Hello, everyone!

I'm the gun fixer in a small shop in Plano, Texas, and I have a customer who has a Model 66-2 that's exhibiting a strange tendency.

His cylinder "sticks" and is hard to swing out, but will swing free if turned a certain way. He purchased the revolver in the mid-1980s, and has never abused it or used hot .357s in it, and it shows no abnormal wear or damage. It did have a small raised edge around the cylinder latch pin hole on the breech face, which I very carefully dressed down, but that didn't alleviate the problem. There isn't anything obvious going on as far as marks, wear or damage anywhere on the cylinder lockup parts, the crane doesn't appear to be bent, and the revolver works just fine as far a shooting it goes, so I'm fresh out of ideas.

Anyone encounter anything like this before, and if so, how did you fix it?

Thanks!

Kenny

My first thought is the ejector rod has 'backed out' a little. They have left hand threads. Secure the cylinder and check the tightness of the ejector rod.
I had the same problem a while back with a Model 64.


bdGreen

Perhaps there is some fouling or other foreign material under the extractor star at the cylinder rear. Or is there a lead build-up at the rear of the barrel? A gunsmith should be able to sort it out quickly.

Kaaskop49
Shield #5103

That's the strange thing: The ejector rod is tight as all get out, and this revolver is as clean as a whistle, inside and out. The guy takes excellent care of his guns, I'll give him that. Could it be the radius on the end of the locking plunger? It opens and swings out effortlessly if the cylinder is turned about 45 degrees from the sticky position, and there's no wear marks or damage that I could see with a 10x loupe that would cause it to hang up.

This is the first time I've seen one do something like this, so I'm keen to figure it out. It's an interesting problem, to say the least.

...Gunsmith...

Kaaskop49
Shield #5103

I have a 686-3 National Match that exhibits a similar condition. If the cylinder is opened when two cylinders that are next to each other are in a given position in their rotation, the cylinder "sticks" in the gun - in the other four positions, it swings right out. I've been thinking about returning it for service or having a local gunsmith look at it but haven't done so yet so I'm as curious as you about the cause.

Ed

An afterthought - perhaps your question (and my reply) should be posted in the Gunsmithing section.

Yes, that's me.

I've fixed a number of Smith & Wesson revolver issues, but haven't encountered this one before.

I have no doubt that I will figure it out and get it squared away.

Good call!

Moderator, can this thread be moved to the Gunsmithing section?

Sorry for posting in the wrong forum, should have scrolled further down before I picked a section! Derp!

Center pin on the ejector may be to short, had a Smith with that problem once....

/\ Most likely..

Sometimes, the end of the ejector rod is ever so slightly out of square. That's why it happens on some chambers and not others.

So-
Remove cylinder.
Get your magnifier visor out. I do.
Place cylinder butt down on a hard, smooth surface- formica counter, glass, polished steel surface.
Push down firmly to push center pin all the way in.
See if it is flush with end of ejector rod. A thou or two above is even better.
If not flush or above, use a very fine file or a coarse stone to knock a little off.
KEEP IT SQUARE.

This can be done without disassembling, but be sure to blow the filings/dust/grit out, or just disassemble and clean when done.
When done shortening, you should break the inside edge slightly to give it a very tiny bevel and knock off any burrs if you used a file. I'm talking about a bevel so slight, it is hard to see with your naked eye. Too much bevel = sloppy lockup.

__________________
Regards,
Lee Jarrett

^^ I will give that a shot!

Thanks for taking the time to share that info!

Yes, thank you for the idea. I have gunsmithing files and deburring tools so I'll see what happens when I get a chance.

Ed

Hi, just an idea. Have you measured the cylindergap on every single chamber? Can you look throu between barrel and cylinder front during the sticky position?
If you want a quick fix for knowing if the front of the ejector rod is the origin, just remove his counterpart in front (bolt?) or put a feeler gauge in between.
Good luck!
HP

You could have a screw problem. It's possible, if the side plate had been removed, that the screws holding the side plate on got mixed up. The flat screw goes under the grip. Try to reverse the other two screws and see if that helps.

__________________
Scoundrel & Ne'er-Do-Well

Must have worked, he hasn't come back! The only valid advice that was given to!

For anyone having the same problem in the future, when the cylinder catches when trying to open the gun as is often described, the things to check are, in this order:

1) Make sure the extractor rod is tight. If it is loose the rod is too long for the center-pin to be pushed flush with the end of the extractor rod and the "Locking bolt" will still be slightly engaged with the extractor rod.

2) Be sure the "Bolt" is flush with the breech face when the thumbpiece is pushed forward. If not the center pin will not be pushed far enough to fully disengage the locking bolt from the extractor rod, exactly the same as if the rod is loose! If the problem just developed then remove the side plate and thoroughly clean the lockwork, there is probably debris blocking the bolt.

3) If the rod is tight and the bolt will come flush with the breech then the extractor rod is too long and has to be trimmed slightly. Only .002-.003" is enough to cause the problem. I prefer to use a lathe to face the extractor rod just enough to feel that the center pin is just above flush. A drill press and a sheet of Aluminum Oxide abrasive paper (Wet-or-Dry) laid on the press table will quickly remove enough and keep the rod end square. Or it can be done while assembled as Lee described. Just be careful to not remove too much or you will be replacing the extractor rod and starting over!

Because extractor rods are so simple (many think) most people think they are simply drop-in parts and don't even give any thought that just maybe there is fitting involved!

This thread was my exact problem with a 19-4. I had been putting off sending it to the factory. Thanks for the thread and for post 10 by Lee.
Gun is now functioning properly.

Our esteemed leader Lee got it right from the git-go. Anytime you guys have an intermittent 'hangup' situation in a handgun, Dykem is your quick solution to finding where the problem is coming from. I number all the chambers with a 'Sharpie' pen and then paint every conceivable point that could be the cause of the interference with Dykem and then start the analysis. Included in those painted spots is the end of the sideplate screw that retains the yoke/crane. Start at chamber no. 1 and open the cylinder....no hangup, move to the next chamber, etc. When the hangup occurs carefully disassemble the revolver while trying to preserve the Dykem without causing any rub marks. It is amazing to me what a simple little procedure like that can tell me about the fitup of any particular revolver. I also will use my lathe to square up any round pin or tube that I can chuck in the lathe. A drill press could also be used.

I solved a problem with the cyl catching on my M64-3 after reading the above thread and following post #15. Take a small amount off the end of the extractor rod and try it, repeat until you free it up. Thanks again to all who contributed.