Timing marks on cylinder

[55Merc]

   I have seen this little line aruond the cylinder of just about every revolver made.  You know the from the locking system that wears into the cylinder over time.  Will USFA funs get this too?  Or not due to superior fit and finish?  Kinda of a newbie question, just wondering??  Thanks...

[Capt. John Fitzgerald]

Greetings 55,
On some revolvers it is unavoidable, due to mechanical design.  Smith & Wessons and Rugers for example.  Simple mechanics of the gun cause the bolt to rise well before the cylinder is in battery, thus causing the bolt "drag marks" on the cylinder.
Properly timed revolvers of the Colt SAA design should not do this.  The design is such that the bolt rises just before the locking notch comes into place as the cylinder turns.  This is not to say that it won't happen.  With age ( use and wear) some guns will get out of time and the bolt will rise early, causing drag marks.  USFA guns come from the factory properly timed and with proper maintenance you will not have this problem with them.
So... why do you see new SAA's with the drag marks?  Improper (read uneducated) handling in most cases.  Whenever you bring the hammer back to the half cock position, ALWAYS bring it to a full cock before lowering the hammer (and always lower it on an empty chamber).  At half cock, the bolt is lowered and the cylinder is out of battery.  When you drop the hammer from a half cock position, the bolt rises but the cylinder is still out of battery and the bolt rests against the cylinder between the locking notches.  The cylinder is free to turn and when it does the bolt scratches it.  This sin is most often committed while loading.  Proper loading procedure - and I am sure you already know this - is to bring the gun to half cock to free the cylinder.  Load one, skip one, load four, bring the hammer to full cock and then lower it on the empty chamber.  Do this and you shouldn't have any problems with those drag marks.
CJF 

[55Merc]

    Thanks so much CJF.  That answers my question 100%

[Capt. John Fitzgerald]

Any time, 55Merc, and welcome to the USFA forum.

[Doc Sunrise]

This is an area where I really get upset at sales people, primarily at the larger retail sporting goods gun stores, that don't watch either their own sales staff or customers when handling SAA's.  Mishandling by these people can easily place a cylinder ring on a once beautiful SAA.  But try to explain to them how that ring just took that firerarm from NIB condition to 99% or less, and they come back with "all revolvers have the ring."  "IDIOTS!!!!". 

Both of my FFLs tell their shipping & delivery people not to open or touch any firearm I order.  They are not opened until I open them in front of the FFL.  Nothing gets me more torqued off than seeing an absolutely beautiful firearm that shows fantastic quality and painstaking proper fitting only to be handled like some piece of junk by some morons.  Sorry, this really does make me mad!