Jamming-Binding-Locking up new model

Rachel33189 · Mar 16, 2021

I recently added a Model 66-8 to my collection. Looks and feels much like my 2-1/2 inch Model 19. First (and every) outing to the range I get anywhere from 18 to 30 shots out of the 66 before everything is jammed up tight. Rubber mallet tight.
Below are some close ups of the cylinder fore-ends and the rear of the barrels on both guns. The 19 has a nice, elevated gas ring that is shielded completely by a plate of sorts on the rear of the crane, and the rear of the barrel shows a flat cut on the bottom to allow the crane to close and lock up.

The 66 appears to have eliminated the gas ring and the rear of the crane has only a partial plate shielding the cylinder axis. This appears to have been done to eliminate the flat cut on the barrel but the problem here is that the recessed area sits directly under the rear of the barrel and every time the gun is fired the hot gases blow all sorts of junk right past the partial shield and deep inside the cylinder. No wonder it keeps jamming.

Unfortunately the model 66 requires complete disassembly of the cylinder after every outing. There has to be a better way!

Protocall_Design · Mar 16, 2021

This seems to be an accurate assessment of the situation. I agree - there has to be a better way.

slabside2 · Mar 17, 2021

OK I’ll go and say it they don’t make um like they used to.

Messer · Mar 17, 2021

I think the reason for the change to the forcing cone part of the barrel (flattened area vs. full round) was to prevent barrel cracking.

It was in the flattened area that most all of the K-frame 357's failed. Hence, the recommendation to not shoot magnum rounds full time in the older guns, and to stay away from 125 grain magnum loads popular back in the day.

The real fix is the L-Frame for full house loads all of the time.

gwpercle · Mar 17, 2021

Gunsmith Time .
I live in Louisiana so I would take it over to Clark Custom Guns , them boys know a thing or two about S&W's .
Check your local area and ask for references .
Gary

stansdds · Mar 18, 2021

Welcome to the S&W Forums. You did not mention what ammo is causing your new Model 19-8 to lock up.

FiveG · Mar 18, 2021

Is this common in the new 66/19s? Makes me rethink buying one if it is.

rickbaales · Mar 18, 2021

Had an issue with my new SW 500 just like yours. It’s common for the ejector rod to come loose and bind the cylinder. I sent it to SW for warranty repair and on the invoice it said they replaced the bushings. Has worked fine since then.

Definitely send it back to SW.

Protocall_Design · Mar 18, 2021

Sending it back won't help on this one. That's the way it was made to begin with.

raygixxer89 · Mar 19, 2021

Welcome to the forum and sorry to hear about your problems with that new gun. I would send it back for warranty work.

AzShooter · Mar 19, 2021

S&W gives excellent service. Unfortunately there are times when you need to send your gun in but I've always had luck getting mine back working correctly.

All my guns have been modified. I let S&W know that they are for competition and they always leave my trigger work alone as long as that's now what is causing the problem. Otherwise they replace and charge me for the new parts. That's reasonable.

Send it in. Good Luck. It's a shame that a new toy won't work right out of the box.

murphydog · Mar 19, 2021

What you describe is a 'potential' cause of the problem you are seeing, but not the only one, In any case having the revolver tie up completely after no more than five cylinders full of ammo is unacceptable. I would contact factory customer service, who will likely send you a prepaid shipping label to get it looked at.

The good news is you still have your model 19 to launch .38s/.357s. The better news is you have made your first post 9 years after joining.

Welcome and sorry for your troubles.

MP-5 · Mar 19, 2021

What kind of ammunition was binding up the gun?

shocker · Mar 19, 2021

The gun design by itself is not the problem. I've gotten lax about gun cleaning and my 66-8 works great when filthy.
Attached - 66-8 with many cast bullet rounds fired.

Rachel33189 · Mar 19, 2021

Any and all ammo causing it. Locks up fastest with factory 357 loads.

shocker · Mar 19, 2021

Rachel33189 said:
Any and all ammo causing it. Locks up fastest with factory 357 loads.

