How many times have you picked up a used revolver and noticed side-to-side movement of the cylinder when it was locked in the frame? If you're like me and are always looking for a bargain, you've probably run across quite a few well-worn revolvers like this. It's a mystery to me why more well-worn revolvers aren't repaired. More often than not many of these revolvers can be "tightened up" with just a limited amount of work and a few new parts. While you may not ever do it yourself, you might find it interesting to see just a part of what's involved and how a gunsmith would handle it. It's not as big a deal as you might think.

The sample S&W Model 18 DA revolver displayed noticeable side-to-side movement of its cylinder. This movement can be caused by wear on the cylinder stop tab (T), wear on the cylinder stop slots (R), and wear on frame slot (L). The condition can be fixed by installing an oversize cylinder stop.

I had a nice old .22-caliber Smith & Wesson Model 18 in my shop that had seen a lot of use. Based on what I was told, I wouldn't be surprised if this revolver had fired between 50,000 and 75,000 rounds. By normal standards, that's a lot of shooting! Even with such extensive use, the revolver was in nice shape. The blueing was a bit worn, but there was no rusting or any indications that it was ever abused or neglected. In fact, the only sign of wear was the looseness of the cylinder.

Ideally, there should be little or no perceptible side-to-side movement of the cylinder. If there is movement, it's quite possible that the chamber will not be aligned with the bore when the gun is fired. If it's misaligned, the bullet will slam into one side or the other of the forcing cone at the rear of the barrel. If it's bad enough, the bullet will even miss the forcing cone! This can result in lead being shaved from the bullet, which can be dangerous to the shooter or bystanders. This old Model 18 had quite a bit of side-to-side play, but there was no indication that it was "spitting" or shaving lead. Also, there was no fore and aft movement of the cylinder.

The side-to-side movement could be caused by a number of factors. The cylinder stop, a precisely fitted part designed to hold the cylinder in place when the gun is fired, could be worn. The portion of the cylinder stop most likely to wear is a tab or small bar-like projection that extends through the frame and engages milled slots in the side of the cylinder. Ideally the width of the cylinder stop tab will match the width of the cylinder slots. If the cylinder slots have been enlarged or if the cylinder stop tab is worn and slightly thinner than needed, the cylinder will not be locked securely. There will be enough "slop" for side-to-side movement.

Another possible cause of this cylinder movement relates to the fit of the cylinder stop in the frame. As I mentioned the cylinder stop tab projects through a slot in the frame in order to contact the cylinder. This frame slot can also wear and permit side-to-side movement of the cylinder stop tab. This in turn allows movement of the cylinder.

Simple replacement with a new standard factory cylinder stop will not necessarily correct the problem. If there is wear on the cylinder slots and/or in the cylinder stop slot in the frame, a new cylinder stop may not be large enough to compensate for all this wear.

What is needed is an oversize cylinder stop. Fortunately, such an item is readily available. For this old Model 18, I used one of the Power Custom oversize cylinder stops; it can be purchased directly for about $30.