Cylinder and Forcing Cone

[Vampyredark]

So my Taurus Model 66 appears to have a normal, "within-spec-gap" for 5 out of the 7 chambers. On the other two it has almost no gap, or it is very hard to see light coming through at any angle.
What is this, and can a gunsmith fix it?

I have shot the pistol with no problems and it seemed okay.

Thank you for your help!

['ol shooter]

The cylinder center pin hole was not drilled square to the cylinder face. I would contact Taurus about a warranty repair/replacement, or have a 'smith square up the cylinder face if there is no warranty remedy..

[Vampyredark]

The cylinder center pin hole was not drilled square to the cylinder face. I would contact Taurus about a warranty repair/replacement.

Thanks. Can a gunsmith fix it? I think it would cost about the same in shipping costs versus paying a gunsmith. Or am I completely wrong?

['ol shooter]

A competent 'smith with a lathe can square it up easily, probably run you about the same as overnight shipping. If it's shooting OK, there's no rush to get it done. Give us your locale, some 'smiths here will probably weigh in on this.

[Vampyredark]

A competent 'smith with a lathe can square it up easily, probably run you about the same as overnight shipping. If it's shooting OK, there's no rush to get it done.

Thank you! Thats what I thought about the costs. It does shoot okay, but I would like to see it fixed. I am 98 percent sure it would never affect the firearm. But, that 2 percent of doubt could cost me in medical bills, or a broken firearm, and then I am sending it in anyway.

[Vampyredark]

Or can Taurus send me a new cylinder that was drilled correctly?

['ol shooter]

I think Taurus could answer that better than me, but having had some revolver training, I can say that they will want the entire firearm back for inspection and repair. They might pay for shipping. You should call them.

[bigbob76]

Unfortunately the consumer is the quality control department for Taurus. And I'm hoping you are not relying on that revolver for self defense. That condition can cause the cylinder to freeze in place, disabling it. I had a .22 magnum revolver with a similar condition and most brands of ammo would cause it to lock up. I would either send it back to Taurus or sell it at a gun buyback event. I would love to hear what a decent gunsmith would say when you asked him to fix it. Taurus has some pretty interesting products from time to time and I've had a couple. I probably won't be buying another one though.

[Bob Hostetter]

Actually you would need to know what the cylinder gap is at it's narrowest and widest. If the pin hole is drilled out of spec (ala not parallal) to the barrel centerline then the face of the cylinder would have to be cut to compensate which would be much more difficult then to just reface the cylinder. And since you want all of the gaps to be the same you would need to recut the cylinder face at an angle to the maxi gap that already exists. If this is more then about .007" then you would need to set back the barrel a thread, reface it to set the cylinder to barrel gap and recut the forcing cone.

Of course none of this takes into account nor offers a solution for the fact that if the cylinder pin is not bored 100% in alignment with the centerline of the barrel then you have bigger problems. That would be the bullet exiting the cylinder and trying to enter the barrel at an angle. This at least will causing the forcing cone to crack, cause 'spitting' of bullet fragments out the side of the gun, and possibility deform the bullet reducing accuracy potential, and just maybe drive pressures up too far.

You really should have the gun checked out by someone whose very good with revolvers.

[kcstott]

If a proper pin was used and the face of the cylinder indicated to show the runout if that is the problem. A machinist or well equipped gunsmith can face it and take just enough to clean up and not increase the gap any more then it already is on the largest part.

[klewan]

Doesn't Taurus have a life time warranty? I'd call them and see if they'll pay the shipping, or if there is a Taurus dealer that will send the gun via USPS. I think an FFL can send pistols thru the USPS; something they won't do for non-FFL customers. Non-FFL's are stuck with the overnight from UPS for $60+...

[Vampyredark]

I called Taurus, and they said shipping is only free if one is returning it within 90 days of purchase. Otherwise, its 50 bucks round trip. Thats cheaper than a gunsmith.