Proper cylinder gap and end-shake for H&R model 733

[HumptyDumpty]

Do any of you fine, upstanding, grizzled, revolver veterans, know what the cylinder gap and end-shake ought to be for an H&R revolver of this type? Or, barring that, do you have a particularly sound example to measure? My measurements are .006" cylinder gap, and .005" end-shake. I'm looking to make some upper-end defensive loads, and am wondering whether I should shim the cylinder or crane prior to doing so.

[Texas by God]

The 733- is it a .32H&R, or .32 Long, or .38 S&W ? I would not go above factory load levels in those revolvers- the frames and lockwork are adequate for normal use but they are a booger to put back together when something breaks.

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[HumptyDumpty]

32 S&W Long. I have torn it apart once, for a detailed cleaning and inspection; definitely a bit less user friendly than some.

[GhostHawk]

I had a pair of those, a 732 and a 733. 733 was nickle plated and could not be made to shoot to my standards. So it went down the road to a friend of mine who needed a cheap inside the bedroom self defence gun.

Both of mine were in .32sw long. Both got fed with 2 grains of Red Dot and the Lee .314 90 gr truncated cone cast soft of mostly range scrap lubed with Ben's Liquid Lube.

I would stick with light loads for these if you want them to last.

[HumptyDumpty]

For recreational shooting, I will be firing mild, factory-type loads. The self-defense rounds will feature a 98-grain SWC, propelled to 800-1000fps (inspired by the 32 S&W Long man-stopper thread), if possible. Aside from the initial development or an SD encounter, the "heavy" loads won't be be getting fired.

[alfadan]

On my late model 732, cylinder gap wouldn't matter since it was rifled with a coldchisel.

[shooting on a shoestring]

Are you checking with shells in the cylinder?
If you checked it empty, some of the end shake may go away when there are cartridge rims between the cylinder and recoil shield.

A B/C gap of 0.006” is acceptable. Actually that’s tighter than most new S&Ws come now days.

The 0.005” end shake is a little concerning but not an emergency.
If you really do have that with shells in the cylinder, I’d put a little effort into removing some.
But if it turned out to be a problem to fix, I’d shoot it as is. 32 SWL does not batter guns like the heavy magnums do. And you’re probably not going to be shooting 20,000 rounds through it this year.

[HumptyDumpty]

Are you checking with shells in the cylinder?
If you checked it empty, some of the end shake may go away when there are cartridge rims between the cylinder and recoil shield.

A B/C gap of 0.006” is acceptable. Actually that’s tighter than most new S&Ws come now days.

The 0.005” end shake is a little concerning but not an emergency.
If you really do have that with shells in the cylinder, I’d put a little effort into removing some.
But if it turned out to be a problem to fix, I’d shoot it as is. 32 SWL does not batter guns like the heavy magnums do. And you’re probably not going to be shooting 20,000 rounds through it this year.

The cylibder is machined with a recess for the case-heads, so they don't make much difference one way or the other.At this point, I think I will go ahead and install a .002" or .003" shim, and be happy with my cylinder gap.