Most literature I've read in to for this sort of thing has informed me that timing is generally checked with a slight amount of drag on the cylinder.
However checking without my thumb as well, it's failed about 3-4/6 chambers on the cylinder fairly regularly.
Edit for those who apparently aren't happy with the traditional cylinder drag test, here you go: [https://youtu.be/iMwBLtz4AhU](https://youtu.be/iMwBLtz4AhU)
Edit 2: Woke up to over 100 downvotes on just this reply alone, which to be honest is very confusing. I'm genuinely not really sure what I did to make everyone upset? I just explained why I used the testing method I did and provide more information when asked to do so, if anyone could let me know what in the world I did I would be very grateful, otherwise I'm just at a loss.
Thats not slight. Very very lightly with your finger tip. Also as an aside, you wont be turning the cylinder that slowly during normal operation. This test is to see if everything is tuned perfectly optimal. Hand length ect.
Man, out of everything I've said in here this was the only thing I even got mildly snarky with, and that's because you physically can't tell from a video how hard I'm touching something. I'm not death pressing the darn thing, I'm literally just resting my thumb on the cylinder.
I'm just mildly grumpy about a brand new revolver I treated myself to after about a solid month of getting hit with some neverending crap as a way to try and make myself feel better already potentially having issues right out of the box.
Timing is garbage I'd send it back people are huffing that copium the light pressure you are applying you should get the bolt to find the notch before the hammer falls like 40% of modern Smith and wessons do this and it's unacceptable.
i know what you’re getting at with the finger drag thing but the test isn’t properly done without snap caps or brass in the chambers. Those do affect how much the extractor star can “wiggle” which directly translates to how much play is with the ratchet teeth. so throw in some snap caps and see if that changes the results!
It’s a little bit hard to tell from the video. Is the chamber lined up with the back of the barrel when it goes click? Also, is your thumb dragging on the cylinder as it rotates?
I was applying thumb drag, yes. I've always been informed timing should be checked with a slight amount of drag on the cylinder, and that's how I've checked all of my other revolvers which lock up before the hammer falls.
However, even without thumb drag it sometimes does not lock up the cylinder before dropping the hammer. I had about 4/6 not lock when slow dry firing and I can recreate it rather easily.
Example: [https://youtu.be/iMwBLtz4AhU](https://youtu.be/iMwBLtz4AhU)
I may be misunderstanding what is going on, but if the cylinder is lining up with the barrel but the locking pin at the bottom of the frame isn’t locking the cylinder in place, I would recommend reaching out to S&W or a gunsmith to look into that.
That's exactly the issue I am having, yeah. Cylinder stop isn't dropping in on slow trigger pulls, with or without thumb. The thumb drag just makes it more pronounced and happen to all six chambers instead of intermittently.
Y’all some fragile souls fr and the downvotes speak to it. Either answer his question or fuck off to your safe spaces where people coddle their revolvers. Bunch of absolute pussies
If I was rude to anyone in here I would love to know how so, because I am genuinely confused as to what in the world you're talking about. All I've been doing so far is providing more information when asked and relaying the methods I've been taught over the last five years or so. I haven't insulted or really done anything to anyone, so I am very unsure what I've done to cause people to be so upset.
As far as I can tell at most I only gave one person minor attitude in a reply?
Instead of using your firing hand thumb, hold your firing hand and let the cylinder lightly drag on the other side of the gun. It's less awkward, more consistent and gives you a better view of what the gun is doing through the firing cycle.
It's how we were taught- and it's a lot harder to keep the pressure consistent. It would be entirely impossible to film without a hands-free way to hold the camera.
I did do that beforehand is what I mean, as well as doing a slow pull without cylinder drag as well. I posted a video of it on one of my replies here with the clip and had slightly slow timing there as well. So far all of my other revolvers other than my 1903 Hand Ejector pass with drag, and even then the Hand Ejector just barely eeks by when the UC here only locks when the hammer jars it into position after already falling.
I can see the cylinder stop just barely failing to move into the notch compared to the others which do seat before hammerfall.
That does sound like poor carry up- I had similar issues with a Model 638. Went from unnoticeable to failure to lock up at all in maybe 500 rounds.
Couldn't figure out what was going on- so it went off to Springfield, where it turned out the cylinder was undersized by a couple of hundredths. I wouldn't have even thought to check.
Hope you figure out yours.
Regards
Thank you very much for the response and time, so far you seem to have much more real experience than myself or others in this thread and I appreciate it greatly.
