Hello everybody,

I write this out of curiousitiy. I'm shooting my model 27-3 since 4 or 5 years practically every week twice and the total amount of shots maybe about 10000. Half of the shooting is done in double action. I load my own ammo and apart of some "fun shots" my ammo is in the upper medium power range. It now happened the second time that the lower pin of the hand broke and I had to replace it. This revolver has the old style hand with 3 pins while the new hands have 2 pins only from which one has to be trimmed because it is longer and the sideplate wouldn't fit. I know that S&W changed the hand some years ago. Bit what I would like to know is: why does the hand pin break? Is it from more stress when shooting DA?
Any information would be appreciated.
Thanks and have a great week
Rainer

No more stress on hand shooting double action. Either way it tips forward in its window, engages ratchet tooth and rotates cylinder. Does you gun have a hitch right before it fires? This would mean the cylinder is locking up right before the hand has finished moving and that would stress the hand.

Is the pivot pin on the hand breaking or the one that the spring operates. It might be possible that the hole in the trigger is somehow rough or burred and is wearing on the pin. Odd problem.

Another thing, replacing the hand can effect the timing. All hands are not the exact same length and width.

I have had one hand pin break in 40+ years of S&W revolver shooting. I'm wondering if your hands are too tightly fitted, and binding up between the ratchet and frame at the top of hand travel. There should be no binding through the entire travel, and when the cylinder is locked up with the trigger all the way back, the cylinder should have a tiny bit of rotational play.

Here is a picture of the broken hand pin.

Attached Images

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