Smith & Wesson Armorer

[MJK-MOD-547]

YouTube

[Hondo44]

Since I found his video, it's the only one I share. It is the best in my opinion.

[steelslaver]

Great video and explanations of how to disassemble and how the parts work together.

[MJK-MOD-547]

AND..............

When or if you're buying a USED S&W revolver you will know what questions to ask the seller or what to look for BEFORE money is exchanged!

[Nick B]

Nice video but why didn’t he wear nitrile gloves when working on the inside that blued revolver ? Lots of rusty fingerprints .

[505Gibbs]

Excellent video. Wonder if it should be bookmarked for all.

[armorer951]

Mostly great information. I was surprised by one glaring omission at the beginning, when he didn't check the gun to verify it was clear and safe prior to handling.

[Marine Corps Air]

Outstanding video, and well worth the investment of your time for about 83 minutes!

He provides some excellent techniques and recommendations for the disassembly, and reassembly of a Smith & Wesson revolver.

If you have purchased a used Smith & Wesson revolver, which I have many times, I liked the points that he made regarding checking the cylinder extractor pins for being bent. This happens when empty (spent) cartridge casings were not inserted before removing or tightening the extractor rod by one of the previous owners.

If you're too busy during this pandemic (???), look at the last ten minutes of the video for some excellent points for you to use when checking a used revolver before you make your purchase (or walk away) decision.

I copied the URL for the video in to my Calendar so that I can watch it again (and again) in the future. When you're older, you'll understand why I used this technique.

Bill

[robrossk]

Really comprehensive and helpful. I have an old .32 Long Ctg. Revolver that I may dig out of the safe!! Have not fired it for several years.

[needsmostuff]

Can't see a link.
Is it on YouTube ?

[armorer951]

Disassembly and Care of the S&W Revolver ~ Learn how to from a Factory Trained Armorer! - YouTube

[Hondo44]

Originally Posted by armorer951

Great information. I was surprised by one glaring omission at the beginning, when he didn't check the gun to verify it was clear and safe prior to handling.

At least two safety rules must be broken before one can hurt themselves. If anyone needs to be told to verify the gun is unloaded, they also need to be told not to point the muzzle at themselves. Or don't touch guns if you're stupid.

I get a little tired of the overkill. We can't fix stupid.

[jbtrucker]

I learned to take care of my firearms from gunblue490 very grateful for his videos wish could meet him .

[TTSH]

This is the 2017 video where he actually likes and admires the traditional 'old school' S&W revolvers before he trashed them in his 2019 video about the all new and improved Model 19 Classic.

[Gunhacker]

In my opinion youtuber GunBlue490 makes some of the best videos, unlike many on YouTube who like to hear the sound of their own voice, his videos aren't filled with a bunch of useless jabber.

Check out the rest of the videos on his channel.

[fleabus101]

I watched this guys video after it come out
It Reminded me of all my years working on my own cars as in I dont know enough to do things myself🤪I need to take them to the factory dealership for proper work🤣..
I'll leave it at that...
Randy..

[Dougaz]

Originally Posted by 505Gibbs

Excellent video. Wonder if it should be bookmarked for all.

How does a person go about book marking this vid?

[Oracle]

Gunblue490 videos are the most instructional and at the same time entertaining videos I have found. He is on my favorites list.

[ContinentalOp]

Originally Posted by Dougaz

How does a person go about book marking this vid?

Play the video. In the bottom right you should see a YouTube logo. Hover your mouse over it and it should say, "Watch on YouTube." Click it, and the video will pop up in a new browser window. From there, you should be able to bookmark it like you would any webpage.

[Hondo44]

Originally Posted by TTSH

This is the 2017 video where he actually likes and admires the traditional 'old school' S&W revolvers before he trashed them in his 2019 video about the all new and improved Model 19 Classic.

I have to agree that I have a bias for the old model wheel guns. However I put aside my bias which must be done to listen objectively. I can't deny the vast superiority of the new S&W revolver engineering!

So I don't perceive his honest evaluation of the old models as bashing, it's all true. Recognize also that he comes from a background as a PD armorer and he experienced the reality of the old revolvers under very heavy use. Not what our guns experience so I'm glad I don't put my old Smiths to that level of use!

Also he clearly pointed out that of the old M19s he examined that were for sale, the majority of the problems he observed were caused by previous owners trying to "improve" them, not Smith's old engineering. Although one could argue that owners wouldn't need to improve them if they'd had the new engineering design. I was also pleased to hear him, and agreed with him when he opined that the internal lock is superfluous.

Try listening to it again w/o our mutual bias toward the old models:

YouTube

[armorer951]

For someone who's apparently quite a stickler on proper nomenclature, he's having some problems.