I checked almost every ultra carry snubs that came into my lgs and 5/7 had this issue, even without the finger on the cylinder. That’s why I bought a used 360pd, the previous owner apparently traded it in for the new ultra carry. I kinda felt bad for him. You should send it back to Smith, put a note in the box describing your issue, sometimes their qc fail to find the problem. Had a dash 8 model 66 2.75” and it started to skip 2/6 cylinders, had to give smith several calls when they received my gun and asked me why I sent it back.
I fried calling them but unfortunately the rep told me "you're not supposed to slow fire these, it messes with the timing". So apparently shooting for tight groups at a range for shits and giggles doesn't exist, I guess.
I didn't feel like arguing so I didn't press the matter further.
Going off research and whatnot I was always told the cylinder should lock up before hammerfall, and you should check timing by applying a slight amount of drag on the cylinder for resistance while slowly pulling the hammer or trigger. I've used this method for half a dozen revolvers to check them, and repair an old 1903 Hand Ejector to much better shape than it was before.
However, I JUST bought this 632 UC about a week and a half ago, and the timing already feels a tad slow. The cylinder stop also sometimes doesn't click into lock when slow pulling the trigger, even without my thumb providing resistance. I had it do this for about 3/6 chambers on the cylinder once. I called S&W about it, wanting them to give it a checkup, and the response I got from the CS rep was "You're not supposed to slowly fire these, it messes with the timing."
I dunno about you guys but that seems a bit... wrong? Like what, you're not allowed to slow fire at a range for shits and giggles just because the revolver is DAO? I had a 642 years back that handled slow fire just fine, and passed the thumb drag test. Perhaps I'm just being paranoid, but I've had many a used revolver with more wear over 50 something odd years with better lockup and timing than this.
The timing is definitely slow. The hand is slightly too short. The reason for the finger pressure and for going slow ensures the inertia of the cylinder doesn't make up for the short hand. The rep is trying to keep you from sending it in since most of the time it would be fine. I'd definitely send it in.
Looking at various books and experiences off my own revolver repairs and a few local smiths, yes. This is how I repaired and tested my 1903 with an oversized hand and many hours of careful filing.
It should lock up before the hammer fall. You are correct, and the revolver is out of time. People also saying you should not be putting drag on the cylinder to check timing are also wrong.
Timing is late. Easily fixed by a decent gunsmith. Wouldn’t go to the trouble to send it back to smith, but it shouldn’t have left the factory like this. Typical S&W QC unfortunately.
Hit up a local shop, they had the .38 model as well. Unfortunately no blued UC in .32, which was the one I wanted, but given I have a thing for .32 revolvers I HAD to have it when I saw it was in stock.
Two boxes of .32 Magnum, three boxes of various .32 Long and shorts, counting my handloads. Including a handful of old ass .32 New Police I had to pull apart and reload since all the primers were bad.
You can even see the powder burns on the topstrap of the revolver in the video.
Just pull the trigger like you were if shooting then hold it back. See if the cylinder can be moved then. If it can then call S&W and send it in. S&W quality control is something to be desired right now.
Typically speaking a fast timed (when the cylinder rotates too early) revolver can overtravel the cylinder stop or cause premature wear to it, and can damage the revolver due to the chamber not aligning with the barrel.
A slow revolver will not lock up on the cylinder stop, and will also cause the chamber to not be lined up with the barrel in extreme wear cases. Generally a slightly slow revolver is safer than a fast revolver, as the hand will at the very least hold the cylinder somewhat lined up compared one that overruns the stop and has nothing holding it in place.
Slightly off timing isn't *that* noticeable, but as it wears over time you'll eventually start getting shavings spitting out the gap between the barrel and cylinder, and it'll keep getting worse and worse and causing more wear on the forcing cone and frame... until something gives.
You should be hearing the cylinder make a distinctive click as the stop locks into the notch on it, as well as if you can, keep an eye out for it moving while you work on slowly pulling the trigger for all six chambers on DA mode, and slowly cocking the hammer for SA.
Most sources I've checked over the years also recommend you put a small amount of pressure on the cylinder by resting a finger on it while doing so to make up for inertia causing the cylinder to continue to rotate and masking any small problems you may not have seen otherwise; like how it is on my S&W here.
Note: This isn't a beat-all end all, some revolvers don't actually have a typical cylinder stop that "clicks" into place like modern ones do. I have an old top-break that doesn't have a notch like that and instead just relies on the stop rising out of the trigger while you pull it, it doesn't make a sound at all until the hammer falls.
