Greetings Enthusiasts
My performance center 686-6 is not performing. The single screw on the right side of the revolver that holds the yoke in place failed to do its job even though it was torqued with red lock tite. Somehow the cylinder came forward in my hand while reloading and the spindle which is attatched by the screw to the frame was chewed up. I backed out the screw and put it back together for now. Any one had this happen? Off to waranty service land in Canada.

Were the sideplate screws mixed up at some time in the past? Sounds like the screw is not long enough.

Are you using a "push to release" speed loader in a competition setting? If so, that is probably the cause of your problem. S&W went to a retention screw with a spring loaded tip around 1990-91 and it's proven to be too weak for use with this type of speed loader. Basically, people tend to hammer on these speed loaders in an effort to shave tenth's of seconds and that hammering causes the tip of the retaining screw to either shear or push back into the body of the screw.

Fortunately, the tapped hole in the frame is a standard 4mm metric thread, so you can purchase a 4mm screw and fit it to the yoke. Downside is that fitting will require a fair bit of work and care. First you'll have to turn down the head of the screw so that it fits in the recess in the sideplate. Next you'll have to put a 45% bevel tip on the screw and fit it to length with the yoke in your gun so that the yoke can only move forward by 0.001 inch and opens properly. BTW, I would suggest avoiding a stainless 4mm metric screw and instead use a blued steel screw that meets the grade 8 specification. In a screw this small it's likely that a stainless screw will be made using a much weaker 300 grade stainless, if you get a grade 8 screw it's the strongest screw you can find.

Now, if the above sounds like a bit much an easier answer is to STOP hammering on the speed loader to release a load in the cylinder. Either use twist to release speed loaders or PINCH the cylinder and speed loader when you drop the load. The simple truth is that these cylinders were never meant to be hammered on and you are seeing the result.

At the time I purchased my 29-3, it is the "older non-enhanced" crane and screw. I actually purchased a blued, spring loaded set, but when I noticed the engagement point to the crane was a "point" rather than the flat bottom screw, I elected to not consider using it. If you can take advantage of this spring loaded screw, let me know and I'll send it to you. Also, wouldn't the tension on the "spring" possibly be a factor, if not strong enough?

Just thought, is the N Frame screw the same size as an L Frame screw?

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H Richard
SWCA1967 SWHF244

I shot a match just yesterday in which a competitor's yoke and cylinder came out. I wasn't on his squad and forgot what model he was shooting. I have had the same thing happen to me with a brand new 67-5 that I had never even fired (reloading practice only). I saw it happen to a shooter with a 625 at a match this past February and there is at least one video on YouTube that shows the same thing happening in a match.

In all the cases of which I am aware, including my own, reloads were occurring at the time using Safariland Comp-III speedloaders.

I would like to be able to fit a screw as Scooter describes to at least my most used match K-Frame but I don't know that I could do the job well enough. I sent the new 67 I had back to S&W and the paper that was returned simply said "replaced yoke." On both my 67 and the 625 I looked at, the pointed, hardened steel (I assume) pin had gouged a channel in the tip of the yoke. It seems to me the "head" of this pin is a bit too narrow for the "channel" in the yoke in which it resides. I suppose it's possible the yokes were "out of spec" but I really don't know.

I have never heard of this situation happening with a "old" model prior to the Improved pointed retaining pin. Why wouldn't it be possible to machine the "old" type flat bottom groove in the yoke, and substitute the appropriate flat ended screw without the spring loaded tip.

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H Richard
SWCA1967 SWHF244

When S&W went to the spring loaded yoke retention screw they increased the size of the screw. In a competition setting this is actually a benefit provided you take the time to fit a solid 4mm metric screw because that larger diameter means it will be stronger than the old style screw. However, it is a bit of a pain to do this fitting.

One thing that helped me speed the process up a bunch was to have a course grit diamond file and a 3 jaw chuck on my Dremel, because I was able to do the rough shaping quite quickly. However once you get down to fitting that tip so that the endshake on the yoke is near zero with that screw fully tightened up you just can't rush it. It's basically a process of running the screw in, checking for binding, then doing a bit more fitting and testing again.

I have a 686-6 (21/2" barrel) bought 2 months ago 2000 rounds at the max through it. Never used a speed loader. My yoke retaining screw has come out and I lost it.

It's a bit disappointing as otherwise I love the weapon. It certainly makes me wonder if I should keep using it as my self-defence weapon or should I revert to my Glock which has never let me down despite having nearly 5times the use.

If you ran the 2000 rounds through it at one setting you are a better man than I am. That screw routinely will loosen up under heavy use, and needs to be checked from time to time. If you check it every time you clean it after use it should never be a problem.

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H Richard
SWCA1967 SWHF244

General nut-n-bolt tightening (check) routine before firing or after cleaning....or both.