Howdy. ive been perusing this forum for years and just never had a question i didnt already find an answer to. Low and behold, i cannot find an answer to this question.

I have what i believe is a very early chiefs special. No model number, serial is 17408. it belonged to a friend of the family that would come watch us shoot as kids. When he got sick, it went into Grandpa's safe. i have had it for about 3 years.

Problems- finish is definitely not great but the bigger issue is the cylinder makes contact with the forcing cone on or between 2 chambers. i dont know if this is the only issue or if it is the manifestation of some other issues. i sent a request to S&W but it doesn't sound like they are all to excited to work on it.

So... what do i do now? Are there folks still working on these guns and, is it worth while to make it work? i dont have much of a connection to it, its not grandpa's gun so i dont feel obligated to keep it unless its something special.

is it worth anything as it sits? if is worth less if i get it repaired?

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Does the gap get wide when you rotate the cylinder 180 degrees?

In answer to your questions:

Yes, there're gunsmiths that do work on these. If it's a bent rod, shouldn't be too expensive to fix (under $200 if the parts can be reused- somewhat more of there's fabrication involved).

No, it's not worth much if it doesn't function. It certainly won't be worth less if you fix it.

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SWCA #3356, SWHF#611

Take it to a qualified gunsmith to get it functional. Don't worry about the finish right now. The revolver has great history which you know about. Get it fixed, shoot it and make it a family heirloom.

The ejector rod may be loose. Before I took it to a gunsmith, I'd try to screw it in...has reverse thread.

Sometimes just cleaning the front of the cylinder will cure that contact problem.

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"Free dirt, you dig."

The above is about what i thought, thanks for confirmation.

i have taken it apart, cleaned and reassembled to see if i could see anything off. I couldn't find anything noticeable, but i don't know that i would be able to diagnose a bent rod being as it is so short.

It definitely has more space on one side of the cylinder than the other, i can get through 3 holes before i feel it rub, but i dont think there is .010" gap on any of them.

any guidance on what (or where) i should look for in a smith? there was a guy locally that used to work on revolvers but i cant find him anymore. i am in no hurry, just want to see what it will take and what it will cost. i have a 36-7 that is in great condition so im not going to miss this one if it sits in the shop for a while.

Welcome! It could be one of several different issues causing the problem. If you can let us know your location someone here might be able to recommend a nearby gunsmith.

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Alan
SWCA LM 2023, SWHF 220

i'm in Reno, Nevada.

I had a rifle built by Jack Huntington of JRH advanced gunsmithing in 2014ish. at the time, he built, or rebuilt, smith revolvers. I dont know if he is still working somewhere or not but i haven't had any luck finding a doc for this particular pistol.

It could be that it has some endshake or a bent yoke or maybe a centerpin out of alighnment. or maybe something else.

If you hold the frame by the grip in your right hand, and with a thumb on one side and two middle fingers on the other side, and try to move the cylinder forward and backward, and there is movement, then you have endshake. That will cause the cylinder to rub the barrel while turning the cylinder. Just a bit of contact will make the cylinder very hard to turn during firing. If the cylinder is not cut perfectly square, then that little contact will bind it up.

All these issues are an easy fix for someone trained as an armorer and has the proper tools. The hard part is finding that someone!!

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Richard Gillespie
FBINA 102

Could it be shims some one else installed?

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"Free dirt, you dig."

More likely bent than loose, and I don't know about that "reverse threads". I'm thinking they came along a good bit later than that gun----but I don't know about those small frame guns.

Ralph Tremaine

Check for endshake, as Richard suggested. If there is forward/backward play, remove the two lower screws on the sideplate and reverse them. One of them is fitted to the yoke to minimize endshake, and since they are very similar, they can be reversed accidentally. Easy test before going any further with repairs.

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Mike H

I don’t notice much endshake at all. There just isn’t much room for the cylinder to move forward on any chamber. The screws on mine are obviously different, the front one has a nipple on it, a smaller diameter section that is not threaded.

That is the correct screw to be in the front hole.

It sounds to me like a bent yoke or ejector rod. All it takes is someone "flipping" the cylinder closed once or twice and things can get bent.

A good revolver smith can diagnose and take care of the problem for you without spending too much.

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Send lawyers, guns & money...

Lots of good advice so far. I would pursue getting it back to safe running condition. It appears to be a Baby Chiefs .38 Spl. Am I correct? If so, despite its challenged cosmetic state, I would get it fixed and make it a family member. I would adopt one like that!

Bent yoke will cause the cylinder gap to be tight (or loose) on all holes as the yoke does not rotate. Cylinder shims move the cylinder back. So, I am going with something bend in the ejector rod assy or a slightly out of square cylinder and carbon/lead built up on cylinder face and barrel extension

The side plate does not appear to be original to the gun as the color of the finish or lack thereof is noticeably different at the front next to the frame. There also appears to be a rack number etched on the side plate which may be evidence of law enforcement or military use. If it were mine I would "carefully" remove the side plate and check the assembly number stamped on the inside face. It should match the assembly number stamped in the yoke with the cylinder open.

I have seen many times when LE or military armorers work on guns that they take little care in reassembly when matching original parts to guns that they have disassembled. Again, comparing the assembly numbers will resolve this question.

It it were mine, I would remove the cylinder and lay it on a hard flat surface. I would slowly rotate the cylinder and measure the distance from the table to the rod. If I found that there was a difference in the measurements, I would try to bend the rod slightly in a direction that would equalize the measurements. It might only take a minor bend to get the rod centered again, assuming that this is an issue.

The Chief Special aka the model 36 is one of the iconic lines in the S&W arsenal probably right there alongside the .38 M&P or aka the model 10.

I own several of these and they are really great guns.

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James Redfield
LM #497

Take your pistol to Mark Fore & Strike and see Todd. I have a 629 that had push off from somebody that "worked" on the trigger. They sent it to a smith they trust in Oregon and it came back perfect in my humble opinion. They may be able to diagnose the problem without sending it out.

My thought on the side play is it was taken off and someone tried to buff a scratch out of it and never got to finish it. It’s been that way the entire time I had it. I can’t remember now, but I am pretty sure all the assembly stamps match. I just can’t specifically remember the side plate having one. I have had the thing down to bare frame and a pile of parts trying to see if a good cleaning would do anything. Spoiler: it did not.

I will get with Todd and see what he has to say. I have done business with them several times. Never crossed my mind to take it there so thank you.