Hey guys i was wondering if you guys can give me some info on this. So im new to Revolvers and i picked up a Model 19-3 and man do i love this gun. but it start to lock up to the point i wasn't able to pull the trigger. So i did some research and the most common thing i read was a bend extractor rod, But that wasn't the case. So i sent it back to Smith and they told me the gas ring was bad on the cylinder. Also they said i was pretty much beat because the gas ring is attached to the cylinder and that i would have to find a used cylinder online.

Now i searched and i couldn't find anything about this...Has anyone else had this issue?? Also i have a pinned and recessed gun, can i put a non recessed cylinder on ?? any info on this would be great TY

I see recessed K frame 357 cylinders once in the while on EBay. One is now let living in what was a model 10. Search S&W cylinder

I would think they could replace the gas ring. Did they say the cylinder was beyond repair?

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Ret. LE, FA Instr, S&W Armorer

Like i said i'm new to Revolvers, but what smith said i believe was that the gas ring was press fit. That was the reason they said they couldn't fix it. I have the gun back now, idk maybe they didn't want to mess with it. Its a shame the bluing is awesome on it. The older bluing has that nice glass finish rather then today's flat bluing looking black.

The gas ring is a relatively easy repair. Perhaps a trusted local smith could repair it for you. The part is still available.

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Ret. LE, FA Instr, S&W Armorer

I would first flush it out with kerosene, blow it out with compressed air and VERY LIGHTLY lubricate, before going the replaced cylinder route.

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Some collect art; I shoot it!

Contrary to what others have said the feature that makes the 19-3 less desirable than other dash numbers is that the gas ring is formed as part of the yoke instead of being a separate part inserted in the cylinder! I would like to see pictures of your yoke with the cylinder removed to have an idea what could be wrong with the interface between the cylinder and yoke/gas ring. I suppose that the cylinder and yoke could have galled together, but don't know why this would be considered as un-repairable.

The guns with the gas ring on the yoke were only manufactured for about 18 months as this style did not work nearly as well as the original design, with the gas ring inserted in the cylinder. These tend to bind up from a build-up of firing residues far quicker than the original style. The odd thing seems to be that there seem to be far too many 19-3 guns out there compared to the years the Model was manufactured.

Actually a 19-3 can have either style of gas ring as the -3 was made from 1968 to 1977, while the gas ring on the yoke was only from sometime in 1975 to 1977 when the change back to the cylinder made the 19-4 engineering change. It just seems that every 19-3 I see has the gas ring on the yoke! Oddly there is no information I have been able to find that indicates when the gas ring was moved from the cylinder to the yoke!

The gas ring on the yoke is not peculiar to the Model 19-3, all K-Frame models suffered from this ill-advised change during this period, but it isn't always the -3, it varies by model. For some reason it was not done with the N-Frame models, just K-Frame.

Asera77, Which of these photos does your cylinder look like? The Nickel cylinder is a 14-2 with the gas ring in the cylinder. The second is a 19-3 with the gas ring on the yoke. Note the large hole without a collar around it and the enlarged area of the yoke with two notches cut in it. The last one is a 19-4 with the gas ring in the cylinder. It is shorter than the 14 because the 19 cylinder is longer. The 14 was included because t shows the gas ring mush more clearly than the 19-4 does.

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	19-3.jpg (46.8 KB, 223 views)
	19-4.jpg (39.4 KB, 224 views)

^^^^^

Alk8944..........I'm afraid this is contrary to the information provided by Asera77 in his OP. Did you read the OP?

"So i sent it back to Smith and they told me the gas ring was bad on the cylinder. Also they said i was pretty much beat because the gas ring is attached to the cylinder and that i would have to find a used cylinder online."

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Ret. LE, FA Instr, S&W Armorer

Yes, I read it. That doesn't mean they were right or he expressed what they said correctly! It makes no sense if the gun has the gas ring in the cylinder, as you observed this is a simple repair! haven't you ever seen a poster give erroneous information? The only way the issue would be non-repairable is the version with the gas ring on the yoke! Haven't you ever come across one of these? I have attached some photos now.

Sure, I have experience with both of the gas ring variations you describe.

You said......"That doesn't mean they were right, or he expressed what they said correctly!"

