Cylinder Clearance Model 25-2

CRT2

CRT2

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Model 25-2 and listed as NIB. Bought moon clips and auto rim ammunition. Loaded moon clips and tried 4 from TK and 2 from Wilson Combat. Cylinder closes with effort and cylinder turns with effort. Tried the auto rim ammunition and the same issue. Trying to determine whether to try to figure it out or take the revolver to a smith. And I thought 1911s were finiky.😂 Could it be the ejector rod? Help and guidance appreciated.
 
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That sounds like a return to mother ship thing. Could be you found out why it's supposedly NIB. If my sometimes foggy memory is working correctly, the clearance between rear of cylinder and breech face at the firing pin/hammer nose hole should be 0.030 in over the usual 0.060-0.066 in. (You need to verify I remembered correctly! I checked and the nominal thickness of an Auto Rim case rim is 0.090 in., so you should be seeing at least that.) HOWEVER! The piece should be checked for yoke alignment before you start futzing about. Better the factory should take care of it's oversights.
 
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Federal 230 gr Hydra-SHOK and Buffalo Bore 200 gr hollow point. Loaded the Federal Hydra-Shok without moon clips and cylinder closed and rotated without issue. Also loaded the one moon clip that came with the revolver and the cylinder closed and rotated without issue. Possibly I'm dealing with moon clips that are "thicker" than they should be. Guess I'll order some Ranch Products Clips and see how they work. The Wilson Combat clips were suspect based on research I've done and now TK may be suspect. Prefer that over having to send the revolver back to the "mother ship".
 
WR has made a great point. I would certainly measure the clips and compare them......there is a lot of disparity in thickness (and sometimes other dimensions) among the moon clips on the market. Particularly the "aftermarket" ones. A few thousandths of an inch one way or another, or even some very slight "unseen" damage, can render them unusable.
 
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Protocall: "I would start by cleaning well under the extractor and mating cylinder seat. You can use a regular or wire toothbrush for that.
Check the ejector rod to make sure it's tight.
These are the 2 most common cylinder open/close problems."

Plus one....Rod
 
CRT2 said:
Federal 230 gr Hydra-SHOK and Buffalo Bore 200 gr hollow point. Loaded the Federal Hydra-Shok without moon clips and cylinder closed and rotated without issue. Also loaded the one moon clip that came with the revolver and the cylinder closed and rotated without issue. Possibly I'm dealing with moon clips that are "thicker" than they should be. Guess I'll order some Ranch Products Clips and see how they work. The Wilson Combat clips were suspect based on research I've done and now TK may be suspect. Prefer that over having to send the revolver back to the "mother ship".
Click to expand...
You may have identified the issue. Clip thickness will definitely affect the cylinder's ability to close and rotate. I'm not familiar with the specification for the Model 625's head spacing, but that should be checked to make sure it is within specs.
As others have pointed out, any dirt, residue, debris, or even grease under the extractor will keep the extractor from fully seating. This can push the extractor out and cause the extractor, clips, or rounds to drag on the recoil shield (breech face).
 
Rodfac said:
Protocall: "I would start by cleaning well under the extractor and mating cylinder seat. You can use a regular or wire toothbrush for that.
Check the ejector rod to make sure it's tight.
These are the 2 most common cylinder open/close problems."

Plus one....Rod
Click to expand...

What do you mean by "rod"?

Edit - I figured it out. Duh.:rolleyes:
 
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Not sure if done correctly, however, the spacing between the cylinder and blast shield is .090 at the top and .102 on the bottom. Guess I'll have to do a lot more research.
 
CRT2 said:
Not sure if done correctly, however, the spacing between the cylinder and blast shield is .090 at the top and .102 on the bottom. Guess I'll have to do a lot more research.
Click to expand...

That's recoil shield and you're only worried about the spacing where the firing pin is. Typically, there might be a smidgen more clearance between cylinder at the bottom of the frame window than at the top, but 0.012 in isn't usual. Is the firing pin/hammer nose bushing in the frame flush with the frame?

Does S&W sell the clips? Just checked Brownells and they do, but they're not in stock. Can you measure the thickness of the good one you've got and then get a thickness spec from any of the makers?
 
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Loaded all of the Wilson Combat and TK clips and they all failed. 45acp without clips work. All but 1 of the Buffalo Bore 45 auto rim work. Ordered what are suppose to be S&W moon clips. Arrive tomorrow - we shall see. Measured the current moon clips and they are all at .0410 or .0415. Think I'll see if local smith will evaluate for me.
 
.041 is on the heavy side. I just checked the clips I have in my desk for my carry 325 and they are .0355

45 acp nominal rim thickness is .049 and a .041 clip and you are at .090 and zero headspace if your gun measures .090

I just checked my 325 and Brazilian I happen to have out and I could just get .093 between cylinder and recoil shield on both.

I suspect you have a gun with the very min of headspace and slightly thick clips and or rims. I have 1/2 a dozen acp revolvers and over 100 clips and have never had a problem except for a very rare bent clip/
 
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My nickel's worth is...half moon clips I have measured are .035" thick. Moon clips I have measured are .042" thick. My 25-2 (N67xxx) works great with the half moon clips it came with. Never tried it with full moon clips. My 625-3 (BENxxxx) also works great with half moon clips. Not so great with full moon clips. Later revolvers seem to have more headspace. 625-8 PC revolver works great with anything. If you have some half moon clips, give them a try and see if they work. And, yes, I can be wrong. Hell, I'm wrong all the time.
 
I just got S&W full moon clips in the mail yesterday. They have a small TK stamped on them. I'm not a home to measure the thickness. I can tonight if anyone is interested.
 
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