For posterity, it’s a .357 Magnum 4” exactly (measured from muzzle to cylinder face). Mine is the bird’s head grip. Bought from my LGS at retail price $799.00.
Barrel to cylinder gap is very tight. Before shooting it was pass 0.002” and hold 0.003”. After shooting, cleaning, disassembly and reassembly, measured with a different set of feeler gauges it was pass 0.0015” and hold 0.002”. No perceptible end shake. No cylinder binding or rubbing.
Cylinder exit holes measured by Starrett split ball and 0-1 micrometer (I grew up in a machine shop and I know how to use them) from factory are 0.359”, very round and all within 0.0005” of each other. Barrel groove diameter is 0.357”.
It’s a transfer bar gun. The transfer bar more than covers the top of the firing pin. The firing pin is retained by a removable plate by spanner wrench from hammer side of the frame. Nice!
Forcing cone is the best I’ve seen on a modern production revolver except for Freedom Arms.
More next post.