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My wife and I went out to the range with her "new to her" SW Model 37 Airwieght. This was the second trip. When we went the first time, the pistol had these little plastic grips and it was a bit rough for her to fire, so we attributed that to the fact that neither of us could hit the target constantly. So we came home and bought Pachmyre grips. Didn't help. We even had 2 of the range guys try to help. The thing is just off. We even put out sand bags on the 3 yard range and it was just plain inconsistant with all 5 of us. Nothing in the same grouping or even close.

I know I can usually hit the broad side of a barn with just about anything. Hell, I am pretty spot on with the LCP on the 7 yard and hit the target 4 of 7 shots on the 15 yard with it. But I can't figure out this .38.

Sights don't look bend; no dop damage marks. Could it be ammo issue? Winchester .38 Special...

Any ideas that we can try or anyone in San Antonio interested in some detective work some Saturday

Thanks in advance for any help.

Doug

It's only out of sight if every shooter had a consistent target grouping. If everybody including experienced shooters went wild, try a Hogue Monogrip and see if it settles down.

With the cylinder closed, look at the gap between the cylinder and the end of the barrel (forcing cone). If you have feeler gauges you might measure it - ought to be on the close order of 0.003"=0.005" - and it ought to be "identical" (whatever that means) for each cylinder.

Your dial caliper can measure IDs - try measuring the chamber mouths at 12-6 and 3-9 o'clock. It would be better to get some soft lead and "slug" them, compare the diameters, and measure for out-of round that way too.

You may want to load some truly light target loads - e.g. 2.5 grains of Bullseye and a 148 grain wadcutter - being very careful to make each powder charge the same and each round identical. Then shoot it with your wrists on sandbags at 7 to 10 yards, single action. See how it shoots.

I am not a gunsmith, and there are probably many easy checks I did not think of. Hopefully someone here, who knows more than I, will respond. If you want to look at Midwayusa, they probably have - ah, found it!
"The S&W Revolver: A Shop Manual" Book by Jerry Kuhnhausen
Product #: 314178
| Manufacturer #: SWR-1
Status: Available
Should Ship Today

Note I am not a shill for Midway, just a customer (and not a devoted one - I do not care for their apparent inability to use USPS flat-rate boxes for bullets, but that is another matter). Kuhnhausen's books are top-notch.

Regards,
Andrew

If I understood anything that you wrote, i would order the book. I have no idea what you are talking about. Does this mean I need to send it in to S&W or a gunsmith? I don't have the tools you recommend nor the knowledge to use them. Or should I sell and move on? Wife is disappointed that her first gun is a flop. She is still hot on the black powder revolver but I was trying to convince her to take the CHL with HER choice of pistol (I had no say in her selection as SW has always been great for me. THIS one has an....attitude! (I know - inanimate articles can't do that but I was at the range with 5 DIFFERENT people shooting the thing and NO ONE COULD GET A GROUP (we went through 2 boxes of ammo, first box was just my wife, Mother in law and myself. Next box was mostly the range folks with sand bags on the 3 yard range.) She has to have confidence in the gin and I am afraid we are past that.

Doug

Do not sell it, and do not let me (or anyone) confuse you.

The book would explain all the names and jargon, but try this:

The cylinder is the big, round part that the cartridges go in. The barrel is the skinny tube the bullets go through to get out. I think you know these things already.

There is a gap (a small space) between the front of the cylinder and the back of the barrel. If there were not space, the cylinder would be touching the barrel and be unable to turn. If the gap is too big, too much powder gas escapes from behind the bullet as it leaves the cylinder and goes down the barrel. The reason for checking to see if the gaps are all the same is to see if the "axle" through the middle of the cylinder is bent. If it is bent, the cartridges (the holes they are in) are not exactly parallel to the barrel, so each bullet will enter the barrel at a slightly different angle, shave some lead, and not exit the muzzle (the end of the barrel pointed at the target) the same.

A feeler gauge is simply a little strip of metal (usually stainless steel) of known thickness. They come in sets at the auto parts store or hardware store, are pretty cheap, and are used for measuring small spaces. If, for instance, a 0.010" gauge goes into a gap, but a 0.012" one will not, you can pretty much conclude that the gap is at least 0.010" and less than 0.012" - so it is probably about 0.011".

None of this is rocket science. If you are not interested, a gunsmith can fix your revolver for you. If you are interested, buy the book - it is simple once someone explains it logically (better than me). If you are interested but don't have time right now, clean/oil it and put it in the safe to explore later - never let an S&W revolver get away from you.

Regards,
Andrew

Ah. Ok. I looked at the gap between the cylinder and the barrel - you can definately see light through there as the part closest to the cylider looks worn (about 8 - 10 notes pages wide.) I will go the auto store today to get the gap measure tool (for spark plugs - am I on the right track?) so I can be more specific.

With that gap larger than it is supposed to be, does the bullet not fly correctly? We were firing at the 3 yard line to a 10" x 10" target. Even the range guys were 5 to 7 inches apart from one shot to the next; most on the target, but few in the center. More like left outter ring (7) for one shot, right of the 8 ring for second, off target to the right for 3rd, back to the left, etc.) Literally all over the place.

Thanks for the help and I will post again once I get the gap tool.

Doug

Is this something that can be fixed without costing more than the gun?

Yes, but the ones for spark plugs are usually round wire with an "L" bend. The flat ones are for breaker points - but nobody remembers what those are anymore.

Powder gas is lost if the gap is too large. What I'm mostly thinking is that, if the dispersion is large and not systematic - no rhyme or reason - the bullets may be entering the barrel crooked. This would result if the gaps are not all the same - the cylinder is crooked.

If you have a magnifying glass, look at the muzzle - obviously the revolver is unloaded and cylinder open. The opening in the business end of the barrel is called the crown. If there is a dent or ding in the crown, gas can escape early there, and give the base of the bullet a "kick" in the wrong direction. Re-crowning a barrel is a job for a gunsmith, but it is cheap and easy. You can tell a lot by just looking at the crown to see if there is a problem.

I doubt that making your Smith shoot well will cost much - certainly not the cost of the gun.

BTW first thing to try might be some light target loads to be certain it is a gun problem. If you are not a reloader, someone on the Forum might make you some to try. I make it a rule not to shoot other people's reloads, but like many rules it can be stretched if good judgment is used (i.e. reloads from someone you know is careful and reliable).

Hang in there.

Regards,
Andrew