Hello,

Could use some help on this one.

I was shooting my Model 14-3 at the range today with 148 gr wadcutter reloads purchased from a gun store. I had one cylinder where I would squeeze the trigger, the gun would fire, and then the trigger would not return to the forward position (see attached photo). I had to tap the back of the trigger to make it go forward. After firing, the empty cases were difficult to extract. I loaded again with different ammo and tried to fire again and everything worked fine. With snap caps, everything works fine. Is it possible that this was an ammo issue since it only happened with one cylinder of ammunition (and if so is it possible that there is now damage to the gun)?

I can bring it to a gunsmith if I need to but there seems to no longer be a problem.

Thanks a lot.

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Stick with factory ammo and you will be fine. You have no idea what little clown monkey loaded those wadcutters. Gun should be fine.

How would ammo make the gun do that?

Need more information.

First, are you the original owner of this revolver?
If not, have you shot it before and this is a new problem?
I ask these questions because if this was bought as a used firearm and this is the first time you have shot it, it is quite possible that someone has changed the rebound spring to one that is too light. If you have previously fired this revolver and this is a new problem, it could be the rebound spring has broken or there could be old, gummy, dirty lubricant preventing the smooth functioning of the action.

__________________
VCDL, GOA, NRA

I think stansdds diagnosis is correct. 👍 Try it first.

Thanks a lot for your help. I have shot it before and this is the first time the problem has happened. I am not the original owner but it was sold to me a few years ago as LNIB and there is no evidence (buggered screws etc) to suggest that it was modified. Everything seems to work fine now.

Did you notice any evidence of the firing pin getting hung up on the primer? A degraded or ruptured primer may have just enough bite to capture the tip of the firing pin.

I did not but would there be any lasting damage from this?

Another possibility is long ratchets. If you put empty casings in the cylinder chambers and pull the trigger all the way back (dry fire), will the trigger hang up (stick) to the rear??

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Ret. LE, FA Instr, S&W Armorer

There does not seem to be an issue with dry firing with casings

I'm with Standds too.

I've been shooting Model 14s and virtually all of the K frame revolvers for almost 50 years and keeping them clean inside and out will go a long way towards total reliability. As a former FTO on a PD, I was always suspicious of aftermarket springs in a service revolver, so I'd certainly check that trigger rebound spring while you're cleaning the revolver up.

I recall a Model 28 (N Frame) 357 caliber revolver with a similar problem to yours. Replacing the trigger rebound spring with a factory weight spring fixed it.

If you feel that your springs are less than spec, you can get new standard weight springs from Wolf's or from MidwayUSA or Brownell's.

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Keep your powder dry.

I also noticed the gun has a factory trigger over-travel stop. Could it be hanging up on that? We used to take those out of our duty guns at S&W's recommendation, for just that reason.

Seems odd that a weak, cut, or aftermarket rebound slide spring could cause the trigger to hang up that far back. (all the way to the rear)

__________________
Ret. LE, FA Instr, S&W Armorer

I wonder if the reloads you bought have really soft primers or the load is a bit hot for that primer. Winchester primers? Never used them but have heard of issues.

I saved the brass (I exchange it to get the reloads) and because of the advice I was given here I took a look through it looking for primers being off. I found a piece of brass that looked odd and I attached a picture (it appears that there is a bulge at the bottom). Is it possible that this was the cause of the problem?

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Russ, First off, I doubt that you have damaged your gun, and it is possible it is an ammo issue. Try a box of 158 gr standard velocity SWC factory ammo and report back.

You posted a picture of a bulged case. Did you inspect the primer for a hole or cratering? What about the felt recoil on the reloaded ammo, stiff? Do you recall the recoil on the one charge hole?

If the gun were mine, my next step would be to inspect, clean and lube the internals. Old lubrication can be the cause. If you do not know how to remove a side plate, and don't have hollow ground screwdrivers, have it done, or get the right tools and research how to remove the plate. Brownells sells a 4 interchangeable bit Smith and Wesson specific screwdriver. A worthwhile purchase. Also, make sure the screws go back exactly in the holes they came out of.

If these suggestions do not work, look to the other suggestions offered. Old lube and ammo are the easiest possible remedies

Sorry for your troubles

__________________
Pete
I ain't no fortunate son

I dunno, but to me that looks like a pretty significant bulge for what I presume are 148 grain wadcutters loaded to target (low) velocity. Did you notice a difference in report or recoil when firing this ammo? Another possibility is weak brass. AMERC brand brass quickly became infamous for being very weak, it often would not survive a single reloading before the case head started to part company with the case body. Since you are shooting re-manufactured ammo, there is also no telling how many times that brass has been reloaded.

__________________
VCDL, GOA, NRA

I had a similar problem. Take out the trigger stop.

That bulge may be a natural cause of the resizing die set a bit shallow, i.e. the case has not been full length resized.

Years...ago when I shot International Centerfire, I would use a Model 14 and a Model 52. At some point, I had difficulty removing fired cases from the Model 14 in matches. I would have to tap on the extractor rod to loosen the cases. What I found was,
The 38spl cases fired in the Model 52 expanded more than the revolver.
My reloading die couldn't fully size all the way down to size the bulge. I even took a little die housing metal off at the bottom of the die and still no good.
Switched to a Dillon sizing die and all was well.

The trigger not returning might be another problem. The rebound spring and main spring must be in harmony with another.
Example. If the revolver has a stock rebound spring, then the stock main spring should be used with the strain screw fully tightened.

My point was I trust no reloads but my own as I know exactly what went into them.

I took it out last night and I fired another 75 rounds without issue. I am hoping the problem doesn’t come back.

If the revolver were mine I’d open it up for inspection. I’d check the springs as well as the Studs which could be bent or cracked (hope that’s not the case). If you are not experienced and familiar with S&W Revolvers then a LGS should be able to do this and clean & lube the revolver while inside. The only way to really know what’s going on is to look-but you would have to know what you are looking for.

Theory... possibly a shaved piece of lead from the wadcutter bullet stuck between the barrel and cylinder, wedging the cylinder ratchet against the hand? I know that if the hand can't freely move that the trigger won't return. Or possibly a shaving getting in the slot for the hand itself? (Improbable, but not impossible.) I am of the belief that it was the ammo and not the gun if it works fine with other types of ammo.