642 PROBLEM

I have a 642 that is about 3 years old. It has been fired very little.......maybe 50 rounds. I left it loaded for a perid of time and now I find the cylinder will not swing out. (It was cleaned) The thumb latch feels like it is working as it should. If I slightly squeese the trigger the cylinder frees up. The cylinder is stuck! It will not swing out. Keep in mind the weapon is in a loaded condition now. It was functioning fine when the cylinder was closed. Thoughts? Thanks. Mike L.

Did you maybe reverse the round head screws in the sideplate? Try releasing all the pressure on the sidepate screws which may allow the cylinder to open so you can unload it and make it safe before proceeding.

The ejector rod may have unscrewed. It is reverse threaded, so turn it counter clockwise to tighten.

The first thing I would do is take it to the range and shoot it empty. That will eliminate the risk of working on a loaded firearm.

As John Galt noted, the most likely cause for your problem is the Ejector rod has come unscrewed a bit. The simplest way to tighten this enough to free the cylinder is by pinching the knurled end with a thumbnail and repeatedly pulling the cylinder to drive it around. Obviously something you do NOT want to try with a loaded gun.

Once you have the cylinder freed up and open, the next matter is getting the ejector rod tight enough so that it won't shoot loose. Some will advise putting locktite on the threads, I am not one of those who woould recomend doing this. Put locktite on those threads and at some point you'll probably have to purchase a new ejector rod, extractor, and pay to have it fitted. This jutction uses a very fine pitch thread that is easy to cross thread, so it's important that these threads aren't gummed up by locktite. Due to that fine thread pitch, the ejector rod will NOT shoot loose when tightened properly.

Unfortunately, learning how to get this thread tight enough is a matter of developing a "feel" for it, which means using a trial and error approach and working the tightness up to the point where it won't shoot loose. What works for me is usingthe left hand as a slip clutch while using a bit of old leather belt folded over the knurling and grasped by a pair of pliers to tighten it with. Remove the forward screw on the sideplate under the cylinder, this is what retains the crane in the frame. Remove the crane from the frame by sliding it out from under the cylinder while holding the cylinder in place with a thumb and forefinger with the cylinder open. Leave your cylinder loaded with those fired cases in place, this will keep the extractor from trying to rotate in place and keep from damaging the locating pins or the keyhole in the base of the cylinder. Now wrap two finders and the thumb of the left hand around the cylinder and squeeze with a FIRM handshake type grip. This is your "slip clutch" that limits the torque applied while tightening, let the cylinder slip while maintining a constant grip force. If the cylinder rod shoots loose in testing, tighten up your grip and try again. As for tightening the rod, remember it's a left hand thread and use the belt and pliers to rotate in in a counterclockwise direction with the cylinder rod facing you.

642 Problem cont.

Thanks to all for your replies especially scooter123. I have fired all five rounds as suggested. (I live in the country!) The revolver is now empty and checked several times to be certain it is in a safe condition. I still can not open it. The ejecter rod did not appear to be loose. But I may be missing something. I am being careful as to not damage the revolvers finish. Does anyone have a parts diagram? That would help more to know what I am looking at? Thanks again. Mike L.

Here is a schematic for a 642-2, there are others on that site if yours is a different dash number.

Schematic for Smith & Wesson® J-Frame 642-2 - World's Largest Supplier of Firearm Accessories, Gun Parts and Gunsmithing Tools

It could be just stuck from using a cleaner that dissolved some gunk and ran down into the crane area. If the thumb latch seems to be working I'd hold it in and give the cylinder a rap with a rubber hammer to see if it will pop free. You could loosen the forward side plate screw but if you've never messed with them it shouldn't be your problem.

Did you use WD 40 on that 642?

.....if so, it probably dried up like old peanut butter inside. Now that it is empty, soak it in solvent or disassemble it for a good cleaning.