I have a old Smith and Wesson model 19-3 in 357 Magnum that when the Cylinder is swung out and I hold the latch back everything seems to work great but when I close the Cylinder the action becomes very hard if not frozen. Anyone have any ideas as to what it could be? Thanks.

A number of things but first place to look is for debris and grunge beneath the extractor star. Probably the next place would be for thickened oil/debris on the end of the yoke tube where it contacts inside the cylinder.

First thing to do is remove the cylinder and yoke. Clean the yoke axis bore of the cylinder thoroughly. Check end-shake too. There should be slight end shake. Someone may have installed a too thick or too many end-shake bearings. If this is found remove one of the bearings. Clean under the extractor thoroughly too.

Basically, CLEAN THE GUN and see what happens!

First thought is debris and/or gunk under the ejector star. It could also be the ejector rod or even the center pin. If the rod is unscrewing, that will tie up the cylinder. If someone replaced the rod, it could be too long and the same goes for the center pin. Also, a bur or crushed end on the ejector rod can create enough friction against the front locking bolt to bind the cylinder. Beyond this and the things mentioned in previous posts, a serious mismatch between the ratchet and hand is possible if one of those parts was damaged and/or replaced.

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VCDL, GOA, NRA

Grit or garbage under ejector, ejector rod has backed out, or strain screw not screwed completely down. If the strain is backed off at all it will continue work loose. Eventually, the action will bind.

I've encountered all of the above and one more. The gas ring on the front of the cylinder backs out! I had two guns do this within a matter of months. Never encountered this before in more than 50 years of shooting. The first was a 27-2 4 inch nickel that would be harder and harder to rotate while shooting. As I had never experienced this before, it took me several shooting sessions to uncover the culprit, working on the causes listed above. The second was a pre 27 just a few months later. This one was easier to diagnose as I know of the possibility. Just from my experience, I believe this to be quite rare. The gas ring is press fit at the factory, by the way.

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Richard Gillespie
FBINA 102

My experience has been that the ejector rod can bend and tie up the cylinder. If it binds on a couple chambers and then moves freeley for the rest, that is a good indication of a bent extractor rod. Remove the rod and check it on a piece of glass. Even a slight bend can tie up a cylinder.

While I can’t add to the discussion here, a slight diversion from the thread to say the I am impressed with the generous sharing of potential solutions and help. It’s one of the reasons I enjoy this forum so much.

Truly a great bunch of members here.

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Guns + Dogs= Bliss