Good morning. Does anyone know of a SAFE way to lighten the amount of pressure required to release the cylinder on a model 36 and model 10? I had a few extra springs and tinkered with shortening them with no luck. I am still searching for lighter tension center pin springs with no luck. Is this even possible?

NOT an expert by any means, but it seems to me that you're dealing with 2 springs: the bolt plunger spring and the locking bolt spring (on the barrel). Both need to be compressed to free the cylinder. As far as safety, I have no idea, but I would be inclined to check relevant parts for fit and burrs before messing with the springs. I've never seen a reduced power spring for either application. Just MHO.

You might be fighting a slightly bent center pin also.

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Todd

The small locking bolt spring and pin in the barrel lug tend to stick if not oiled frequently. Can make the cyl very hard to open.

One more thought; make sure the center pin is flush with the end of the extractor rod when the thumb piece is pushed all the way forward. Otherwise the locking bolt can bind in the recess, making it hard to open the cylinder.

My 642 has a strong center pin spring and was considering shortening(?) it a bit. Some day I'll take it apart.

You may have bent parts although highly unlikely on two different guns!

And almost always your problem is lack of proper lubrication. I’ve had guns sit in the safe too long and I couldn’t even push the thumb piece forward!

Remove the springs to see how much resistance there is without them.

Also check if the extractor rod is not screwed in all the way tight which makes it longer than the center pin length and therefore hangs up on the front locking bolt when trying to swing out the cylinder.

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Jim
S&WCA #819