Toolguy

I talked to Bill Laughridge about this, and he said he is switching to S-7 tool steel heat treated and drawn back to about RC45. That should cure any breakage problems.

Use a cutoff wheel in a Dremel tool and cut a slot in the head of the screw and unscrew it with a blade screwdriver.

Thanks Mike - You seem to be a sharp guy. Best Regards. I almost forgot - how did you do in the match?

No one has had anything else but black to choose from until now. It might be good to keep an open mind rather than to throw it out the window without giving it a try.

Does anyone shoot ICORE in the Kansas City area? Is IRC the same thing as ICORE?

You might want to check out the Cylinder and Slide front and rear fiber optic sights. As far as I know, they are the only one with a rear fiber optic for revolver. I have them on 5 S&W guns and really like them. They are target grade iron sights for accurate long range shooting, with fiber optic rods for closer fast shooting. The rear notch is .100 deep with .160 height. I will post pics later today. You can check them out on www.cylinder-slide.com.

It is true that many don't have the space or money for a full size machine. There are many smaller ones that will do. However, I would stay away from the mill drills that have a round pipe connecting the head to the base. If you try to take any kind of decent cut in steel, they vibrate all over the place. Better to get one with a cast iron vertical column that has some beef to it.

Hi Vera! It's great to see you on here! I hope you win again this year. All the Best to a real lady with a lot of class. Warren

Mike is right - it's just a matter of what standards one finds acceptable.

The "hourglass" description throws me off, as I think of an hourglass as caving inward too. (and, I was thinking of the tube as a whole...makes more sense just to think on one side of the tube...the wall) What you are saying is that stretching just makes the tube wall thinner, right? Thinner means that the OD is a smaller diameter, while the ID is a larger diameter...due to the material being stretched out? You are correct. Remember - we're only talking a thousandth or so. If the barrel is thin enough to stretch like that, I wouldn't want it on my gun. I would say the barrel in question should be replaced regardless of how the bulge got there. I think that is the real bottom line.

A good file is a lot cheaper than a lathe. You can get the job done that way. Don't buy a Harbor Freight mini lathe. Those are junk. They will fight with you instead of help you. For a little more money you can get a mid size lathe from Grizzly. The smallest one I would get is the 10" by 22" model G0602 for $995.00. You would be much better equipped with the 12" x 36" gunsmith lathe, model G4003G at $2795.00. Whatever you buy, you will have to use it for a long time, so get the best possible - even if you have to stretch a little. The enjoyment or misery will last long after the purchase price.

Go to the Penn Tool website. They have a Clark model B3VD for $5195.00. It is the same size as a Bridgeport (9 x 49 table). That price includes DRO and X axis power feed. This is the best full size mill deal in the industry. It is a quality machine with Turcite x + y ways. Some people like that better than chrome. If you don't have the space or the money for that, get a Grizzly model G3103. It's like a small Bridgeport with x power feed for $2695.00. You will want to add a DRO. Grizzly has several other mills that are good machines at economy prices. Make sure whatever you get has a digital read out. It will save you a huge amount of time, mistakes and headaches.

On a 625 the metal is fairly thin between the end of the threads and the shoulder that goes up against the frame. Some barrels are thinner than others there. It's a case of the weakest area giving first. If it is too thin there, as RHYRLIK suggested, it can stretch, making the tube wall thinner. When it is stretched, the cross section of the tube wall develops an hourglass shape, becoming smaller on the outside and larger on the inside. If the thread relief area is thick enough, then it squeezes down the barrel diameter instead. You will never see the internal bulge on a 686 because it is plenty thick there. The 686 can be bulged by a stuck bullet, or squeezed down by over tightening.

It will if the bulge is a result of over tightening or "crush fit" as some call it. If the bulge was created by a bullet stuck in the bore with another fired behind it, you need a new barrel. Either condition can exist. If you get another barrel, fit it to tighten up by hand as described and you will have neither constriction or bulge. Both problems are caused by over tightening so both can be fixed by not over tightening. I have done many barrels this way with excellent results. Mike, if you have ever seen a piece of rod in a tensile strength test, you would notice that before it breaks the middle gets thinner equally on all sides. The same is true with a tube. When stretched, the outside diameter gets smaller and the inside diameter grows larger because the wall thickness is equally decreased on both sides at the same time.

The easy way to fix that is to remove the barrel, turn enough off the back shoulder of the barrel so that it will tighten up straight by hand with no wrench (usually 2 or 3 thou). Carefully take off just a little bit and try it, then a little more and try that, etc. till you arrive. Clean male and female threads with brake parts cleaner, apply red Loctite (#271) and reassemble, making sure the front sight is true vertical. It is easier to tell looking from the front sight to the back sight than from back to front. Wipe off the excess Loctite and let it cure over night. Job done.

Have someone make the one it came with into a fiber optic sight.

Have someone make the one it came with into a fiber optic sight.

Mags are made of spring steel. They are very hard to drill with a regular high speed bit. Try a carbide spade drill. It will go right thru spring steel or tool steel.

That is way too much. S&W specs are .003 to .006. For lead bullets .005 to .006 works best. Also, check the front of the cylinder for runout, some of them will vary a few thou. as they go around. A good smith can set the barrel back a turn and face off the cylinder and recut the forcing cone.

Hi Mike- I'm getting some .38 short colt brass for my 627. What are good loads for steel plate/ipsc shooting?

Mike Allee is a great smith in Overland Park KS. 913-422-8966. gunsmithingonly.com.

Get a S&W 10 shot revolver. Problem solved.

If you ONLY use moonclips it doesn't matter.

If you chamfer the star (extractor) more than just an edge break, it will not pull the cases out reliably. Then you will end up pulling out individual ones, or digging them out from under the star when they come out part way then are pushed back in as the ejector rod is released. Either way makes for very slow reloads. The best way is to chamfer the holes a little bit, then remove the star from the cylinder (the ejector rod has a left hand thread) and finish chamfering just the cylinder, then reassemble.

I defer to Mr. President.