Question about a used .44 DW

[recondoc]

I just went with my gut and picked up a used DW44 (Monson) at the gunshow today.   The price seemed reasonable at $275 for a tough .44.  I plan to start reloading and wanted something stout while I was learning.
My one concern is that the cylinder turns to the left when the pistol is uncocked.   Once cocked or as it's being pulled through DA it seems to work fine and locks up pretty nicely.
When I questioned the guy I bought it from, he said that they all do that.  I found one more at the gunshow and sure enough, it turned too.   I went ahead and layed down the denero then.   Now I'm starting to wonder if my judgemen was correct.   I tried asking a few other folks but no one seemed to know the answer.   Ignorance may be bliss in some areas but I'm sweating it out here.
Any information would be greatly appreciated.
Doc

[RollTide]

recondoc,
The cylinder should not turn when the revolver is uncocked.  The little bolt (part number 37 on the large frame I believe) in the bottom of the frame in the cylinder window is probably malfunctioning.  It could be that the sping that lifts it into position is broken, or it could be that there is a piece of fouling or something keeping the bolt from moving into place as it should.  When you cock the gun, the hand that rotates the cylinder is holding the cylinder in place, but it is critical for the bolt to work also or you could get into a real problem.  You could break the hand if you continue to shoot it that way or much worse.  The good news is, that it is probably not too expensive or diffcult to replace and the parts should still be avaiable from Dan Wesson.  As far as I know, no revolver cylinder should ever spin on its own whether the gun is cocked or uncocked.  I would take it to a competent gunsmith if you have ANY qualms about fixing the problem yourself and I would not fire the gun until it was fixed.

Roll Tide

[unspellable]

The DW's are a bit prone to this.  If the cylinder is bolted firmly enough to stay put with ordinary hadling and will only unbolt when you deliberately attempt to make it do so, then be happy and go shooting.  If it unbolts during normal handling then it needs attention.  After eliminating the obvious, such as crud in the works or a bad spring, the most likely cause is a slightly misfitted bolt and it will probably want a new bolt.  (Bolt height and the angle of the upper surface of the bolt are the critical points here.  If you stare at iot for a while you wil lsee why.)

I would regard $275 for a DW 44 Mag in other wise good condition a good enought buy to justify the repair and still say you came out all right.

This condition is not unsafe from a shooting standpoint as when you cock the revolver everything will lock up tight.  It will affect reliability since there is the potential of carrying up a chamber that has already been fired.