29-2 Loose Cylinder Lockup - Repair?

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zenner22

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I have a recently acquired 29-2. The cylinder latch is stiff, takes extra pressure to release the cylinder. The cylinder also does not snap easily back into the frame, again extra force is needed. I mentioned these concerns on another post.

I recently checked cylinder lockup and with the trigger back, hammer fallen, the cylinder moves a bit side to side as well as back and forth. I have a 29-4 that I compared it too and that one locks up tight. Is this a problem that needs to be dealt with? A guy at work has me worried now that the gun is shot out and the frame has been stretched. Assuming this is true, is it easy for a smith to fix these issues? And if so, once fixed is it prone to this happening again?

Do I fix it, sell it or not worry about it?
 
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I have a recently acquired 29-2. The cylinder latch is stiff, takes extra pressure to release the cylinder. The cylinder also does not snap easily back into the frame, again extra force is needed. I mentioned these concerns on another post.

I recently checked cylinder lockup and with the trigger back, hammer fallen, the cylinder moves a bit side to side as well as back and forth. I have a 29-4 that I compared it too and that one locks up tight. Is this a problem that needs to be dealt with? A guy at work has me worried now that the gun is shot out and the frame has been stretched. Assuming this is true, is it easy for a smith to fix these issues? And if so, once fixed is it prone to this happening again?

Do I fix it, sell it or not worry about it?
 
Well I'm no expert by any means, but don't let the guy at work tell you what is wrong with your gun. It all could be as simple as too much crude built up in the gun.
Others here will be able to help you more.

John
 
It is not unusual for there to be just a bit of side play in the cylinder. Obviously too much is not a good thing. Check the cylinder notches for wear. If they are not worn, it is probably ok. If they show wear where they are dished out and not squared, a new cylinder stop may be needed. It is not an expensive part, but needs to be fit by someone who knows how. The end shake, the front to back movement of the cylinder can be easily repaired, or fixed with shims that can be found at Brownells or MidwayUSA. See if a good cleaning, especially, the cylinder and under extractor will help the tight cylinder. Otherwise, it might need a trip back to Springfield for some TLC.
 
If your M29-2 is indeed shot loose and needs tightening up, the fixes are relatively easy for a qualified gunsmith or S&W repair. It takes several thousands of rounds and some genuine abuse with overloaded ammo to "stretch" a frame out of specification. That is not likely with the typical .44 magnum that is used for hunting and recreational shooting.
 
i don't believe you can stretch an n frame unless you nearly blow the gun apart.
 
Before you go hog wild and start sending the gun out for all kinds of fancy gunsmithing, try tightening the ejector rod. That will probably cure the hard opening and closing (they tend to back out over a bit of time, and the difficult to open and close cylinder is one of the symptoms). On occasion, this has also been known to improve end play and slight lock-up problems, as well (not a guaranteed cure, though, depending on how bad the end play and lock-up are).
 
I checked the ejector rod and it did not feel loose. Should I try to tighten it anyway?
 
Hi Zenner22;

It could indeed be a loosened ejector rod. Just remember on a Model 29-2 that the normal "righty-tighty, lefty-loosey" doesn't apply.
 
Your symptoms sound similar to a problem I had with a used 57 I bought last year. I think it likely that the forward end of the center pin has been slightly mushroomed by recoil over the years. Take the ejector rod off the cylinder. The center pin will come with it. You probably won't be able to pull the cylinder pin back through the ejector rod, so push it as far forward as you can, which is about an eighth of an inch, and roll the extended end on an Arkansas stone to grind off the expanded metal. When you have ground off enough to let the pin come back through the ejector rod, take it out completely and finish smoothing the tip. Then clean, lube and reassemble everything.

In addition, you may have grime under the star or on the bolt inside the frame. You can diagnose (or in case I'm right, verify) the location of the sticky ejector problem by opening the cylinder and working the thumb release back and forth while the cylinder is open. If it moves freely, your problem is not with the bolt. You should also push at the exposed end of the center pin where it appears between the cogs. If I am right about the expanded center pin, it should be sticky and hard to push when the cylinder is open.

You can either reuse the fixed center pin, or buy a new one from a parts house for less than $10. Shipping may cost you more than the part.

David W.
 
