How hard is it to replace the cylinder stop spring in a 29-3? I am fairly mechanically inclined and have stripped several of my other guns down but never a revolver. Do you have to completely strip the guts or can you remove the cylinder stop/spring without taking all the guts out? After thouroughly examining the lock up of the gun everything seems to be within acceptable tolerances so I'm pretty sure my cylinder is backspinning (with regular 240 factory loads) due to a weak stop spring. There is no lead stripping and the endshake seems to be pretty tight. Anyway, just wanted to know how difficult it was to replace the cylinder stop spring??? Also, is there a "better spring" out there to use. I have found them at Brownells but wasn't sure of there were different ones that would be better to use?

Good question. I've got one doing the same thing with 300 grain max loads.

My stop hangs every so often in the frame window. I read in the F&Q about adjusting this by filing down at the adjustment point, but that seemed more to get a tighter lock up on the cylinder. Would this also fix the stop from hanging up or should I buy a new stop as well?

You should be able to buy the heavy duty spring from Brownell's, and there stuff is good.

Replacing the spring requires removing the internal workings, but that is a relatively simple job too. It will be well worth the effort, and you can learn how to break down your gun while replacing the spring. Just be careful while removing the rebound slide, that the spring doesn't go flying. I would suggest doing the disassembly inside a large zip loc bag if it's your first time. That way anything that falls out, or goes flying is captured and doesn't get lost.

Take a digital camera and take pictures of where everything is located, and in relationship to each other.

Order an oversized stop to go along with the spring while you are at it. Don't over lube the gun when re assembling it either. S&W's are made to work properly with minimum lubrication.


If you have never taken a Smith sideplate off, be careful in doing so. You can really mess up the edges of the sideplate if handled roughly while removing it.

Too remove the sideplate, hold the gun in your left palm with the right side facing up. Keep your fingertips on the sideplate while rapping the grip frame to prevent it being damaged or flying off and landing where it can be damaged.

Use a wooded mallet, hammer handle, or plastic hammer head (like a shooboy ) and rap on the right side of the grip frame, not the sideplate! Never pry on the sideplate, ever!! Rap the grip frame only. The sideplate will pop up and out of its recess.

When re-installing it, never force or tap it in with anything. If everything is lined up correctly, you will be able to seat it almost completely home using only thumb pressure. The final few thousandths can be taken up with the sideplate screws. If you can't get it to go back on with thumb pressure only, something is out of alignment and needs to be re-adjusted. Usually it's the hammer block, and once it is fitting in its mating groove in the sideplate, everything goes back together quite easily.

There are a couple of video's available. Jerry Miculek video on S&W trigger job shows a step by step disassembly of the revolver, as well as where to stone to improve trigger pull.

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H Richard
SWCA1967 SWHF244

Thanks G4F. I've taken the side place off and can manage the repair myself...I think. I've found the spring and stop on brownells but it doesn't say anything about being over sized. Just says cylinder stop, MIM. I know what the MIM is, but are they all "oversized" now...

SMITH & WESSON : CYLINDER STOP, MIM - World's Largest Supplier of Firearm Accessories, Gun Parts and Gunsmithing Tools

I am not sure about them all being oversized now. If yours is worn, just replacing it with a new, tighter fitting one will help a bunch. I know that you used to be able to buy oversized stops from them, but am not sure where to go for them now, if they are not listed on their website any longer.

You can probably buy the original forged part from the guy listed below. He has all of the original forged parts that S&W was going to throw away when they went to mim. He and his business partner bought it all. He is an honest, and straight up guy. Very nice man to deal with too. He may even have an oversized stop available. Give him a shout. Ask for Jerry.

[email protected]

1-352-394-7412

Thanks again G4F! Other than offering to come to my house and fix my issues free of charge, everyone here has been about as much help as a guy could ever ask for. I certainly hope I can repay the favor sometime.

I might even make that offer, if I knew where you lived Well, within reason.

MIM is the newer Metal Injection Molded part. They work just fine and usually just "drop in" without fitting. It is not "oversize". Wolff makes an "extra power" cylinder stop spring. Stock spring is: SMITH & WESSON : Cylinder Stop Spring (940-107-080) - World's Largest Supplier of Firearm Accessories, Gun Parts and Gunsmithing Tools

That's the spring I just ordered. Also found/ordered the "oversized" stop on brownells as well. Is this something that normally needs to be fitted to work???

I'm in NC G4F, so I doubt you'd be willing to come fix it for me...free of charge anyway. If you're ever down this way shoot me a message and I'll buy you a beer for your help.

I haven't been down in your neck of the woods for a very long time, but I have been there several times. NC us a very beautiful state.