Strange......Why would you conclude they were incorrect in their diagnosis of the problem, or he misinterpreted or misstated what they told him?

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Ret. LE, FA Instr, S&W Armorer

Mine looks like 1 and 3...here is a pick of mine...this can be repaired??? i asked him what could cause this ...he said just wear over time....I had gotten it took it to the range put a hundred rounds threw it and that was it. Sucks cause it was the first time i ever shot it. it started to lock up and then i send it to them and that's what they said

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	15555662_10154037236245986_514227487_n.jpg (34.9 KB, 179 views)

If the damage is confined to the gas ring itself, then it is repairable, yes.

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Ret. LE, FA Instr, S&W Armorer

There looks to be excess wear at one spot on the ejector rod. Don't know if it bad enough to cause or contribute to the problem, but there is something causing that wear that needs to be corrected.

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Richard Gillespie
FBINA 102

well if this can be repaired thats great...but the trick is finding someone to do it. Because Smith and Wesson didnt want to have anything to do with it. The guy there told me "well you can always just part it out and sell it" wth lol. When it did shoot it was awesome, great trigger and its in great shape. If it was a beater and i had this problem then maybe i would, even then i would have to think about it.

I'm sure you can find a competant gunsmith to do the work. Not sure what your location is........Cylinder and Slide, Ten Ring Precision, Clark, Grant Cunningham, and Frank Glenn come to mind.

Here's the link to the "old style" gas ring.....Numrichs:

19 S&W Accessories | Numrich Gun Parts

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Ret. LE, FA Instr, S&W Armorer

OP, I too HAD a 19-3 that developed the same dragging/binding you describe. I too sent mine back to S&W and was told it was an issue with the gas ring coming loose from the cylinder and was not repairable. In my case they were able to somehow temporarily reseat the gas ring and stretched the yoke barrel slightly to free things up. The note they sent back with the gun forbade any further usage of 357 magnum loads. The revolver was relegated to 38s only and no longer resides in my collection. Replaced it with a 686 and I'm much happier now. The 686 isn't afraid of 357 loads.

I had a basket case 19-3 awhile back. A former O C S D revolver was
gotten by me off the NET..Low price drew me to this fixer upper. Boy
was l fooled. Nobody around would touch it..Bad finish, bad front site,
binding cylinder.. I sent it to S&W to repair..They send back this long
note saying it could be repaired, but ONLY with MIM parts..Kinda like
a mechanic saying he can repair my vintage Corvette, but he's gonna
have to use aftermarket parts..Anyway l tell him, "Fix lt".
I guess what l am trying to say is, Smith & Wesson resurrected my 19-3
Fixer Upper to as good or Better than NEW when nobody else could or
even try..They even fixed it at no charge after my daughter bent the 2ND
ejector rod flipping the cylinder open and shut like they do on TV.
Unfortunately they were unable to save the O C S D engraving..
Maybe l will post PICS of it one day..lt really DOES shoot great too.
Twas the first gun l shot the other day after my cataract surgery ..
Cut a surveyors ribbon @ 40yds.. Open sights, NEW eye

My 19-3 is a forever KEEPER..The daughter ain't getting it back either

Thanks for the link bud i just wonder why smith didnt want to have anything to do with this. Oh well ill have to find a good gunsmith that can do this where i am which is NJ lol such a gun loving state (yeah right)

I have seen the model 19 pull the gas ring due to recoil, they can be replaced, I have parts. I also have seen these guns break the joint between the ratchet and extractor rod, that is a bit harder to repair. Both conditions will tie up the gun. Sometimes you can re-seat the gas ring but it is better to install a new one. Sometime in the middle 70s they went away from the gas ring and tried to use the same set up as on the J frame guns and that was a disaster. the trouble was that the inside of the cylinder would gum up after about 200 rounds of lead bullets. I have a tool to cut that silly mistake off the yoke and install a gas ring so that solves that problem. The non-recessed cylinder can be used but you have to change the frame lug which keeps the cylinder from coming to far to the rear when the cylinder is open.

Frank Glenn

Listen to the man above me. Frank Glenn is one of the most competent gunsmiths around. Send it to him and it will be done right.

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H Richard
SWCA1967 SWHF244

+1, what he said.