Many of the design improvements he's touting on the new design verses the "old" guns, as he calls them, are merely strategies developed by the company to save money, and eliminate costly hand fitting of the individual parts. These new designs and revisions, for the most part, are a good thing, because they make the guns a bit easier to repair and maintain, and less costly to manufacture. As a result, the revolvers are still very affordable.

I thought it was interesting when he spoke about how the tolerances way back in the day were so bad, all the parts had be fit by hand and cut with a barrette file before they would even function properly. Funny. Ever try to cut a case hardened part with a file?

I also loved the segment in the video where he was trashing the design of the cylinder assembly, saying the center pin would often get bent and the revolver would cease to function if it was dropped....and..... the comments about the constant damage to the button on the yoke stem causing repeated problems with end shake, and repeated attempts at repair. "We used to go through yoke screws like water". "Everything was a problem". Hysterical.

This end user mistreatment and abuse must be an "east coast" thing. During my early years in the 1980's and 90's we fired more than 700 rounds per year through our officer assigned S&W duty revolvers, which were mostly model 10's and 19's. Many of the guns carried by officers who were "shooters" saw much more use, including magnum ammunition exposure. That being said, I never experienced any of these pervasive, nagging repair problems with any of our guns.

From my perspective as a long time (40+ years) police armorer, all in all a very entertaining, and sometimes factual look at one of the new "Classic" models from Smith and Wesson, and it's comparison with the "old" guns which are, according to the Captain, fraught with all kinds of insurmountable and pervasive problems. This had me laughing at times.

Thanks very much sir, but I'm going to hold on to my model 19-3

[TTSH]

Originally Posted by Hondo44

Try listening to it again w/o our mutual bias toward the old models.

Yeah, thanks but no thanks. Once was more than enough. We will just have to agree to disagree about the older guns being buggy trash and the newer guns (the Model 19 Classic in particular) being the problem-free cat's pajamas. My observations and experience tell me otherwise and the pretentious old dude's reasoning (i.e., cheaper/faster to build is better) tells me I'm probably on the right track. The old dude should have quit after the 2017 video, in which he admitted that he didn't own even one S&W revolver (he had to borrow one for the video).

His 2019 video also reminds me a lot of the "plastic is better" arguments we see... e.g., cheaper to build, cheaper to buy, can be put together by assemblers not gunsmiths, etc. No thanks. I'll stick with my vintage S&W revolvers and semi-autos. Others can buy the new stuff.

[Dougaz]

Other than one hot summer night with one Nancy Anne Fisher, that was the best hour and 23 minutes I think I've ever had.

I'd never try this of course because I don't even change light bulbs, but I truly did enjoy this video!

[garbler]

For those needing a video presentation of disassembly and reassembly as opposed to books I’m sure this was well done and pretty well reflects the factory curriculum. I did see his other video where he goes off topic continually to degrade and bitch about the older S&W revolvers as poorly designed and manufactured. After watching that tirade It’s hard to follow the guy objectively.

However if was working on PD revolvers daily, well that could certainly stain a man’s opinions. I’ve known three PD armorers one of which was a Border Patrol armorer and two who worked in Boston and Providence, RI. The Boston mechanic told me horror stories of battered and barely operational revolvers from users who hated them and unless necessary to qualify hardly ever shot them. I actually saw a photo of a model ten with paper wasp dirt plugs in two cylinder chambers. Others full of cat or dog hair, you name it. But bore or surface rust is beyond me on a law enforcement carry gun.

Some degree of maintenance and care is necessary for any handgun so if perhaps his department was afflicted with end users with could care less then its not hard to understand his behavior. The Border Patrol armorer I met apparently had a different opinion but then he was working with a better class of user and shooter I suspect. I used to maintain and repair rental guns at two indoor ranges so I’m pretty familiar with reoccuring revolver and pistol issues like cracked Sig frames, bent S&W yokes and out of time lead spitting Rugers and early Taurus’ locked up like a vault. Anyway every gunsmith has opinions but this guy has really kind of strayed enough to question his objectivity and credibility while more or less promoting the new and improved factory guns. Who knows in the end he may be right.

[HorizontalMike]

While I understand that this armorer does not like/permit cylinder shims to fix end shake, I disagree. Not willing to spend big bucks, I installed a single 0.002in shim with success, on a used 686ND I picked up a few years ago. I did, however, take this 686ND to a LGS armorer to have the cylinder Gap reduced from +0.009in down to 0.003in.

[stu1ritter]

He learned how to hand fit a revolver at S&W Armorer school and spent years practicing the craft. Then he finds new manufacturing methods that do not require any hand fitting and he is gung ho for it. He obviously lacks the feel to tell the difference between a hand fitted steel gun and a collection of MIM parts that fit well out of the box, but don't have the hand fitted feel. Some of us are born with "feel" and some not. Luck of the lottery.

Stu