Two Mod. 28's same problem.

[Scary Gary]

So I finally got to take my two new to me Mod.28's out to test fire . The first one is S/N S3255** and my second one is S/N N584** .
Just my luck. After firing a round and cocking the hammer back the cylinder would jam and I'd have to juggle the cylinder to get it to rotate and lock up. I had to do this every time. And one of the rounds did not go off because the primer was not struck hard enough to discharge the primer. Now my second one is just having the cylinder bind and jam when I cock the hammer back.
I love my Mod. 28's I just wish that they worked. Do I need to ship these off to S&W and have them fixed? If I was to take a revolver to a gunfight I'd want it to be a Mod. 28 , just not one of my two Mod. 28's .
Anyone got any ideas ?

[Tslepebull]

Did you fire both with the same ammo? Have you tried any other ammo in either revolver? Was your ammo reloaded or factory?

You can see where I am going here. It sounds like the ammo might have had a high primer which was preventing the cylinder from turning and also reducing the probability of ignition.

[Scary Gary]

After I posted this I started thinking what are the odds of two 28's having the same problem and what's the common denominator here?
I just put 6 empty cases in both 28's and it dry fired fine.
The ammo is Lellier & Bellot .357 Magnum 158 Gyro FMJ.

[wyo-man]

As mentioned, I would try some different ammunition. Keep us posted.

wyo-man

[SWID]

If you still have any of that ammo put six of them in the cylinder and with the cylinder still open look across the back of it. The cases should not be visible above the cylinder. I don't know if I'm making this clear but the base of the cases should be flush with the cylinder.

Check the timing with the cylinder empty, if it's OK empty it should be OK full.

I would get some factory (Winchester, Federal, Remington) .38 Spl and see if they work. It is possible that somebody used so much lead .38 Spl in them that the chambers are full of crud. In other words a .38 sized case will chamber properly but a .357 won't.

[semperfi71]

You might want to make sure the ejector star has nothing underneath it. A few kernels of gunpowder [like TWO] can cause binding.

You might also check the ejector rod and make sure it is tight.

[srgvaz]

Originally Posted by Scary Gary

After I posted this I started thinking what are the odds of two 28's having the same problem and what's the common denominator here?
I just put 6 empty cases in both 28's and it dry fired fine.
The ammo is Lellier & Bellot .357 Magnum 158 Gyro FMJ.

Send me the ammo.. I'll test it in my 28 and email the results.

Give them both a detailed cleaning and try some different stuff 38 & 357.

[Smithhound]

Ammo.
I have little use for S&B, some may disagree but after using it in comparison with other factory ammo I won't rely on it for anymore than practice.
9mm cases are below minimum spec after firing, I've had misfires with it and some .38's.
RD

[robocop10mm]

+1 on dirt/oil under the ejector star. This area should be clean and DRY!. Carbon/lead in the 1/8th inch area of the cylinder between the length of a .38 Spl and a .357 mag. S&B .357 Mag ammo tends to have very hard primers. Light indent misfire is a possiblility. Check for end shake cylinder. Close the empty cylinder and feel for fore and aft movement. You should be able to see a small sliver of light between the front of the cylinder and the back of the barrel. Fixing this is not difficult.

These are 40+ year old revolvers and may need some maintenance.

[smith17]

I bought a box of S&B .357 last year and had 2 FTF in the first cylinder. Previous S&B was OK in other calibers.
Ed

[H Richard]

With the cylinder open, and empty, fully extend the extractor rod and let it snap back into position several times, this will usually dislodge any hidden bits of powder residue you didn't see to clean out. Then clean it and blow it out (under the star) with compressed air. I had exactly the same problem with a Mod 27 many years ago, and a knowledgeable individual showed me this trick. It worked well then and a couple other times.

[Scary Gary]

Both of my 28's were thoroughly cleaned when I first brought them home. I'm going to stop by Buy-Mart and pick up some Winchester or Remington .357 Mag and see how they work for me.

[semperfi71]

Pard, they may have been clean when you got them home, before shooting them I presume? However as your shooting goes on, if you get one or two kernels of powder from your ejected cases in the gun they will tie up the cylinder.

When dumping the cases I always point the weapon straight up and use the ejector. This causes the cases to fall straight down and hopefully all residue with them. I used to hold the pistol sideways, muzzle down range and eject them. The cases on the top side of the cylinder would leave residue under the star.

I resfectully disagree with H Richard. Snapping back the ejector star could be abusive to the weapon. Plus powder residue alone, or combined with oil residue, can cause the "stuff" to just "glue" in place. Snapping the ejector can simply mash the stuff as well, not really cleaning it out. It may work once in a while but I suspect it would not be fully reliable.

In my gun cleaning box I have a standard toothbrush which has its bristles cut short to enhance their stiffnes. This toothbrush is always on my shooting bench when I am shooting revolvers. Its to clean the ejector star.

[DON1937]

I suspect dirty chambers from someone firing 38Sp. and not cleaning out the carbon/powder deposit. I've just finished scrubbing the chambers on a like new Ruger GP100 and corrected the same problem you have

[nutsforsmiths]

It seems everytime I have ever bought a used S&W revolver that has the recessed charge holes, be it a .22, .357, .41 or .44, it seems no one ever cleans out this portion of the cylinder. These recessed spaces build up a lot of dirt in them after time, it get very caked on. If the powder get built up in this section, sometimes the cartridges won't seat low enough and there will be a bind with the cylinder. I have had this problem with some 22 revolvers and one 357. The 357 was was shipped in 1959 and it was shot a lot before I bought it. The recessed areas were so thick that the cartridges had a hard time seating properly. I use a toothpick and clean out the recessed parts of the ejector star and around the charge holes on the back of the cylinder on a regular basis. It seems to help, but it really makes a difference for my .22s.

[large_orange_drink]

When my handguns start to malfunction I start my checklist.

1. Ammo problem?
2. Magazine problem (if semi-auto)?
3. Operator error?
and finally,
4. Handgun malfunction.

I find that 1,2 and 3 happen more often than 4.