As far as fitting the stop, it should just drop in with maybe minimal fitting required for it to fit on the stud. The standard stop window in the bottom of the cylinder window is normally large enough to allow the oversized stop to still work. I don't have dimensions for your new stop, so I can't say for absolute certain. The main thing is to make certain it fits in the stop notches all the way to the bottom of the notch. If it doesn't, it'll require minor fitting until it does. You don't want it so tight in the notch that it either doesn't bottom out, or wants to hang up in the notch as you try to rotate the cylinder. Before even installing it, measure your stop notches both front, back, and in the middle of the notch as well, on each notch. They usually vary slightly from notch to notch, but not much. Measure the stop and see if it will fit in the tightest notch. You want it to just fit without hanging up either going into it, or coming back out of the notch. Alter the stop only, if necessary. They are a lot cheaper than if you try to make a change to a cylinder stop notch and screw up. You can also see if it fits each notch just by trying it in each one before ever installing it in the gun. If it does, then when it's installed there will be only minor, if any fitting involved.

Make sure there are no burrs at either of the top edges of the notches, or any peened areas that would make the notch larger at the upper area of the notch. Remember that you are trying to keep your cylinder from unlatching and rotating backwards, so it is important that the new stop bottom out in the notch. I realize that you know this, but I mentioned some of this for the benefit of those following along.

Thank you for over estimating my inteligence, but any and all hints, tips and instructions are greatly appreciated. As I am mechanically inclined, it is only to the degree that I am smart enough to get myself into trouble.

Hopefully they will show up here in a couple days and I can get them installed and post up the results.

Cool. I'd like to know what you discover, and how it went for you.

The fact that you are at least willing to try, and already know how to properly remove the sideplate puts you well ahead of a lot of folks.

CALL SMITH UP AND ASK FOR A BLUE STOP SPRING.THIS IS THE ONE I PUT IN ALL 29.
DONOT FILE THE FRAME SLOT

New but related question here...

I've read the F&Q about the cylinder stop and understand how to adjust it. My issue is the cylinder stop is hanging up under the window because it is being pulled down too far. I understand filing down the adjustment step will allow the stop to come up further, but how will that keep it from being pulled down too far??? It would seem that you would need to file the "point of stop" so that the trigger released it sooner instead of continuing to pull it down??? BTW, my issue with the stop hanging up is almost always in SA and very rarely in DA.

I'd send it back to S&W or to a 'smith but the turn around times right now are more than I care to spend on what is seemingly an easy fix.

You've got the right idea. Work on the stop, NOT the trigger. This one of those things where "a little goes a long way" so go carefully a little at a time. SA or DA shouldn't make a difference.

Ron Power makes a nice oversize cylinder stop. I have installed a couple and am quite pleased.

Well there was a little box from Brownells in the mail today. Got the oversized cylinder stop and spring installed in 50 minutes, including cleaning each part before re-assymbly. No fitting was needed for the stop and the cylinder locks up tight as a tick. Both SA and DA work flawlessly no matter how fast or slow you operate it. A sincere THANK YOU to Gun 4 Fun for the advice, to 500 Magnum Nut for the F&Q sticky and to the others that posted up as well. Total cost of repair was $36.80, and I learned enough to pay for that ten times over. Hopefully this thread will help someone else in the future.

Thanks again,
DZ

Glad I could help you out, and more so that you got it going to your satisfaction.

I order the regular cylinder stop from Brownells that is MIM . As far as I know the frame has not been filed on, so do not file it there, never. This cylinder stop should work just fine, and use the regular spring that is already in there. You might as well replace the arm that turns the cylinder also so the timing will be right, that is what mine needs, it should drop right in okay, that arm is what holds that cylinder tight also as you pull the trigger all the way back and that cylinder should be tight with the arm holding it and the cylinder stop also, my cylinder notches are not worn any, and that spring should hold the stop and not jump back out once in there, especially if the arm is against the cylinder also with the trigger all the way back and the hammer comes down, that cylinder should be real tight with the trigger back and as hammer comes down. That cylinder stop is a little tricky getting out, I push the stop down, put a little screwdriver down in there to hold it, than you can use a small L shaped allen wrench to put right at the botton of that stop in the gun , it will go under there and you can lift right up on it than and as it come up, watch that spring, get it up some and than use a razor blade out of a scraper, and put on that spring and pull it back and than raise it the rest of the way out with the little allen wrench you have under the stop. Put it back the same way you took it out, start it in there slightly, than use the razor blade behind that spring and just push it right down than, it will go in easier than it came out, you have to take the rebound spring and stuff out first, than take the cylinder stop out.

As the original post was 8 years ago, I sincerely hope the fellow has gotten his revolver fixed by now...

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Pisgah