Hello! I bought a 6" 19-3 with Bomar sights this past week. Went to the range today and really enjoyed it! Got home and was getting ready to clean it and the cylinder was very difficult to open with the thumb piece. So difficult that I needed to force it. I have no prior experience with revolvers but it seemed that everyting was working fine. Thought it must have been fouled by shooting and that cleaning would fix the problem. It did not - of course I might not have cleaned it the right way. I was wondering if any one has a suggestion on what I should do. Thank you. Marck

Clean under the extractor star. It does not take but a flake or two of unburned powder to hold the star to the rear and bind the gun. Also check that the ejector rod is tight; left hand thread on the 19-3 I think. Hold the cylinder with one hand and try to turn the rod with your fingers. If it turns either way, it is loose.

Thanks! I'll do that!

One other thing to check is if the Ejector Rod has become loose. On your version of the model 19 this uses a Left Hand thread, so to tighten or loosen it you turn it in the opposite direction as a normal screw. When they become loose they won't allow the center pin to push the locking latch at the front of the ejector clear of the tube of the ejector rod assembly and it causes difficulty, or compteley impedes opening the cylinder.

If it has become loose enough you can turn it with your finger, do the following to tighten it properly. Step one, load the cylinder with empty fired cases. Step two, take an old leather belt and fold it over the knurling on the end of the ejector rod. Step three, grasp that folded lether package with a pair of pliers. Now hold the cylinder with a medium pressure "handshake" grasp and rotate the pliers in the "unscrew" direction for a normal right hand thread. Let that cylinder slip in your grasp so that it acts a bit like a friction clutch. You really don't have to have these hugely tight, just tight enough so that they won't loosen during fire. If you find it loosens again, step up the pressure of your grasp on the cylinder and tighten it up again. It may take some time to get it right but you will learn how to do it so that it stays tight without risk of any damage.

BTW, DO NOT put locktight on these threads. That is something only an idiot would do and also something that will anger any subsequent owners or any good gunsmith who has to do a repair on a fouled extractor assembly.

Great advice from both of you. I obviously didn't do a good job with the solvent under the star and the ejector rod was slightly loose. Problem solved and lesson learned. Thanks!!

Use of blue loc-tite is hardly the definition of an idiot.

However you are entitled to your opinion.

[QUOTE=Bat Guano;135502589]Use of blue loc-tite is hardly the definition of an idiot.

QUOTE]

Perhaps not, but loc-tite should NOT be used on the ejector rod threads.

If locktite was an appropriate choice for the ejector rod assembly, I am quite certain that it would be used on every S&W coming from the factory. In addition I base my opinion on 40 years of experience working as an automotive mechanic, then a machinist, and finally a mechanical engineer. While locktite has it's uses, it's not a good choice for very fine pitch threads such as those used on the ejector rod. Even the blue grade can cause damage to the threads or the assembly if it's removal is attempted without prior application of heat or solvent. In addition, the thread have such a fine pitch that getting the ejector rod started in the extractor requires a bit of "feel", which will approach near impossibility in a joint that's crudded up with locktite. Basically, in this case it will create more work than it saves. Perhaps not for you, but for certain for a subsequent owner.

The fact is that fine pitch threads are used because they are more resistant to loosening due to vibration. Because of this, there isn't any need to glue the ejector rod in place, all you have to do is tighten it properly.