My dad just picked up a governor a few weeks ago. we took it up shooting once and put less than 40 round through it. so after cleaning it he went to shoot it and the cylinder is not revolving. I'm not sure what all the parts are called but it looks like the lil arm that turns the cylinder is not coming forward to turn it. and it drops below where it does on my model 65. we are sending it back to S&W to get it fixed. just kind of a disappointment to have it break.

I have to assume that the gun was working when you shot it, correct? The sideplate was removed to clean the gun??? You (your Dad) didn't assemble it correctly. The hand does not have any spring tension, probably because the spring was lost from the trigger when it was taken apart.

To get just a bit more detailed than 'ALK' has ;
IF during the process of cleaning the gun, your father removed the sideplate AND
removed the mainspring and hammer ,,the next step is removal of the trigger.

Attached to the TRIGGER is the HAND --the little thing that pushes
the ratchet to turn the cylinder.

IF the HAND is removed from the trigger assembly the hand TENSIONING spring is let free. When installing the hand back into the trigger the spring
needs to be depressed into place and the hand installed.

IF your father took it apart to this point he can learn the proper way to
re-assemble it without sending it back to the factory.

ASK him if he did this and contact me for assistance if he wants to
put it back together again.

Or ,, buy a copy of Jerry Kuhnhausens book on the Smith and Wesson revolver and learn about it yourself.

Allen Frame

__________________
NRA cert.instructor&R.S.O.

the gun was never taken apart. I had just ran a brush and swab through the barrel and cylinders

Are you using moon clips? My buddy's Governor was binding the other day as he had a slightly bent clip.

Well then , a trip back to Smith & Wesson and they will make it right.
Sorry to hear of your trouble .
My Governator has been a stellar performer all along.
As I am sure yours will be when you get it back.

Regards
Allen Frame

__________________
NRA cert.instructor&R.S.O.

May have picked up some garbage in the lockwork. Try spraying cleaner inside while working the action. If the arm doesn't pop forward, then the spring is probably defective. Taking the sideplate off and looking inside would let you know for sure what the issue is.

taking the sideplate off wont cause any warranty issues will it?

Nope.

Just don't pry it off with a crowbar. The transfer bar is the only item that can out, and you just set it back in when the sidecover is replaced.

If you didn`t disassemble it and just cleaned it then send it back. They`ll take care of it and let you know what was wrong. They do have good customer care services. Please let us know?. Good Luck!.

This is your lucky day! Tell S&W about the problem and that you'd like to swap it for a real handgun

oh between the two of us we have plenty of other handguns. this was just one to have fun with

My advice, for what it's worth, is that on a new gun, that you aren't familiar
with working on, it would be best to send it back and let S&W deal with it. I just
sent one back and it was only gone approx. 2 weeks so it's not that long of a wait.

I would hate to see someone damage something then have S&W charge
a fee to fix it because it was "messed with." If it's their problem they'll take
care of you without any hassle whatsoever, at least that's been my experience.

I also have a Governor and you're right, it's a fun gun!!

Please keep us informed on how things turn out.

__________________
Ogy

Maybe the ejector rod backed out on you? Worth taking a look.

got the governor back a few days ago. said that the hand was damaged and replaced. haven't shot it yet but appears to be functional.

Just had the same thing happen to me today after a few cylinders shot. Guess I will be calling smith tomarrow...

Is it easier to have a ffl ship it back or go to a fedex location?

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk

@spcantwell, I recently had the same problem with my Governor. The cylinder was so stiff you could barely turn it. After spending a few minutes at the range with some penetrating lube, and working it, we managed to free it up to use. Since it appeared to only need a thorough cleaning, I took it home and did a bit of research on how to remove the cylinder from a S&W revolver. It was pretty straight forward and the cylinder and crane came off easily. I cleaned everything well but I was unable to remove the ejector rod. I read about the left hand thread and tried to turn it clockwise but it would not come free so I left it. Now when I attempt to reassemble it, the crane will not fit into the cylinder the whole way. It came out so easily but it won't go back in. It looks like the ridge on the crane tube is hitting a sleeve on the ejector. The crane tube will go all the way in but the ejector is pushed out when doing so. Does anyone have an idea of what I'm doing wrong? Thanks.