[Pointshoot]

Hello, I have a first generation stainless steel Charter Arms Bulldog made in Stratford, CT. about 30 years ago. Serial number is in the 940,000 range. After measuring with feeler gauges I've found that there is about .003" of cylinder endshake. I've read on various forums that this is about the maximum allowed, but have no idea if this is a general rule of thumb for all revolvers. Is this amount of endshake acceptable for the Bulldog ?

If at all possible, (and its advisable to do so), I'd like to fix this myself. I'm in a rural area and the closest good gunsmith who has done work for me, is 2 hours away. He has a large backlog of work. Its likely to take up to a month before I got my gun back. Ive seen a Midway video where a washer is used to tighten up a S&W revolver with endshake. Looks easy. Would I have to get special & specific washers for the Bulldog from Charter Arms, or can I find what I need from one of the general suppliers such as Midway, Brownells, etc ?

This revolver is in very good overall shape. And this is the only possible 'issue' it may have. Thanks in advance for your suggestions and comments, - - -

P.S. - - just to be absolutely sure of my measurements, I went ahead and did them again. I'm using regular type feeler gauges; the type you'd find in an auto parts store. The thinnest gauge measures 1.5 thousandths of an inch- - When I pull the trigger and keep the trigger depressed, I get a barrel-cylinder gap measure of .005". When I pull the cylinder back as far away from the barrel as possible (trigger not depressed) I can't quite get a .008" feeler gauge between the barrel and cylinder. I am able to get a stacked .006" & .0015" feeler gauge in the space. The breech end of the barrel isn't exactly square to the cylinder face. So, as far as I'm able to measure it, I come up with endshake somewhere between .0025"-.003". (If I'm measuring it right). I don't know if this info may be of use in anyone's reply. I recently got this 44 Special Bulldog, and only intend to shoot mild loads through it, mainly 200 gr Speer Gold Dots and the CCI Blazer version with that same bullet. Also, a little bit of Blackhills 210 gr Cowboy loads. Thank you - - -