Howdy,

My buddy dropped off a revolver with a stuck cylinder.

I think its a 686, a 4" .357 magnum.


Anyway, the gun IS loaded, so I'm being extra careful of course. I have no qualms with taking to a gun smith if I can't figure it out.

Now, the yoke(crane?) is partially opened, very slightly. The locking bolt is not engaging the inside of the ejector rod. The cylinder release button is stuck solid, it won't budge. The cylinder can slightly rotate if I push it hard enough, but I haven't spun it around too much as I don't want to damage anything.

Any ideas of how I can get this cylinder open safely? I'll take it to a smith if necessary but if it's something that I can do on my own I'd rather go that route.

Here are some pictures of the gun:













Thanks in advance! I'd love to be able to get this gun cleaned up and working great for my friend!

Try seeing if the ejector rod (the part in the barrel under lug cutout) has backed out. It has a reverse thread so try to tighten it in the opposite direction of what you would normally turn it. The rod can back out and tie up a revolver.

Maybe a squib is stuck in the forcing cone. Shine your light between the cylinder and forcing cone if you can't see through between them that's your problem. If that is it use a hardv
wood dowel, or a brass rod and see if you can move it back toward the cylinder. Not a squib I need to look at all the pictures first before posting. Slide a piece of paper below the cylinder to force the cylinder stop out of the notch and see if the cylinder will turn then.

I'm wondering if some of the "crud" I see in the 3rd picture is also under the ejector star.

My 686 ejector Rod backed off and caused the same problem.

When you do get it open, it looks like it needs a good tear down and cleaning.

__________________
H Richard
SWCA1967 SWHF244

If the ejector rod has become loose, try to rotate it clockwise to tighten. If this is not possible, use a small screwdriver to move the front locking bolt fwd, and the cylinder should release. This assumes there is clearance between the cylinder and the barrel. Hold the cylinder to the rear during the proceedure to get extra clearance.

__________________
Martin Co,FLA(finally made it)

I would turn the internal lock off and on a few times then try it. I had a revolver totally freeze like that once due to the cursed lock.

Oh, like the others said, clean that gun.

First thing I would suggest you do is close the cylinder. Then insert a business card below the cylinder to depress the Cylinder Stop. Doing this will free up the cylinder to rotate. Then pinch the knurling on the ejector rod HARD with a fingernail and see if you can rotate the cylinder in a counterclockwise direction. Because the cylinder rod has a Left Hand Thread doing this will act to tighten the ejector rod. If you can get the cylinder to turn and get the ejector rod tightened up to a finger tight condition you'll probably find the cylinder will now open.

If you can't get the cylinder to turn at all then you'll need to double check the barrel/cylinder gap to confirm there isn't a squib caught in this area. Looking at your picture there does not appear to be a squib in there but there is so much glare in the picture it's hard to be certain. If there is a squib in there you'll need to close the cylinder, and GENTLY drive the bullet back into the cylinder just enough to clear the face of the cylinder. That would then free up the cylinder to open.

Finally if neither of the above provide a solution it''s time to "go under the hood" by removing the sideplate. If you don't have any experience with gunsmithing on a S&W I would suggest having a local gunsmith doing the work.