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" | C.O.L. | Cartridge Overall Length |
PSP | Pointed Soft Point | Spz | Spitzer Point | SBT | Spitzer Boat Tail |
LRN | Lead Round Nose | LWC | Lead Wad Cutter | LSWC | Lead Semi Wad Cutter |
GC | Gas Check |