Randy,

You don't indicate in your post whether the spare cylinder/extractor you are trying to install is new or used.

If the cylinder/extractor combination is new, all of the individual ratchets will have to be fit to your particular gun (hand). In the case of an uncut/new extractor, the hand will not be able to complete it's necessary upward travel and pass the ratchet sucessfully without fitting. The cylinder may in fact carry up and lock in place, but at that point, if the ratchet is too large (uncut/unfit) and the hand simply has no where to go. Because of this, the hammer/trigger travel will be impeded.

A used cylinder may also suffer from the same problem. Hand widths can vary quite a bit, so fitting is almost always required. Very few cylinders simply "drop in", but must be fit in terms of the extractor/hand interface. This is particularly true when dealing with older cylinders with pinned extractors. The new design extractors can sometimes be swapped between cylinders and function properly, but this is usually not the case with the older models.

There are other very important considerations when fitting a new cylinder also.....like the integrity of the front and rear gauges (headspace and b/c gap) and proper barrel cylinder alignment.

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Ret. LE, FA Instr, S&W Armorer