Originally posted by zenner22:
I recently checked cylinder lockup and with the trigger back, hammer fallen, the cylinder moves a bit side to side as well as back and forth. I have a 29-4 that I compared it too and that one locks up tight. Is this a problem that needs to be dealt with?
Click to expand...
Depends on whether it causes problems. I had a 686 with quite a bit of "lockup wobble" that shot fine (no shaving, really accurate).

The reason guns acquire cylimnder wobble over time is wear on several key points. On the larger frame L and N guns, the cylinders have more mass and thus more spinning inertia. When you pull the trigger, the cylinder spins and is stopped by the cylinder stop bolt that pops up. That peens two critical locations: the edges of the cylinder cuts and the RH edge of the frame slot the stop comes through. As these continue to peen, you get more play. This is the reason "trigger snapping" a DA pull is so hard on the gun, especially the L and N frame guns with the more massive cylinders.

The wear on the RH edge of the frame window the hand comes through (and ejector ratchets) also add to lockup wobble.

The typical fix is to install a wider cylinder stop and hand if necessary. If it shoots OK, just shoot it.
 
Originally posted by zenner22:
I checked the ejector rod and it did not feel loose. Should I try to tighten it anyway?
Click to expand...
Be sure to put fired brass in the cylinder if you crank on the rod.
 
A couple of other things to check for regarding the hard to open issue, is the locking bolt at the end of the ejector rod housing. It is spring loaded and needs to be able to move back and forth in it's recess freely. It may be rusted somewhat back inside it's recess, or has a bit of congealed lube in there that is preventing the center pin from moving forward easily and allowing the cylinder to open and close easily. I have seen it before, and either by taking it out and cleaning the recess, or by cleaning it with a jet type spray like Birchwood Casey's, I've gotten it working properly again, making the function of opening and closing the cylinder correct.

The other thing, is that it is possible that someone has replaced the ejector rod with one from Brownells or someplace without fitting it properly. That will definately make opening and closing harder. A new ejector rod has to be fitted to each individual gun. It is easy to do. Simply remove it from the gun as others have already described, and chuck it in a variable speed drill with the knurled end being the end that you are going to work on. Lay a piece of emory cloth flat on a hard surface and slowly spin the rod in the drill on the emory cloth, trying to keep the drill as perpendicular to the work surface as possible. Go slowly and remove only a small amount at a time. Then holding the drill at an angle to the cloth, spin it again, to place a bevel on the end of the rod. Look at the rods bevel before you start and try to duplicate it. It only requires a small bevel. Keep trying it in your gun until the cylinder closes easily. If you take off too much length, the front end of the cylinder will have play in it, so go slowly, and keep checking.
 
Another thing that can cause hard cylinder opening is the cylinder release. Inside the frame the cylinder release has a spring and plunger that is depressed when you move the release, it also sits in a slight groove inside the frame. If someone has used WD40 or some other oil that has "gummed up", it can cause the release to not be able to go far enough forward. Disassembly and cleaning will resolve this.
 
Good advice thus far.

If you send it out for work, consider Karl Sokol at Chestnut Mountain Sports. He did a fine job tightening up an old Model 29-2 for me a few months ago.


Okie John
 
Thanks a lot guys, this is a very informative thread.

Okie John, how much would one expect to pay for tightening up a model 29? I have no idea what the cost for the service would be.
 
zenner22-have a 28-2 that had more than normal rotational looseness in the cylinder when cocked (I have a number of S&Ws so I have a reasonable idea what the lockup should be). I got a MIM cylinder stop from Brownells, dropped it in and the gun works fine. Cylinder tightness on cocking is similar to my other Smiths.
 
Several years ago, a local smith quoted ~$500 to put this revolver back into fighting trim. I expected Mr. Sokol to tell me it was either a total loss or that I should convert it to a .45 of some kind, at a price like what I had been quoted before.

Instead, he said it needed to have the forcing cone recut ($40), the crown recut ($40), and the yoke aligned and reamed ($45). He also test fired it for accuracy with his ammo ($40). Total was $165, plus $50 for shipping, handling and insurance. When I shipped the gun in April, I made it clear that I was not in a hurry to get it back. I had it back by September. The only thing wrong with this whole experience is that I didn't do it a long time ago.

I'm not a gunsmith and I'm not Mr. Sokol, so I have no idea what it will cost to fix your revolver. Please deal with him directly on that.


Okie John
 
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