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November 25, 2017
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All the information I've read on changing barrels on a .357 model 15 has said to use the .006 gage to set the cylinder to barrel gap. and then use a the barrel nut wrench to tighten the Barrel Nut. My question is "What is used to determine the correct amount of tight"? A barrel nut not tightened enough could become loose and a safety issue. One that is too tight might cause damage to the pistol. It seems that a standardized procedure would have been established for consistency, such as tightening the nut to a specific torque. And while that might not be truly practical something like; 'With the .006" gage in place against the cylinder, screw the barrel into the frame until its contacts the gage just enough to prevent the gage from falling out. Slide the Shroud in place and screw on the Barrel Nut until there is no longer any play between the Shroud and the Barrel Nut, then tighten the Nut 1/2 turn.
September 28, 2008
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I've shot 715's and 15-2's with loose barrels, so IMHO, it's nothing to really worry about. I tightened up my barrels to the point the .006 gauge was snug, but not tight enough to make it difficult to pull out. With a metal wrench, Just snugged the nut up, but I frequently broke the junk plastic wrenches. I never had a barrel loosen up, so I guess I was doing it right. The reason I shot guns with loose barrels was I used to be a clean freak on my guns and I would pull the barrel shroud and take the barrel off the gun to clean it, and forgot to tighten it back up. I used to shoot a lot of lead bullets back then and it was just easier to yank the Lewis Lead Remover through the barrel tube with it off the gun. I'm not so OCD about cleaning guns anymore, but I don't shoot unjacketed bullets anymore either.
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Dans Club
February 22, 2009
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Take the wrench on the next shoot. After you shoot a few cylinders full, check the nut. If it's tight, then you're good. If not, check the gap and/ or re-gap and snug it down. There is no torque or single technique per se. I gap to .004 or 3, open the cylinder, and place some force with my thumb against the forcing cone while tightening the nut.
Technically, the glass is always full; half liquid, half air....
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Dans Club
December 4, 2011
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Ditto to what Ron said. I always place my thumb on the forcing cone and apply pressure to hold the barrel while I tighten it down. If it does move, you'll feel it. A piece of leather on your finger will increase friction and hold it if you have issues bare handed.
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Dans Club
January 17, 2015
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SCORPIO said
Ditto to what Ron said. I always place my thumb on the forcing cone and apply pressure to hold the barrel while I tighten it down. If it does move, you'll feel it. A piece of leather on your finger will increase friction and hold it if you have issues bare handed.
I've never tried using my thumb on the forcing cone, I will give that a try from now on. Thanks
February 16, 2016
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captklank said
My question is "What is used to determine the correct amount of tight"? A barrel nut not tightened enough could become loose and a safety issue. One that is too tight might cause damage to the pistol. It seems that a standardized procedure would have been established for consistency, such as tightening the nut to a specific torque.
Hand snug is fine.
Dans Club
March 2, 2008
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SCORPIO said
Ditto to what Ron said. I always place my thumb on the forcing cone and apply pressure to hold the barrel while I tighten it down. If it does move, you'll feel it. A piece of leather on your finger will increase friction and hold it if you have issues bare handed.
Understand through all of this that as you shoot, heat is generated, which in extended shooting sessions (especially with very hot ammunition) can cause expansion in the barrel. This expansion may cause the gap to tighten somewhat or create a bit of distortion in the barrel tube.
I went to a bookstore and asked the saleswoman "Were is the Self Help Section?" She said if she told me, it would defeat the purpose.
George Carlin
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March 25, 2013
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The instructions say .006 but if you use . 004 on the proudest chamber you should be fine. Also, be sure not to push the cylinder back on the dedent ball or the gap will be too small. After a couple of cylinder worth of rounds it will bind as the cylinder expands. Also wipe the face of the cylinder with a rag every box of ammo. The smaller the gap you use the less powder will spit and the more power you will have.
November 25, 2017
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Thanks for the replies. Using a thumb to feel if the barrel turns when tightening sounds like the best method. It is great having a place like the DWF where someone can tap the knowledge base of a large group of people who share a common interest and are willing to help out others.
August 8, 2013
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What is the risk if the gap is too large? I had some issues with POI not meeting POA, and so I pulled the nut and re-tightened pushing one direction on the shroud and it shot great today. However, I now realize that I forgot to use the spacer and when I go to check it I can tell that it's a bit larger than .006".
If I had to guess, I'd say it's around .010"-.012", give or take a few thousandths. I'm an engineer and fairly adept at guestimating distances, but it's in that ballpark. What is the risk of leaving it as-is? This gun hasn't shot to POA since I've owned it until today and I don't want to mess with the nut again unless it's a safety risk to me or the gun.
Dans Club
March 2, 2008
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The only "risk" that I know of is "spitting" from the barrel/cylinder gap. The best rule of thumb I follow on this question is to check the gap measured on all six chambers (on a cold gun) and set my gap on the tightest chamber. A long shooting session with very hot ammunition dictates a little wider gap, I mostly shoot at .004 with no problem
Non DW revolvers are tuned at the factory to a range of b/c gap to allow for many factors, with the knowledge that a wider factory setting reduces issues/complaints.
I went to a bookstore and asked the saleswoman "Were is the Self Help Section?" She said if she told me, it would defeat the purpose.
George Carlin
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