Pistol is a 657 3' .41 mag i just bought and the bolt sticks and makes it a pain to release cylinder the frame hole under a magn glass looks rough I know I cant polish this w/o screwing uo gun , i tried another spare boly in it and it is the same I real lightly chamfered the edge of the pin that pushes up the extractor pin to release cylinder and this helped some should i go more ? esp on the side the thumbpiece is on as it is the roughest ? any info appreciated thanks 41steve [email protected]

Is the bolt sticking back or forward? With the cylinder swung open the bolt is failing to go forward (so it is flush with the recoil shield) or does it stick in the forward position when closing the cylinder?

Are you absolutely sure the center pin is long enough to clear the extractor rod so the extractor releases from the locking bolt? It is common for the extractor to loosen slightly and this causes the extractor to extend beyond the center pin and not release. Left hand threads.

Are we really asking about the "Bolt", not cylinder bolt? This is the internal piece the thumbpiece is attached to. As you may appreciate it is hard enough to diagnose a problem without handling the gun, or even seeing it, let alone if someone is being creative with nomenclature and it is difficult to even be sure what the question is because of this!

As jepp2 asked, if it is the bolt, where is it "sticking" (another quite subjective term!)? With the cylinder open is the pin end of the bolt flush with the face of the breech? Does the bolt freely pull back and then move freely under its' spring to the fully forward position? If it does then the bolt is not sticking.

If the bolt is not flush with the breech face this is possibly caused by debris inside the action and interfering with movement. If it is truly sticking it could be bent, but how this could happen I cannot envision. Replacement would be the solution.

Is what you really mean is that the cylinder is hard to open when the thumbpiece is pushed forward? If this is the case, this has nothing to do with the bolt. This is caused, almost invariably, by either the extractor rod coming loose, or not being properly fit. With either situation the bolt cannot oush the centerpin forward until it is, at least, flush with the end of the extractor rod. First, make sure the extractor rod is tight. If it is then try pushing on the back end of the center pin until it is flush with the center bearing of the extractor. Use a flat item, like any flat metal plate, to be sure it is flush, but not below flush. Check the front end of the extrtactor rod while holding the centerpin in as described. The front end of the centerpin should be flush with, or slightly above the end of the extractor rod. If the centerpin is even .001" short of flush this will cause opening problems. If not obviously high, by feel, then trim the end of the extractor rod until the centerpin is dlightly longer. You can trim the extractor rod in a lathe, drill press and fine file, or even by simply filing. Just be sure to keep the end of the extractor rod square and flat.

BTW, if what you were calling the "cylinder bolt" is the plunger in the lug under the barrel, that is the "locking bolt". You see how important proper nomenclature is in accurately describing a problem? This isn't intended to be critical, just to demonstrate how difficult use if incorrect terms can make even understanding whatthe question is!

Let us know what you find out.

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Gunsmithing since 1961

Bolt with Thumbpiece works fine back and forth with cylinder out , with cylinder in place it sticks in the rear position , When u go to open up pistol u have to like push it past a bump or something , I thought even the ejector rod Plunger ? under the barrel may even be causing it , but u can take a small screwdriver and push it completely in toward the muzzle and bolt is just as tight as it ever was , Ejector rod length wouldn't matter as the problem is when u first go to unlatch the cylinder rod or rod housing being too long would only matter when u go to flip cyl out of frame it would hang on plunger ? under bbl , I still believe my problem is in the bolt area in frame or ?

Is this your only S&W revolver, or do you have others to compare this one to? Since "hard" or "heavy" are quite subjective these really mean nothing in print. Something that takes a lot of effort to you may seem completely normal to me or others as a result of experience and expectation. There are some people to whom the simply act of opening a cylinder, cocking a hammer, or pulling back a slide are all but impossible for some people as a result of age (young or old), disease, physical condition, etc. I have no idea where you fall in this. If you did have experience with other S&Ws I would have expected a remark similar to "Compared to other S&W revolvers I own (or have handled, etc.)"

Back to the "problem". When the thumbpiece is first pushed you are pushing against the centerpin spring which can vary in strength somewhat. The centerpin is already bearing against the bolt. Is it possible what you perceive as sticking is simply resistance of this spring? As the bolt nears full travel the centerpin contacts the locking bolt in the barrel lug giving somewhat the sensation of a "hump" as you now pick up the locking bolt spring and additional resistance. Just where this occurs depends on how deeply the locking bolt engages the extractor rod.

If it is your first S&W I would suggest taking it to your local gunshop and asking them to handle the gun and see if anything seems odd about it to them.

If the bolt moves freely when the cylinder is open then this is not the problem. There may be burrs, fouling, congealed lubricant (like WD-40) in the extractor and extractor rod and the gun simply needs a thorough cleaning. Check the centerpin, as I told you before, to be sure it moves freely in response to the spring when you push it forward and release it. If everything moves freely by itself then it may be nothing more than you having to adjust your expectations!

Other than all this, get someone local, that is knowledgible about S&Ws, to look it over and give you an opinion. If you would edit your information to display your location then someone close may even volunteer!

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Gunsmithing since 1961

I have many to compare it too and have vast shooting , reloading , bullet casting and collecting expierence ( 30 + years worth from 13 on ) I am anything but a novice , I am very knowledgeable firearms wise from pistols to machine guns ( although I sometimes forget the names of some of the small parts , CRS syndrome and I work with my hands constantly Industrial Metal Fabricator , and have very strong hands this is something I have never ran into before , I believe whomever the guy had do some work on it screwed something up , something hard to pinpoint for sure I am in the East Tennessee Area , Thanks for the imput 41steve