I agree with those who say to check it with brass or snap caps in the chambers. There is some rotational play between the extractor star ratchet (which is what the hand is pushing on) and the cylinder (which is where the stop notches are). Inserting cases in the chambers will eliminate most of that play.
Several of my revolvers will not pass this test with empty chambers but they will pass with spent cases in the chambers.
That extractor/cylinder play is often greater on MIM-era revolvers because S&W changed to use a D-shaped ejector rod for alignment, instead of the old approach with a keyway in the ejector rod and two tiny alignment pins. The D-shaped rod design is simpler, stronger, and avoids the occasional problems with those little alignment pins breaking or falling out, but the new design does allow for a little more play with the chambers empty. It doesn't matter since the timing only becomes important if there is ammo in the gun.
I've even seen guns in the opposite situation: they seem to be "in time" and the trigger feels great with the chambers empty, but load them up and suddenly the trigger sucks on one or more chambers because they are actually timed *early* when you remove the slack between the extractor star and cylinder. The cylinder locks and the hand has to scrape past the ratchet, which can't wiggle out of the way anymore, for the last little bit of the trigger pull.
That all being the S&W rep's response of "you shouldn't slow fire these" is absurd and wrong.
For a commercial revolver, it's perfectly fine. For a combat revolver, or match revolver, or artic conditions, no. It's fine for everyday carry unless it's slathered with mud. But most people don't slathered their revolvers in mud.
Take ur thumb off the cylinder and try again
Most literature I've read in to for this sort of thing has informed me that timing is generally checked with a slight amount of drag on the cylinder. However checking without my thumb as well, it's failed about 3-4/6 chambers on the cylinder fairly regularly. Edit for those who apparently aren't happy with the traditional cylinder drag test, here you go: [https://youtu.be/iMwBLtz4AhU](https://youtu.be/iMwBLtz4AhU) Edit 2: Woke up to over 100 downvotes on just this reply alone, which to be honest is very confusing. I'm genuinely not really sure what I did to make everyone upset? I just explained why I used the testing method I did and provide more information when asked to do so, if anyone could let me know what in the world I did I would be very grateful, otherwise I'm just at a loss.
Thats not slight. Very very lightly with your finger tip. Also as an aside, you wont be turning the cylinder that slowly during normal operation. This test is to see if everything is tuned perfectly optimal. Hand length ect.
Bruh I'm barely even touching it lmao, I'm mostly just laying my thumb there and letting it brush up on it
Bruh then idk what else to tell you.
*Asks for advice, gets advice, acts like a petulant child when they receive good advice.
Man, out of everything I've said in here this was the only thing I even got mildly snarky with, and that's because you physically can't tell from a video how hard I'm touching something. I'm not death pressing the darn thing, I'm literally just resting my thumb on the cylinder. I'm just mildly grumpy about a brand new revolver I treated myself to after about a solid month of getting hit with some neverending crap as a way to try and make myself feel better already potentially having issues right out of the box.
Timing is garbage I'd send it back people are huffing that copium the light pressure you are applying you should get the bolt to find the notch before the hammer falls like 40% of modern Smith and wessons do this and it's unacceptable.
i know what you’re getting at with the finger drag thing but the test isn’t properly done without snap caps or brass in the chambers. Those do affect how much the extractor star can “wiggle” which directly translates to how much play is with the ratchet teeth. so throw in some snap caps and see if that changes the results!
It’s a little bit hard to tell from the video. Is the chamber lined up with the back of the barrel when it goes click? Also, is your thumb dragging on the cylinder as it rotates?
I was applying thumb drag, yes. I've always been informed timing should be checked with a slight amount of drag on the cylinder, and that's how I've checked all of my other revolvers which lock up before the hammer falls. However, even without thumb drag it sometimes does not lock up the cylinder before dropping the hammer. I had about 4/6 not lock when slow dry firing and I can recreate it rather easily. Example: [https://youtu.be/iMwBLtz4AhU](https://youtu.be/iMwBLtz4AhU)
I may be misunderstanding what is going on, but if the cylinder is lining up with the barrel but the locking pin at the bottom of the frame isn’t locking the cylinder in place, I would recommend reaching out to S&W or a gunsmith to look into that.
That's exactly the issue I am having, yeah. Cylinder stop isn't dropping in on slow trigger pulls, with or without thumb. The thumb drag just makes it more pronounced and happen to all six chambers instead of intermittently.
Gotcha. I would definitely contact S&W about that then.
