Need Help! Just got a broken 686

[doubletap777]

Met a guy from a local forum and traded my M&P 45 for a (looks to be late 80s early 90s) 686. It seemed in great condition. When we met I pulled the hammer back and dry fired it and the trigger felt great. We got to talking and the guy seemed nice enough, I didn't give much thought to trying double action dry firing. I noticed the cylinder was a little tight to open and figured it needed a good cleaning. I was in a hurry and the thought of a Smith revolver not working never crossed my mind.

Fast forward a little bit, I get home, try dry firing and it skips firings. Its like the hammer locks up and the cylinder just spins. Then the hammer gets stuck where I have to put some force into getting it back, then it will fire a couple times then repeat the screw up. I took a video of it, as I am clueless. My first revolver, I'm an auto guy and know nothing about these other than the lessons I've learned today.

a. Don't trust anybody.
b. ALWAYS check EVERYTHING out before buying/trading.

Anyways, here's the video, can you guys give me some advice? I'd appreciate it.

Smith 686 - YouTube

 

[ralph7]

not an expert, they will soon chime in, and all it may need is a good cleaning.

however the "movie move" way you jacked the cylinder shut will quickly brand you as a newbie or worse, should you do that in front of a seasoned handgun person.

oh, welcome to the forum.

 

[doubletap777]

not an expert, they will soon chime in, and all it may need is a good cleaning.

however the "movie move" way you jacked the cylinder shut will quickly brand you as a newbie or worse, should you do that in front of a seasoned handgun person.

I had my other hand holding my phone or I wouldn't have done that.

 

[sheriffoconee]

Try the double action pull SLOWLY..let the trigger go all the way forward...number each cylinder on the back with a 1-6 with a sharpie or some type of removable mark.....see if it occurs on the same chamber each time..and get back with us

 

[doubletap777]

Try the double action pull SLOWLY..let the trigger go all the way forward...number each cylinder on the back with a 1-6 with a sharpie or some type of removable mark.....see if it occurs on the same chamber each time..and get back with us

Marked all cylinders with a pencil, let the hammer down slow and the trigger set. First time it happened on the 4th chamber, 2nd time it happened on the 6th. Then it started doing it all over the board.

 

[s&wchad]

Welcome to the forum.

I'm glad someone else addressed your method of closing the cylinder. I'll move on...

Remove the grips and make sure the strain screw is fully tightened (located on the front bottom of the grip frame). Also, a DA revolver trigger needs to be FULLY released to properly reset.

 

[doubletap777]

Welcome to the forum.

I'm glad someone else addressed your method of closing the cylinder. I'll move on...

Remove the grips and make sure the strain screw is fully tightened (located on the front bottom of the grip frame). Also, a DA revolver trigger needs to be FULLY released to properly reset.

Thanks for the welcome. I already searched google and saw the strain screw thing. Removed the grips and it was pretty well tightened. Maybe got another 1/4 turn out of it.

I understand the DA trigger manipulation. I've let it out all the way even tried pulling forward on it to get it to "seat" so to speak.

Still clueless. All I know is my level of pissed is at a max right now. Never been screwed on a gun deal before.

 

[AKsRule]

Ditto on not slamming the cylinder - that can cause serious problems.

A DA revolver trigger has to go all the way back and all the way forward in order to turn the cylinder and cock the hammer.

You MAY have a broken or worn part.

This is what your 686 looks like inside - NOT something for a novice to
fool with - take it to a real gunsmith who knows revolvers.

 

[cotton]

Hand spring possibly .. sounds like someone took it apart and broke it.. PS I been screwed lots of times on gun deals . thats how I came to learn so the oldtimers tell me

 

[qballwill]

I wonder if the sear could be randomly hanging up after the trigger reset. Possibly gummed up? Wouldn't this cause the hammer not to fully move rearward as the trigger is pulled if they don't fully engage each other?

 

[Acorn1754]

I may be completely wrong, but it almost sounds like the cylinder stop may be getting caught on the frame and not locking the cylinder at random times, meaning there's nothing wrong with the cylinder and I hope for your case it's just cleaning out where the cylinder stop comes out of the frame and stop it from getting binded and not engaging like it should. When that happens, it does mess up the trigger reset as well and it just won't work until it pops back through the frame.

 

[tennexplorer]

Possibly, the trigger stud is broken.

 

[Ashlander]

The good news is that no matter what's gummed up or broken -- it doesn't appear to be all that serious. It's going to be a great gun and even if it costs a few bucks to fix -- I think the trade was still a good one.

Hope you enjoy the forum. These guys are great and really know their stuff.

 

[Smith357]

I believe the issue is with your DA sear, either the spring is broken or it is gummed up with crud. The DA sear is circled in red. The little tab on the trigger pushes up on the bottom of the DA sear to drive the hammer back.

Remove the sideplate buy taking out the screws and tapping the grip frame with the butt of your screwdriver. The sideplate should just pop off.

Then loosen the strain screw and remove the mainspring from the hammer, circled in blue. With the cylinder closed pull the hammer back far enough to clear the frame, marked with a green dot, then pull the hammer out of the frame. Clean the hammer and sear with a good solvent then check the spring that actuates the sear. The sear should move freely and have plenty of spring. To replace the spring inside you will have to drive out the retaining pin.

Thanks to AKsRule for the pic to modify.

 

[Hondo44]

It's hard to do any real damage to a Smith revolver so be assured it's something rather simple and you won't regret the trade in the end.

Looks like the hand is slipping over the ratchet notches on the back of the cylinder. A little peening on the notches or hand can usually fix this but it needs someone w/experience.

Does the malfunction happen the same if your pointing the muzzle up and when pointing straight down? If it works correctly or better pointing down, that is indication of a bad hand spring that someone mentioned above. The hand (most likely) or the cylinder stop are the usual candidates for the problem, just hard to diagnose from afar. With no experience of the innards of a revolver you'll probably need a gunsmith or knowledgeable friend to check it out.

 

[jspick]

Well I'll just add my two cents and say it needs a good cleaning first. I have fixed most all of my S&W problems with a good internal cleaning.

Dried, gummed up grease and oil and dirt will cause your problems too. That also causes timing problems.

John

 

[Titegroups]

Looks like the hammer isn't being pushed back in DA, like mentioned above the DA sear. Don't try to open it unless you have gunsmithing type screwdrivers, if you don't, find a gunsmith and leave those craftsman screwdrivers in the toolbox.

 

[doubletap777]

Alright, I took it apart and cleaned it, no gunk no nothing. Still cleaned it oiled it, wanted to throw it putting it back together. But I made a discovery.

It only screws up when I aim the pistol upward or semi level. When I aim it at the ground it cycles perfectly.

So now what?

 

[Injunbro]

I'd bet on a broken pawl spring - a fairly cheap part to replace. Try Shop Shooting Supplies | Reloading | Gunsmithing | Hunting gear — MidwayUSA or wwwgunpartscop.com for parts.

 

[doubletap777]

I need to find a gunsmith in Northwest Arkansas.