Help....anyone else have this problem? Just bought my first revolver with IL this past week. As with all my guns had to disassemble and clean/oil. Discovered that once the sideplate was off could not manipulate the hammer nor the trigger, the cylinder was still in place and closed. Never had this issue with any of my other S&W revolvers (all pre-lock). Once the sideplate was reinstalled, everything works fine.???? Even took it back off the next day to see if I could identify the problem and didn't see anything obvious. Is this unique to IL model or another problem? Haven't had it at the range yet. Thanks guys.

Why in the world would you try to take this apart except to remove the lock?

Folks with too much time on their hands and a set of screwdrivers have introduced more problems than they have ever solved.

If I have any reason to think a current owner has removed a side plate on a revolver, the value has been dramatically reduced for me.

I'm not a fan of home gun smithing.

Leave it alone or have a competent gunsmith do the work.

Just my opinion, of course.

just removed to put a few drops of lube on the pins and friction points, did no disassembly of the internals.

cgspapa, lots of good information on this site, someone will come along and probably have an answer for you later. Congrats on the revolver, I am sure you will enjoy it! Ray

You did exactly what I usually do. It is the right thing to do. Remove the side plate to clean and lube. You never know what could be in there. If it in new; it could be bone dry. If it is used it could have crud inside that has to be removed.

This is a very easy thing to do. It doesn't require a Gunsmith.

It's just SOP

I don't know the answer to the OP's question as to why the revolver would not cycle with the side plate off, but I just bought a 33 year old LNIB "appears to be unfired" 25-5 in exterior mint condition and of course took the side plate off for inspection. It was clean but could have been caked up with dried grease, or even worse, dirt & grime. You never know until you look. A minute amount of lube on all friction points with a syringe & fine needle put my mind at ease and actually made it cycle after that become butter smooth. Internal inspection is SOP with all my gun purchases.

I am with Macinaw on this one. It is not that difficult to disassemble a revolver to clean and lube or replace springs. The same can be said for basic stoning of moving parts to smooth out the action if you have the correct tools and find good tutorials online. And know what areas to avoid (the sear).

It does not require a gunsmith to tighten an ejector rod if you are willing to purchase the correct tool.

There is a time to use a good gunsmith. But working on your own guns can be a big part of the enjoyment of this hobby.

If you are a LEO that is another story. But for the guns your are taking to the range why not do your own work. And after buying a gun that is 20 to 35 years old there is bound to be some internal cleaning needed.

If you are lucky you will have friends that have experience and they can guide and advice you.

Check YouTube for videos on disassembly and assembly of the models you want to work on. There is a lot of help there. They will help you decide if you want give it a try.

Realize that there are two camps that are totally and sometimes vehemently opposed in their opinions. Each side has its' valid points. In the end it is a matter of personal choice.

BTW I have run into the problem you mentioned. I don't know the name of the part I had to move slightly to allow the hammer to move/pivot. It was a sliding spring loaded piece of some type. It moves parallel to the barrel or front to back if you know what I mean. It did not pivot. Don't know the nomenclature. Look closely and you will find it.

EDIT: I think the part was called the bolt plunger. Could be wrong.

Thanks for your input Trolley, I will check that out the next time that I have to lube the internals, meanwhile I intend to enjoy this S&W revolver.