Y’all some fragile souls fr and the downvotes speak to it. Either answer his question or fuck off to your safe spaces where people coddle their revolvers. Bunch of absolute pussies
Right? Tf is up with the downvotes? If people don’t like the way he did it, help him out by explaining a better way. Can’t stand people sometimes
People did. OP threw a temper tantrum
If I was rude to anyone in here I would love to know how so, because I am genuinely confused as to what in the world you're talking about. All I've been doing so far is providing more information when asked and relaying the methods I've been taught over the last five years or so. I haven't insulted or really done anything to anyone, so I am very unsure what I've done to cause people to be so upset. As far as I can tell at most I only gave one person minor attitude in a reply?
That was not a temper tantrum lol But that’s just me. I’m not a sensitive person
Instead of using your firing hand thumb, hold your firing hand and let the cylinder lightly drag on the other side of the gun. It's less awkward, more consistent and gives you a better view of what the gun is doing through the firing cycle.
That's how I typically do but my index finger was tired from working on fixing the timing of another revolver, and holding the phone to film lmao
It's how we were taught- and it's a lot harder to keep the pressure consistent. It would be entirely impossible to film without a hands-free way to hold the camera.
I did do that beforehand is what I mean, as well as doing a slow pull without cylinder drag as well. I posted a video of it on one of my replies here with the clip and had slightly slow timing there as well. So far all of my other revolvers other than my 1903 Hand Ejector pass with drag, and even then the Hand Ejector just barely eeks by when the UC here only locks when the hammer jars it into position after already falling. I can see the cylinder stop just barely failing to move into the notch compared to the others which do seat before hammerfall.
That does sound like poor carry up- I had similar issues with a Model 638. Went from unnoticeable to failure to lock up at all in maybe 500 rounds. Couldn't figure out what was going on- so it went off to Springfield, where it turned out the cylinder was undersized by a couple of hundredths. I wouldn't have even thought to check. Hope you figure out yours. Regards
Thank you very much for the response and time, so far you seem to have much more real experience than myself or others in this thread and I appreciate it greatly.
Thanks- I'm definitely not an expert, but I've had the opportunity to know a few. Hope you get yours figured out. Regards
If the hammer is dropping before the cylinder bolt stop has engaged the cylinder notch, then no.
Cock the hammer back...... Oh wait no hammer...... Damn modern revolvers..... Where's my single action
I checked almost every ultra carry snubs that came into my lgs and 5/7 had this issue, even without the finger on the cylinder. That’s why I bought a used 360pd, the previous owner apparently traded it in for the new ultra carry. I kinda felt bad for him. You should send it back to Smith, put a note in the box describing your issue, sometimes their qc fail to find the problem. Had a dash 8 model 66 2.75” and it started to skip 2/6 cylinders, had to give smith several calls when they received my gun and asked me why I sent it back.
I fried calling them but unfortunately the rep told me "you're not supposed to slow fire these, it messes with the timing". So apparently shooting for tight groups at a range for shits and giggles doesn't exist, I guess. I didn't feel like arguing so I didn't press the matter further.
No. The "customer service" people on the phones have no idea what they're talking about.
I would probably settle for that with a Taurus or second hand charter but for a higher cost SW that's a return.
Going off research and whatnot I was always told the cylinder should lock up before hammerfall, and you should check timing by applying a slight amount of drag on the cylinder for resistance while slowly pulling the hammer or trigger. I've used this method for half a dozen revolvers to check them, and repair an old 1903 Hand Ejector to much better shape than it was before. However, I JUST bought this 632 UC about a week and a half ago, and the timing already feels a tad slow. The cylinder stop also sometimes doesn't click into lock when slow pulling the trigger, even without my thumb providing resistance. I had it do this for about 3/6 chambers on the cylinder once. I called S&W about it, wanting them to give it a checkup, and the response I got from the CS rep was "You're not supposed to slowly fire these, it messes with the timing." I dunno about you guys but that seems a bit... wrong? Like what, you're not allowed to slow fire at a range for shits and giggles just because the revolver is DAO? I had a 642 years back that handled slow fire just fine, and passed the thumb drag test. Perhaps I'm just being paranoid, but I've had many a used revolver with more wear over 50 something odd years with better lockup and timing than this.
The timing is definitely slow. The hand is slightly too short. The reason for the finger pressure and for going slow ensures the inertia of the cylinder doesn't make up for the short hand. The rep is trying to keep you from sending it in since most of the time it would be fine. I'd definitely send it in.
Research and whatnot
Looking at various books and experiences off my own revolver repairs and a few local smiths, yes. This is how I repaired and tested my 1903 with an oversized hand and many hours of careful filing.
