I bought a new 4" bbl S&W 686+ in April 2012 so it is a little over a year old. From the day I brought it home the cylinder release (Smith calls it the thumbpiece) seemed very stiff and dry. It would take an extra effort sometimes to push it forward but I figured it just needed a break in period to smooth out.
I have probably shot 200 rounds +/- thought it and it didn't seem to be getting any better. Last night I took it out and decided to do some dry dry firing, I put some snap caps in it and practiced for 10-15 minutes. I opened and closed the cylinder a few dozen times to see if it would free up. finally, I couldn't press it forward and now the cylinder is shut with the snap caps still in it. The cylinder still turns and I can cock the hammer and pull the trigger and everything functions except I cannot open it, it's the weirdest thing.
Has anyone had this happen to them and what would be causing it? This sucks because I have always coveted Smith and Wesson revolvers so I saved up for this one, my first and I can't tell you how disappointed I am. I'll be contacting S&W Monday.

The extractor rod has backed out. All you have to do is tighten it by turning it counter clockwise. Hold the cylinder while turning the rod, I believe that will cure your problem.
Enjoy that fine revolver.
Jack

Saved me a bit of typing!

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14 S&W Revs none with locks!

My wife's 586 had the same issue. This thread was a great help. Now I know how fix this issue in the future.

Your fix is only temporary. You can't tighten the extractor enough by hand, and Loc-Tite is out of the question (it will spread where you don't want it, and the extractor will probably break when you try to remove it again). It will happen again, unless you take the following steps.

If you own a revolver, you need an extractor wrench. It clamps around the extractor evenly, so it doesn't scratch or collapse (it's just a thin tub). Put an empty case in each cylinder hole to keep the star from turning.

Thanks for the information but I cannot get it open to tighten the extractor rod which I would need to do with the extractor rod inside the full lug. The cylinder release does not function at all. When I push the thumbpiece forward it does not move even a fraction. As I said from day one the it seemed very stiff and felt dry when trying to open the cylinder. The action of the cylinder opening was not stiff, just the effort it took to push the thumbpiece forward. Once released, the cylinder fell open freely. Sometimes it would act like it does now and when pushed forward it would not budge but when pressed again it would open. A friend of mine told me he had a Smith that the cylinder release was tight like mine but it loosened up eventually so I thought it would be OK, I was wrong!
Any idea on how I can get this baby to open? Thanks again!

I think these guys are right. Most likely the rod has loosened and gotten too long to open. This happenned to me on a 64 about 20 years ago. With it closed you have to spin it by the knurled part and screw it in until it is short enough to open. You have to hold the cylinder while you spin it. I do not remember if it is a right ir left handed thread. You need to go the way that makes it shorter. Once it opens tighten it the rest of the way. I did mine by hand and it has not loosened up again.
If I am not explaining correctly somebody please step in and make it clearer.

Take a thin tapered piece of wood and use it to wedge the front knurled end if the ejector rod to prevent it from turning. Then cock the pistol a few times to rotate the cylinder. This should cause the left hand thread on the ejector rod to screw back into the ejector. Once it screws back in enough the cylinder should be able to be opened.
Chip King

Fedex has my revolver right now and it is on its way to Smith and Wesson for warranty repair as I type this. That damn thing would not budge! Can't wait to get it back!

Smith and Wesson turned it around in one week. My 686+ now opens nice and smooth, like butter! The only problem is when I shipped the gun to them it was locked up with 7 38spl A-zoom Snap caps in it and they did not return them. I called and they said they would ship them out to me.
I had enclosed a letter explaining the problem with the gun and requested that they return the snap caps. I fail to see how they could overlook something like that. Great customer service otherwise

I have had a few lately with VERY stiff latches, NOT the loose extractor rod issue. I pulled the latches, put 3-4 drops of CLP, then worked it by hand 30-40 times. Did the trick.

The cylinder releaseon my 629 was a little stiff, the retaining screw was just under a quarter turn loose.

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Retired Marine Gunny

Glad you got it fixed. Sorry about the Snap Caps - hopefully they'll make good on them.

On rods that won't tighten in enough (or at all) to get the cylinder to swing out, I have had to resort to disassembly of the gun, remove the bolt and take something like a dental pick and push the center-pin forward enough to depress the detent in the front latch so the rod will jump over the plunger. You have to use something smaller than the center-pin so you will have just enough slack for the pin to clear the recoil shield, yet not enter the pin-hole at the extractor. Real PITA.....but it works.