Back to the factory for warranty work.

BSA1 · Mar 19, 2021

Check the barrel / cylinder gap.

Metal expands when it gets hot. With a revolver the front of the cylinder gets hot from rounds being fired shrinking the b/c gap. If the b/c gap is tight when the gun is cold the expansion of the cylinder can cause it to rub against the back of the barrel creating the problem you are describing. This is not a uncommon problem. There are two easy ways to check for this problem;

1. Next time you go shooting when your revolver starts binding sit the gun aside and let it cool down. After the cylinder gets cold try shooting it again. If the gun repeats the problem of functioning fine until the cylinder gets hot then you have found the culprit.

2. A more accurate method is measure the b/c gap with a spark plug feeler tool. Minimum gap is .003”. Be sure to measure the gap from both sides of the gun. It is not uncommon for the back of the barrel to be cut unevenly. I had a revolver that measured .003” on one side and only .001” from the other!

This is a quick easy fix for a gunsmith. There is a tool that will square the back of the barrel to open the gap. At the same time have the gunsmith recut the forcing cone on the back of the barrel. It will take a gunsmith all of 10 minutes to correct the gap. I shoot a lot of cast lead bullets which results in a lot of fouling building up on the face of the cylinder. Personally I dislike cleaning guns so sometimes I clean them once during the year usually during winter cabin fever. Generally.003” is the tightest recommendation. I have the b/c gap on some of my revolvers cut to .008” as I demand that my revolvers continue to function even when dirty.

Johnnu2 · Mar 19, 2021

Keeping in mind that I'm just guessing, I would have a real gunsmith cut me a light forcing cone just to remove/clean-up those 'inside' edges....

IMHO,
J.

Invictus357 · Mar 19, 2021

Rachel33189 said:
I recently added a Model 66-8 to my collection. Looks and feels much like my 2-1/2 inch Model 19. First (and every) outing to the range I get anywhere from 18 to 30 shots out of the 66 before everything is jammed up tight. Rubber mallet tight.
Below are some close ups of the cylinder fore-ends and the rear of the barrels on both guns. The 19 has a nice, elevated gas ring that is shielded completely by a plate of sorts on the rear of the crane, and the rear of the barrel shows a flat cut on the bottom to allow the crane to close and lock up.

The 66 appears to have eliminated the gas ring and the rear of the crane has only a partial plate shielding the cylinder axis. This appears to have been done to eliminate the flat cut on the barrel but the problem here is that the recessed area sits directly under the rear of the barrel and every time the gun is fired the hot gases blow all sorts of junk right past the partial shield and deep inside the cylinder. No wonder it keeps jamming.

Unfortunately the model 66 requires complete disassembly of the cylinder after every outing. There has to be a better way!

Did you clean out really well behind the ejector star?

Do you lube it up real good behind it?

That might me causing it. My 686-6 used to bind up all the time until I backed off on lube to a drop.

Rachel33189 · Mar 22, 2021

Hi,
Thanks for the input. The problem is not the cylinder gap, the forcing cone or the ejector star. It is definitely the crud that is blown into the center area of the cylinder. When the gun jams up, and I am finally able to swing the cylinder out, the cylinder cannot be rotated at all on the ejector rod. What I have to do is remove the cylinder/crane assembly and soak it in a plastic tub of solvent. When I can start to turn the cylinder I do a complete tear down on it. The amount of soot, lead, burnt powder, etc. is what locks everything up. Once the internal cylinder parts are cleaned and lubed everything works fine until the next string of shots is done later.
I have a fair number of S&W revolvers (10, 14, 19, 22, 25, 36, 37, 29, 57, 58, 649) that date to the 60's thru 80's and this is the only one that has ever done this. I would never trust this one as a defense gun.

Jamming-Binding-Locking up new model

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