When comparing the strain screw between my wife's K-38 and my K-22 the screw looks a bit different even though they are the same length. The no thread tip is much shorter on my K-22. I want to back the screw all the way out, but it does not want to screw out. Resistance increases as the tip nears the frame. So my question is, is it a standard strain screw or a modified screw? Photos show it backed in and partially screwed out. I don't want to damage the thread.

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Looks to be okay. Put some good oil on it and let it sit abit. May have some crude in the grooves. Good idea to be nice and easy with it.

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Mike
S&WCA #3065

The tip looks mushroomed and I think that may be the reason it won't back out.

Fair enough. I want to clean every inch and thread groove. It's not an absolute, but if a part is meant to come off I usually take it off and clean it.

I have to tell you that I think you may not be all that far from wishing you had left well enough alone. If it were mine, I would do what Targets Guy said ("Looks to be okay. Put some good oil on it and let it sit a bit. May have some crud in the grooves. Good idea to be nice and easy with it."), and if that didn't work, FORGET ABOUT IT.

I am very picky (I don't care for the stupid psychobabble phrase usually used for very picky people), but if it didn't come out with good lube and minimal force, I would count my blessings and leave it alone.

It is not the tip, mushroomed or not.

It always amazes me when someone tears a gun down to the frame. When you buy a new car, do you remove the engine and disassemble it? I know Smith & Wesson workers that used to take pride in assembling a handgun, only to have a backyard gunsmith tear it down, then complain because "it don't work good anymore".

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Don Mundell

Thanks for the comments. I don't take apart new cars, but I do take apart old ones. I won't force anything off not on a car or gun. I totally took apart my wife's K-38 as well and it is a flawless shooter. With hers I replaced the cylinder stop. I had no problem backing the strain screw on it out and that was my reason for inquiring. On this one I'm replacing the hammer with a more period correct one. Anyway I take most of my guns apart at some time or another. Never had one work worse after. LOL. I may just leave that screw alone, for now.

Hi sikacz...l have a 1947 K22... sn K43XX... My strain screw does NOT

look like yours. Mine is small on the end. Also the slot in your frame

looks a bit wallowed out.. Mine isn't ... l also have the big ejector rod.

Sorry, no pics... l don't know how to post them :-(

0k sikacz, looking closer at your pics and then looking at my gun, I think

the mushrooming of the screw end plus the enlarging of the slot in frame

where the big end of the spring rests is caused by normal wear and use...

Worst Case: The screw is "cross threaded"/seized--about to seize/otherwise boogered---in which case the hole is hurting too.

Without having the first clue what I'm talking about as a problem, I'm going to get that screw out---or my gunsmith is going to get it out or one of us is going to snap it off. Once it's out, and in the very likely event a new one won't go in, it's drill/tap/new/different screw time----and I'm good to go. It's an irritation, not a problem.

Ralph Tremaine

If the screw can be backed out that far with no problem, then begins to need more and more torque, I would venture that it may be slightly bent. The mushroomed contact point could be the evidence that it got bubba'd at some time, for who knows what reason.

If penetrating oil doesn't help, and you just HAVE to remove it, cut the screw, leaving one or two threads exposed, and carefully clean up any burrs before backing it out. This will maintain the integrity of the threads in the frame.

An alternate method would be to use a high-output heat gun and warm up the steel on either side of the screw to expand the metal slightly. It will not hurt the bluing, but might give you enough expansion to back the screw out. It would have to be done quickly, though, before heat soak also affects the screw.

There's more than one way to skin that cat of yours.

Good luck.

I'm in the camp to leave it alone. You could be costing yourself a lot of unnecessary work. But I gotta ask, when you purchase a used car do you really take it completely apart down to the frame?

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Get off my lawn!

Good post, just what I was thinking.....

I have. I worked as a mechanic and body man in a restoration shop 40 plus years ago and I've taken apart two of my cars to the frame as well. I do all my mechanical work even now on my cars. It depends on the situation. I'm going to weight the benefit of taking the screw out or not. I'm leaning toward not, because I can do the repairs without removing it.

If it looks okay and is functioning. I'll leave it alone. This actually got started when I was testing the gun out with snap caps and noticed every now and then it would fail the "hammer push off" test. I've ordered a spare trigger and hammer. The hammer which is not period to the gun looks to have either wear or improper tuning on it. The metal edge is rounded out forming a burr ridge on the SA contact surface and below it. The hammer contact surface looks okay. In order to inspect and see what was wrong I decided to take it apart. I'd rather fix it before going to the range. I don't take things apart this far unless it's necessary.

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It may be a little late with this input but (because of photobucket) I had some difficulty finding this picture. Like others I see no reason the strain screw won't back out . . . but you might look at the butt to see if there is a set screw like pictured below.

Russ

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Recent pic I took of my 1947 k22



I bet in the past someone buggered the screw using the wrong screwdriver, then replaced it. Any of the others have marks?

I got it out. Paplinker, my tip does look shorter than yours.

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With your closeup it looks like it may have been filed down. I would buy another matte finish screw.

The cylinder retention screw is the only one that looks mangled. I tried buying one. Looked okay on the pic, but turned out to be one for a newer one. Had a "v" tip. I'll see about locating another. I might try to see if another mainspring strain screw is available. The one I just took out seems light screwing in and out. Like it was loose. I think the threads are okay in the frame.

That would explain why it mushroomed at the tip.

New on top old on bottom. There's a considerable length difference. Leads me to believe it was filed down for some reason. Not something I would do as a mod.

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Compare the bottom of the spring to the old and the curvature of the spring. The old on the left is flatter and the spring is not fully against the frame at the bottom. On the new on the right perfect fit. Now onto other tweeks.

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I'm sure it was ground down to obtain a lighter trigger pull, but not the recommended way to do that.

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Get off my lawn!

I suspected that.