That is how it seemed to me from day one. The latch was stiff to push forward but once pushed forward the cylinder always opened freely. I tightened the screws and I did lube it but it remained tight and dry feeling, not smooth at all. When I got it back they told me they had replaced the extractor rod and center pin. No other explanation. It works nice now so I am happy...now if I can just get my snap caps back!

I had a similar issue with my 686. Thanks for the tip on tightening the extractor rod. Saved me a trip to the gunsmith!

Just experienced this today, after cleaning my M 67 no dash, what an easy fix. Just tightened the extractor rod. Love this sight

sometimes it won’t open the cylinder and after play with it a few times then it opens, nothing smooth about it, is annoying....send it to Smith & Wesson or take it to the gunsmiths for a quick repair.
what is the best avenue ?....if the repair does not cost too much
I rather take it to a local gunsmith.

I recently had a similar problem. My cylinder on my 686 was beginning to hang up when I opened it. I sent it in to S&W a few weeks ago. Since this is August of 2020, my turnaround time is approximately 8 weeks. I live a few short miles from the S&W factory, but had to send it in by FedEx! Thank you very much Covid-19! I can't hold that against S&W. I can't wait to get it back.

Let us know the turn-around time on your fix and report on the results.

I would be glad to do that!

I too am waiting on my new revolver to return (timing problem). Shipped to S&W 7/31. FedEx delivered 8/3. S&W confirm receipt with RMA number 8/7. Original estimate was four weeks. Called a few days ago and now it's six weeks. Will share details when something happens!

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M&P M2.0 Com M2.0 5 FDE 686SSR

I finally got my 686 back from S&W! Here is the timeline and the results:
7/17/20 Sent to S&W (FedEx)
7/21/20 Arrived at S&W
8/17/20 I called S&W. Was told the gun went to Revolver Shop
on 7/23/20. Approx. turnaround time "few weeks due to
Covid-19 labor shortage.
9/12/20 Received Sale Quotation in mail. New hand and
cylinder stop needed. Deemed "wear and tear", not
warranty issue. Total due $138.66 (estimate, parts,
labor and range test). Paid by phone.
10/7/20 Received gun back with old parts. (FedEx)

I have not shot gun yet. Will do soon. I do not anticipate any problems.

Wear and tear with only 200 rounds on it, THAT IS TOTAL BS ! ! We have folks here that have sent tens of thousands of rounds down range with nothing done except regular cleaning and a few drops of oil in the correct spots. In your place I would having a long discussion with the person in charge of the repair shop about what a warranty is and and the value of good warranty support to a manufacturer. I would also be telling them to keep an eye on Facebook because you will be voicing this lack of support on that forum.

I have guns that are over 100 years old and have send thousands or rounds down the pipe without needing a new hand and cylinder stop.

Someone is full of it. Plus I don't see how those parts would keep the cylinder from opening

Gentlemen, I can appreciate your responses, as i would be in total agreement. HOWEVER, you have me confused with the original poster, (bbqbob51) who had an issue after only 200 rounds. I am Pops9, and i responded to his original post with my recent experience with my 686. I can assure that my gun has many thousands of rounds through it. I obtained it from by late brother who originally carried it on the job in the 70's. No internal lock version. So, in my humble opinion, I could not disagree with S&W's determination of "wear and tear."
Thank you for reading my post, and I hope this clears up any confusion I may have caused. I reassuring to hear the concern from you guys! That's what makes this forum so special.

My 629-6 has a variant of this issue, since I bought it last August. It only occurs when in one of the six chamber’s positions. Must have something to do with 3 of the 4 contact points (cylinder stop, extractor ratchet, and lock pin areas) when in this position. It doesn’t bother me much, but I haven’t done a test on each chamber for accuracy yet. I will eventually figure it out if it doesn’t fix itself.

This has been an amusing thread.

Started in 2013.

Glad Pops9 is happy.

Now, is BBQBob still waiting for his snap caps?

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Ubi Est Mea

LMAO, UncleEd! 7 year old thread lives!!

Finally got to the range to shoot my 686 back from S&W after the long wait. All is well. The gun functioned perfectly!