Hi, Guys. I got me a new 18. The ejector rod loosened after shooting a few hundred rounds. No problem, I had just gotten an ejector rod removal tool from Brownell. So I fill all the cylinder with brass and I tighten the rod as tight as I could(I work in an office all day long, so I figure my full strength should not cause a problem of shearing), but now the cylinder is hard to rotate. I thought I reassembled it incorrectly, so I tried again and got the same problem. Did I tighten it too much? I tried it again, but not as tight and it is rotating more freely, but I am worrying it might come loose again.

Ill be watching this one, same problem with a 686.

"Hard to rotate" when the cyclinder is open, closed, or both?

Both. Hard to turn. also found the ejector wouldn't move forward to eject.

Wondering if the rod got bent during the tightening process.

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I can't believe I have the strength to bend a steel rod. So why would it work when loosen it?

I have the exact same problem on a 686. I haven't confirmed it yet, but some very knowledgable revolversmiths suspect it is a crack in the female end of the ejector rod.

Ejector Rod Won't Stay Tight - Brian Enos's Forums... Maku mozo!

Let us know if that is the case.

Put your revolver down on a table, laying on it's right side. Open the cylinder all the way, spin the cylinder, and watch the end of the ejector rod. See if it wobbles, indicating it is bent.

I tried it. While looking down on it , it does appear to be going up and down slightly. Strange thing is, I did this test on my M15-4 for comparison and it did the same thing. As far I know, the M15-4 doesn't have a problem.

So my question now, is it possible to tighten down the ejector rod too much?

There are problems that can arise from being over tightened. That said, I think it unlikely that this is the problem. As has been said a cracked or bent rod is most likely the problem. This should only take a few minutes to discover. I personally have only seen a cracked rod on one occasion. I've seen a good number of bent rods.

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Is there another method for checking to see if the rod is bent? And if it is bent, did I bend it or could it bent before I gotten it? When I got it, the cylinder was stiff to turn. I thought it was because it was brand new.

I am not certain if this has anything to do with the problem, but I have notice that the head of the ejector is not 90 degree flat. I see it cut to a slight angle.

did you put the correct yoke screw back in? I had a binding cylinder on a Model 19. Previous owner had put the wrong screw back in. He had swapped one of the sideplate screws for the yoke/sideplate screw. It was pushing the cylinder/rachet back into the recoil shield with too much pressure and binding the cylinder. I flip flopped the screws and the cylinder spins perfectly now. HTH c good

If I've read this thread correctly he's talking about the cylinder being hard to turn as opposed to the cylinder swinging out.

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I understand. The cylinder on my 19 would swing out perfectly. No binding on the yoke. That's why it was so hard to figure out. It's just that the wrong sideplate screw was pushing the yoke back a little too much, thus pushing the cylinder into the recoil shield and binding it up.

Are you asking if I put in the screw correctly? Because I took out only the yoke screw. Therefore I couldn't have switch the screw.

I didn't know if you had taken more apart and possibly switched the screws. Sounds like that is not a possibility at this point. Did you check to make sure everything was clean when you reassembled the extractor rod. If the extractor rod assembly goes back together with even a little contamination under the bushing or extractor star it can bind things up. Is the binding the same throughout the 360 degree rotation?

I did have a thought that it was dirty. So I broke out the nylon brush and clean under the star and the rear of the cylinder.

As for it binding the same, there does seem to be a bump while turning. One place that seems harder to get past, then the other while turning.

Try this: Remove cyl & yoke, and remove ejector rod completely, making sure to keep track of the center pin and which spring goes where. Remove the extractor star, and clean all parts thoroughly, including inside the cyl and the barrel of the yoke. Then reassemble and see if the problem is still there. If so, maybe it's time to call Springfield.

Larry

Hey I found a crack in the stem of extractor star. I believe I found the problem. I wonder why it didn't fall out, I assume it was a new feature. Question is, is this cover by my warranty?

Congratulations! I've never tried S&W for warranty purposes so I can't comment. I suspect they will back you. It is a part that will likely need some type of fitting whether that be from S&W or a qualified Smith.

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Well, that explains the bump and why it wouldn't move when I tighten it down. Question is, was it my fault?

Well... yes you could have caused the problem but unless you're really cranking on it I wouldn't think so. One man's tight is another man's snug. I usually do this type of work by putting the rod in a vice with the appropriate jaws and twist the cylinder to loosen and tighten. Using this method you could put way more torque on one of these than is required. I simply make sure these are fairly snug. Of course like anything else on these revolvers, be prudent, it is a small part. I've used this method for 30 years on hundreds of revolvers and never split one, they also aren't coming loose.

It's probably something as simple as metal fatigue or a defect in the part. Truth is, if one comes loose you're expected to tighten it. What more could the manufacturer expect of you. I will be interested to hear if they back you up.

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Well, I was cranking on it, but, then, I have trouble opening jars. I wasn't using a vise, I used the Wessinger tool clone from Brownell.

Since you said "new" I assume you meant current production, not just "new to you", the repair most likely will be covered under warrantee.

In the OP you said "...I had just gotten an ejector rod removal tool from Brownell. So I fill all the cylinder with brass and I tighten the rod as tight as I could...." Yes, you very likely caused the damage! Even though the parts involved are all heat-treated they are also small and, as a result, can be damaged if abused. In this case there is a slot in the extractor which causes a weak point. Tightening a screw imposes radial as well as axial forces on the system.

If you have occasion to work on another S&W extractor rod, just "very snug" is tight enough. Tighten it until the rod is felt to firmly bottom out, then not more than 1/8" more rotation measured on the rim of the tool. Note that is 1/8", NOT 1/8 TURN. If it loosens while shooting them just a little mor next time.

By the way, Brownell's carries some of these ejector rods and center pins. I got one a couple of weeks ago for a guy that had scarred his rather badly by trying to hold the knurled end with Vise Grips. They had it in stock. It was for a 686-1, 6 inch barrel. Seems like it was about $15. At that time they also showed the extractor to be in stock. Make sure to check the collar and other associated parts.

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Yes, it is brand new, just did the registration online. Well, either way will need to contact S & W. Thanks for all your help.

Hi all. Just want to give you an update. I didn't call S & W, I called the gentleman I picked up the gun from , really nice guy, said that since I purchased it from Davidson's, they are going to replace it for free. Said should have ready to pick up on Weds. I told him my story, even the possibility that I might have split it. He chuckled and said not likely.

I actually saw one S&W Chief's Special that had the ejector rod twisted from trying to tighten it too much. It looked almost like a spring. Strangely enough, it still worked pretty well. The ejector star just turned a bit as it was ejecting brass.

So, it is absolutely possible to damage the rod by tightening too much.

Snug is good enough.

Dale53

The most important step in tightening the ejector rod is to MAKE SURE there are empty cases in the cylinder to prevent twisting! Forgetting this step could definitely ruin your day.

All I do is use a thick leather set of vise jaws and insert the ER into them in my vise, turn until fairly snug, and that's it. Never experienced any problems through the many many times I've done this, and I have never seen the need to but a special jig tool to tighten it.

The threads are super fine and you should NOT "Gorilla tighten" it!

Chief38