So I’ve got this K38 that I purchased used 7 or 8 years ago. My first revolver. I’ve put several thousand rounds through it and have it a good cleaning with the cylinder removed last night. I posted about the cleanup really smoothing the action operation out and someone commented that I should take the side plate off and put some modern lube in there. So...I’ve got the side plate off. Things look good. Bone dry, but no rust. I’m open to lube recommendations for the action here. I am also curious why the number on the butt and under the barrel match and the number on the crane and inside the side plate match, but those are two different sets of numbers. 23224 on the butt and under the barrel, but 82434 under the side plate and on the crane. Thank you!



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I like Lucas Extreme Duty Gun Oil. Break Free is pretty good also. Pull the cylinder off the yoke and clean and lube the yoke barrel with a thin viscosity oil.

It looks like the end of the DA sear pin on the hammer is rubbing on the sideplate. You may want to get that tapped down below the hammer surface.

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protocalldesign.com

Here's some info about signs of contact on the sideplate.....and what is causing the contact marks. Keep in mind, due to design changes, not all of these locations are valid with each and every model. Just a general guide on what to look for, and what the sideplate is "saying".

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Ret. LE, FA Instr, S&W Armorer

I have both Butch’s Gun Oil and Break-Free. Thanks for noticing something that I don’t know to look for and for the subsequent post with the photo. Do I just do that lightly with a small brass drift punch?


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Yes, lightly. You will probably need a small (1/16") steel pin punch.

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protocalldesign.com

I assume the sear pin is that which I have circled and drawn the arrow to? That pin is sitting below flush. Is it possible that the marking on the side plate is from long ago and someone adjusted it?


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And where, exactly, should I be applying judicious drops of oil to lube this whole mechanism?


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You're just getting started. I wouldn't put any lubricant in there until you remove the parts and clean them thoroughly. If you leave the years and years of debris in there, adding oil will just make matters worse by, if you'll pardon the pun, "mobilizing" everything. If you are able, remove the parts and clean with solvent and an old toothbrush....what the heck.....a new toothbrush. While you're at it, flush out the frame cavity and the cylinder/yoke assembly too.

After cleaning everything and flushing the frame cavity, and after re-assembly, put a "scant" drop (very small amount) of Lucas Gun Oil or other light, synthetic oil at the locations shown in my new 686 below. Very little lubricant is needed, so err on the side of too little rather than too much. If you have a little oil on your fingers during re-assembly, that deposit on the parts, plus a tiny amount on the areas indicated is quite enough.

(hammer block cam pin, hammer stud, trigger stud, hammer seat on rebound slide, top of trigger bevel, trigger hook at cylinder stop bevel, and the yoke barrel)

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Ret. LE, FA Instr, S&W Armorer

Looks like a nice gun.

That DA hammer sear pin may just be loose enough to slide back and forth, and if so than no worries.

ASSEMBLY (factory work) #s: These multi-digit numbers of 3 to 5 digits, are on the yoke at the hinge, in the ‘yoke cut’ on frame opposite the yoke near the hinge (usually accompanied with the inspector’s letter or # code stamp of approval, but not always), and inside of the sideplate, for the pre war and early post war period thru ~early 1958.

After 1957 Model #s were assigned and stamped on the frame in the yoke cut. The serial # was soon after added in the ‘yoke cut’ as well and the assembly # moved to the left side of the grip frame parallel to the butt. More currently beginning in the 1980s we see non-matching multi-digit numbers parallel to the butt left or right side, and inside the side plate. Once the gun is shipped, the only use for the assembly # is to confirm the three parts it's stamped on, are original to the gun. These are still in use to this day.


Yoke vs. crane:
Just FYI so you know, it's customary to refer to it as the yoke when discussing S&Ws because that's their official term for it. Crane is the Colt term. Now no one is going to report you to the "term police", on this forum the 1st amendment still applies!

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Jim
S&WCA #819

Every place there's metal to metal contact.

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Jim
S&WCA #819

This is exactly why I haven’t done anything there yet. I’m not an armorer by any stretch of the imagination, but I’ve had more than a few guns apart for a deep cleaning and successfully returned them to functioning status with 100% success. And I do most of my own small engine repairs and carb work. Is there a specific order in which I would take this mechanism apart and put it back together again? Where are the springs and what is under tension that I need to be cautious about small parts flying into oblivion in my shop? Or is it complicated enough that I should take it to an actual gunsmith?


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And this is a 5 screw gun, if that makes a difference in taking everything apart. I had the cylinder and yoke assembly apart for cleanup last night. It’s in good shape at the moment.


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Side plate


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Yoke and cylinder.


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Butt of the frame


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Well, for starters, don't cycle the action under tension with the sideplate off. I usually loosen the mainspring strain screw prior to removing the sideplate. There are some disassembly videos on the internet, but make sure you watch one made by someone who knows what they're doing.

Disassembly and Care of the S&W Revolver ~ Learn how to from a Factory Trained Armorer! - YouTube

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Ret. LE, FA Instr, S&W Armorer

Well, I’m very cautious about videos and whom to trust. I found this one, which got me what I needed to know. S&W .38 M&P Postwar 5 screw Armorer level disassembly - YouTube

It walked me through the disassembly and reassembly. While I had it apart I scrubbed any residue off, hoses off with solvent, then lightly oiled and wiped it away to leave a thin coat. Now it looks like this and the function is better than at any time I’ve owned it. The single action trigger pull breaks like glass and rivals the trigger on my Stevens 44 1/2 rifle, which is phenomenal. Double action is smooth and steady and much lighter than when I fired it on Wednesday. Thanks for guiding me through this - not a hard job at all! Much easier than taking apart and re-assembling a Ruger Mark II pistol...


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Fully assembled


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I don't think cleaning and lubing is gonna fix that 'un.

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Regards,
Lee Jarrett

This video is more detailed and better than the one I used. Thanks for posting it.


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I think your 'new' 686 has had the grip "Fitzed".

I also highly suggest cleaning/lubing the cyl bolt and its channel behind the hammer, operated by the cyl release thumbpiece. It's not uncommon for that to jam up or become sticky based on the complaints we've seen on this forum.

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Jim
S&WCA #819

GunBlue490 is awesome! His videos tend to be long, but he explains everything so well.

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VCDL, GOA, NRA

LOL!!! Nope, and that's gotta be the most severe case of flame cutting I have ever seen!

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VCDL, GOA, NRA

Lube the action with RemOil , it wont go gummy on you like thicker oils.
Gary

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NRA Member

That's my "new" go-to 686 frame for action questions and photos. Very easy to access, and I can keep it out on my work desk. Schematics are great, but I really need an actual frame with parts in it to figure stuff out. Great training tool for me.

I remember I had to use a hack saw on a j-frame once, in response to a court order. A painful experience. Can't imagine cutting one of these with a band saw. Ouch.

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Ret. LE, FA Instr, S&W Armorer

I had to destroy a brand new, never issued Inland M2 Carbine once. A local Police chief passed away and the gun was found in the attic. No papers for it to legally possess. I was given the gun and contacted ATF about it. I could disassemble it, keep all the parts, including the full auto parts, except for one part, and I had to cut the receiver into three pieces. I had tears in my eyes when I did that. A local ATF Agent came to the Station and took the cut up receiver and one full auto part. I sold all the other parts.

Check out the gun blue 490 post.. S & W factory trained guy. Very interesting.. Very interesting... Enjoy. Mike