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January 13, 2009
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When setting the cylinder/barrel gap, should the cylinder be pushed tight against the back of the frame or left in its neutral state biased toward the front of the frame? I haven’t taken detailed measurements yet, but in my Model 15 the difference is around 0.003”. Thanks.
Quincy
January 22, 2008
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Hey Quincy,
When I change barrels I simply put the gauge between the barrel and cylinder and tighten it down. I'm assuming doing it the way I'm doing would be left in its neutral state. I haven't had any issues doing it this way.
Jody
January 13, 2009
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Thanks Jody. Maybe I'm picking the fly poop out of the pepper, but once the barrel makes contact with the guage/cylinder, is that it, or do you tighten any more than that?
You tighten til there's slight resistance. You also need to rotate the cylinder on the older DW's as the cylinder face can be off as much as .002 due to the fact that the older cylinders were carved in the soft state then hardened. On the Norwich models the cylinders were hardened in the rough, then ground, leaving a truer face. You set the gap on the tightest cylinder space.
Dans Club
December 5, 2008
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How tight should I make the barrel nut?
Dans Club
March 2, 2008
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Make it snug, don't crank it down too tight. I usually screw the barrel in to a fairly snug fit with the gauge in place (so that I can still slide it back and forth but feel some resistance), then I put the shroud in place and install the barrel nut. When I tighten the barrel nut, it goes firmly into place with moderate effort, then I remove the gauge. I cannot easily re-insert the gauge, but I check to see that there is a visible gap. There are people that shoot with as little as .003, and I find that a "loose" .006 can cause a lot of spitting from the cylinder gap. The point has been made in other posts to check the gap all the way around the cylinder to allow for manufacturing tolerances.
Steve
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
Dans Club
December 5, 2008
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Thanks Steve, that is helpful. One set of instructions that I have seen says to tighten the nut "as tight as possible with the tool provided." Another one (for my 44) says to "tighten the nut to just that point whereby firm pressure can unscrew the nut." Obviously these are both open to a lot of interpretation. The 44 instructions do say "DO NOT OVERTIGHTEN." - more interpretation. Clearly, lots of trial and error combined with lots of shooting (fun) are helpful in getting the right setting.
Thanks again.
Tim
One other thing about tightening is be sure to check tightness after a few cylinders full to insure it's still tight; but be sure not to tighten more than finger tight when hot or you won't untighten when cold.
Dans Club
March 2, 2008
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Robert has a great point. Since the barrel "floats" in the shroud, it will be more sensitive expansion from the heat of shooting than the shroud, and tightening up the nut on a hot barrel could be a problem. FIRM&SNUG on a cold barrel would be best, take lots of care tightening the nut on a hot barrel.
Steve
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
September 16, 2008
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I took a Dan Wesson hunting once whose barrel assembly was installed while in a warm condition.
In the extreme cold of the hunting field the barrel assembly loosened from the contraction of the metal and resulted in a missed shot.
I always make sure the barrel assembly is tightened at or near the lowest temperatures I may encounter in the field and have never had another barrel loosen.
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