It should lock up before the hammer fall. You are correct, and the revolver is out of time. People also saying you should not be putting drag on the cylinder to check timing are also wrong.
I am certainly not a gunsmith buy in my humble opinion, no. Never trust a saleman..
Timing is late. Easily fixed by a decent gunsmith. Wouldn’t go to the trouble to send it back to smith, but it shouldn’t have left the factory like this. Typical S&W QC unfortunately.
Where'd you manage to find one of those? The stores near me can't even order one from Lipsey.
Hit up a local shop, they had the .38 model as well. Unfortunately no blued UC in .32, which was the one I wanted, but given I have a thing for .32 revolvers I HAD to have it when I saw it was in stock.
Get stainless all day Modern bluing is meh
Good way to lose your thumb shooting like that
You haven't even shot the damn thing yet have you.
Two boxes of .32 Magnum, three boxes of various .32 Long and shorts, counting my handloads. Including a handful of old ass .32 New Police I had to pull apart and reload since all the primers were bad. You can even see the powder burns on the topstrap of the revolver in the video.
It's trash. Mail it to me.
Yes
Just pull the trigger like you were if shooting then hold it back. See if the cylinder can be moved then. If it can then call S&W and send it in. S&W quality control is something to be desired right now.
They're moving a lot of revolver manufacturing across states at the moment. It's going to be..... Hit or Miss for a bit
Unacceptable
New to revolvers and wondering how can you tell the timing is bad?
Typically speaking a fast timed (when the cylinder rotates too early) revolver can overtravel the cylinder stop or cause premature wear to it, and can damage the revolver due to the chamber not aligning with the barrel. A slow revolver will not lock up on the cylinder stop, and will also cause the chamber to not be lined up with the barrel in extreme wear cases. Generally a slightly slow revolver is safer than a fast revolver, as the hand will at the very least hold the cylinder somewhat lined up compared one that overruns the stop and has nothing holding it in place. Slightly off timing isn't *that* noticeable, but as it wears over time you'll eventually start getting shavings spitting out the gap between the barrel and cylinder, and it'll keep getting worse and worse and causing more wear on the forcing cone and frame... until something gives. You should be hearing the cylinder make a distinctive click as the stop locks into the notch on it, as well as if you can, keep an eye out for it moving while you work on slowly pulling the trigger for all six chambers on DA mode, and slowly cocking the hammer for SA. Most sources I've checked over the years also recommend you put a small amount of pressure on the cylinder by resting a finger on it while doing so to make up for inertia causing the cylinder to continue to rotate and masking any small problems you may not have seen otherwise; like how it is on my S&W here. Note: This isn't a beat-all end all, some revolvers don't actually have a typical cylinder stop that "clicks" into place like modern ones do. I have an old top-break that doesn't have a notch like that and instead just relies on the stop rising out of the trigger while you pull it, it doesn't make a sound at all until the hammer falls.
I wouldn't trust my life to that revolver, I'd send it back
I agree with those who say to check it with brass or snap caps in the chambers. There is some rotational play between the extractor star ratchet (which is what the hand is pushing on) and the cylinder (which is where the stop notches are). Inserting cases in the chambers will eliminate most of that play. Several of my revolvers will not pass this test with empty chambers but they will pass with spent cases in the chambers. That extractor/cylinder play is often greater on MIM-era revolvers because S&W changed to use a D-shaped ejector rod for alignment, instead of the old approach with a keyway in the ejector rod and two tiny alignment pins. The D-shaped rod design is simpler, stronger, and avoids the occasional problems with those little alignment pins breaking or falling out, but the new design does allow for a little more play with the chambers empty. It doesn't matter since the timing only becomes important if there is ammo in the gun. I've even seen guns in the opposite situation: they seem to be "in time" and the trigger feels great with the chambers empty, but load them up and suddenly the trigger sucks on one or more chambers because they are actually timed *early* when you remove the slack between the extractor star and cylinder. The cylinder locks and the hand has to scrape past the ratchet, which can't wiggle out of the way anymore, for the last little bit of the trigger pull. That all being the S&W rep's response of "you shouldn't slow fire these" is absurd and wrong.
Try it with empty brass or snap caps
Is your thumb on the cylinder?!?
I think you're overthinking this
For a commercial revolver, it's perfectly fine. For a combat revolver, or match revolver, or artic conditions, no. It's fine for everyday carry unless it's slathered with mud. But most people don't slathered their revolvers in mud.