I just purchased a NIB 442 and I'm wondering about:

Locrian J · #1 12-21-2013, 03:15 PM

The thumb latch?

My 442 is NIB, it is my first revolver. I am wondering how much play there should be on a thumb latch. The night I brought the gun home the latch was pretty tight against the body. After doing the first required cleaning of the gun, and having it for a few days, the latch seems to have a bit of wiggle room. Is it normal?

I was hoping to get to the range tomorrow and shoot a little.

Please tell me, the gun doesn't have a defect and needs to go in for warranty!!!

I know for a fact its a brand new gun. A: I bought from licensed FFL, in a store. B: I looked at the test casing envelope, and the firing date was about a month ago.

Thanks for all your help,

Cheers

L.J.

murphydog · #2 12-21-2013, 03:19 PM

Welcome! When you did the "required cleaning", did this include removing the cylinder latch? A small amount of play is normal, even with the screw snug, so personally I wouldn't worry about it.

Locrian J · #3 12-21-2013, 03:23 PM

I didn't remove the cylinder latch. Basically I used a hoppes pistol kit, I went with directions.

Should I have removed the latch?

murphydog · #4 12-21-2013, 03:29 PM

No, it is usually not necessary unless you disassemble the internals. I would suggest shooting it frequently and not worrying

.

Realgunner · #5 12-21-2013, 03:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by murphydog

A small amount of play is normal, even with the screw snug, so personally I wouldn't worry about it.

Agree; some play is normal.

markeb · #6 12-21-2013, 03:34 PM

Like murphydog said, no need to worry. Some of my Smith revolvers have no play and others have a bit of wiggle. Enjoy and practice with that very nice new airweight.

Alk8944 · #7 12-21-2013, 05:14 PM

For some reason new guns from S&W never seem to have any of the screws adequately tightened, and as a result they loosen quite quickly.

Let's start with proper nomenclature. The piece you push to open the cylinder is correctly called the "Thumbpiece". It is retained by the "thumbpiece nut", which looks like a screw when installed. It is typical for there to be some vertical play in the thumbpiece, but it should not not feel loose in any other direction.

The first thing to do is buy a screwdriver which fits the screws properly and make sure that all the screws are tight before shooting it more. If you use a properly fitting screwdriver, with an appropriate size handle for the blade, you don't have to worry about over-tightening. The screws should be somewhere between "snug" and "as tight as you can get them".

If, after tightening the screws, they loosen up with a little shooting or dry-firing, then tighten them just a bit more the next time. Check all the screws for tightness every time after shooting the gun

kozmic · #8 12-21-2013, 07:45 PM

I believe it's time for you shoot and enjoy it!

I don't think there's any issue, but I'd look for any significant changes at the range on the outside chance there's a flaw.

Congratulations and welcome to the forum. Good choice on your 442, they are a great gun.

Locrian J · #9 12-22-2013, 01:55 PM

Hi everybody, thank you for the help. You made me a lot less nervous.

The range went really well. The gun performed flawlessly. - I'm very happy with this gun; it is so smooth.

I shoot revolvers better than automatics. I know why that is, but I want to keep it to myself. I'm not a competition shooter, but enjoy the hobby.

:-)

Smith and Wessons - I guess the brand still rules. I'm very impressed with how this went.

Um, 52 shots. 50 remington range shots, and 2 federal hydrashocks at the very end. Mostly 8 - 20 feet.. I did take two shots at 40 feet.. but when I saw I got him in the leg; I brought the target back closer to me.