How to inspect a Revolver when purchasing new? What am I looking for?

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Home3

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I have postponed my second revolver purchase for two years. I did this because of concerns with QC issues of the last two years handgun gun productions, which in turn was caused in my opinion, by a high demand in the US market. I now see all dealers in Southern Ontario are stocked up with all kinds of previously hard to find revolvers. So I am hoping that the market pressure is over and reasonable QC is back in place.

I intend to pick up my SP101 in .357 from a local dealer, which will give me a chance to inspect it. But what am I looking for while inspecting it? Certain defects are beyond my abilities to inspect, so I am going on faith on those i.e. forcing cone spacing and a few others. I am concentrating on what can be visually inspected.

I hear many of the new production revolvers have been sold with canted barrels and unacceptable tool marks...etc. Ruger revolvers' QC issues have been a bit more than the others (I am being nice to Ruger fans here!).

So what else should I be looking for in a 10 minutes visual inspection of a revolver? Anything specific to SP101? The only tool I am taking with me is my bore light.
 
I see poor QC as a deliberate business decision. It wasnt about not having the time to meet demand, it was about identifyig market conditions and making a profit based argument as to how crappy a job can people get away with without costing money.

All manufacturers do this including the pricier ones. Only the top end custom shops probably maintained QC because they trade on theor name alone and tend to be run by owner operators instead of shareholders and Boards of Directors.

As for things to look for, depends on the make and model but cylinder timing, forcing cone gap, trigger, carriage rollout and lockup, bore. Not much else you can look at without taking it apart.
 
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I like to shine a light from the side at the back of the cylinder and then look down the barrel as I #### the hammer and then lower and recock watching the chamber barrel alignment when locked up.
I check for excessive play in the cylinder as well when locked up with the hammer down and trigger held back.
If you bring a feeler gauge you could measure the gap but I usually just eyeball it and look for a consistent gap throughout the revolution of the cylinder.
Trigger pull is nice to check but also easy to address with a wolf spring kit on the sp101.
Other then that I look for sharp edges,poorly fitting parts and sloppy grinds and polishing.

I think you are going to like the sp101.... It's about the perfect size for a .357mag.
 
Timing can be checked by gently putting drag on the cylinder as you #### it by hand, when the gun is fully cocked the cylinder should be aligned and not able to move any further. Since you now have it cocked, put your thumb on the hammer spur, cup the gun with your left hand and as you pull the trigger, see if the cylinder has any wobble. This checks lock up. Hold the hammer spur as the trigger breaks.
 
To OP.

Inspection is vary easy.

You ask da clerck to show ya da piece.

Once in yo mit, you swept every f...ker in da store.

Then you dry fired that s...t 6 or 7 times.

If da trigger is t ya liking, you varify tha crane and clockwoc bi spinning that salindah with ya palm and closing it fast wile spinning.

Da not foget to chek da sight at the horizon dagre angle, yo elbo should be higher than da piece.

Ya kno when wan u got da good one when yo like yo look good in a mirror. Bring yo mirror plz.

Mush
 
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Home3 said:
I have postponed my second revolver purchase for two years. I did this because of concerns with QC issues of the last two years handgun gun productions, which in turn was caused in my opinion, by a high demand in the US market. I now see all dealers in Southern Ontario are stocked up with all kinds of previously hard to find revolvers. So I am hoping that the market pressure is over and reasonable QC is back in place.

I intend to pick up my SP101 in .357 from a local dealer, which will give me a chance to inspect it. But what am I looking for while inspecting it? Certain defects are beyond my abilities to inspect, so I am going on faith on those i.e. forcing cone spacing and a few others. I am concentrating on what can be visually inspected.

I hear many of the new production revolvers have been sold with canted barrels and unacceptable tool marks...etc. Ruger revolvers' QC issues have been a bit more than the others (I am being nice to Ruger fans here!).

So what else should I be looking for in a 10 minutes visual inspection of a revolver? Anything specific to SP101? The only tool I am taking with me is my bore light.
Click to expand...

I bought a Ruger SP-101 this year and the 3 I looked at were all identical and fine...only thing is you'll need to polish the ejector rod until it matches the shine of the rest of the gun...but a careful inspection is always a good idea.
 
Nice going gnmontey...after that clip, just spent the last half hour looking at other western gun fight scenes...never get tired of good old spaghetti westerns.
 
Oh yes...cracks me up all the time.

Don't get tired of it.

It's a young Hugh Laurie and he's sneaking up on Tom Selleck in Magnum P.I..
 
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