19-3 cylinder difficulty hinging open

[jsbsmarine]

Gents,
I was referred to this site as having the most knowledge about S&W revolvers. My apologies if this is posted in the wrong sub-forum.
I've tried a couple searches and it seems my google-fu is weak.

A Marine buddy of mine just inherited a bunch of S&W revolvers from his father who passed away, and Ive been helping him sort the firearms out. He has a 19-3 whose cylinder is having difficulty in popping open. Ive tried checking the pin (the thing the cylinder revolves around) and ensuring its screwed in tight. I've also cleaned the snot out of it to see if it clears up any debris. I also tried spinning it slowly to see if anything seems out of alignment or bent and I can't see any issues. I have to give the cylinder a real good nudge to get it to pop open.

Any suggestions? Thanks much!

 

[diamonback68]

Take out the front sideplate screw and see if it has any junk or burrs on it. That's the screw that holds the yoke onto the frame. It rides in a groove on the yoke. If it's dirty or end is burred, clean it. The other thing it could be is someone has swapped the front sideplate screw with the one next to the grips. They are not the same even though they look alike. Swap them and see if the problem clears up.

 

[Iggy]

Whut Diamonback sed!

 

[dlbx2]

I had one that had those symptoms. Once across the locking end of the ejector rod (the end with the knurled surface) with a fine file, and the problem was gone. The previous posted methods didn't sovle my problem, however, "whut Diamondback & Iggy said" will probably take care of it. I put a spot of blue and a drop of Remoil on it to finish up. I believe that taking a file to a fine weapon should be a last resort!
DLB

 

[Nyteman 44]

Hard opening

2 other places to look are: 1 Bolt to short , not pushing the center pin forward enough to push locking bolt out of the extactor rod. 2. center pin is to short and does not push forward enough to clear locking bolt from the exractor rod.
the bolt should be flush with the recoil shield when pushed with the thumb piece with the cylinder opened.

 

[linde]

I agree with everything said but would add to be sure the ejector rod is tight . . . especially before shortening it with a file.

edit: just re-read your original post and see you've already done that

 

[Larry from Bend]

I had one that had those symptoms. Once across the locking end of the ejector rod (the end with the knurled surface) with a fine file, and the problem was gone. The previous posted methods didn't sovle my problem, however, "whut Diamondback & Iggy said" will probably take care of it. I put a spot of blue and a drop of Remoil on it to finish up. I believe that taking a file to a fine weapon should be a last resort!
DLB

I had the same problem with a new 19-3 and solved it in the same manner; except I used a Arkansas stone rather than a file.

 

[jsbsmarine]

so I shouldn't take a dremel to the ejector rod?

lol J/K. Never give Marines a dremel. They'll tear a 7ton apart.

Thanks for all the suggestions. I'll give them all a try over the weekend and hopefully one of them does the magic.

 

[cmj8591]

Before you cut the extractor rod, you should try a new center pin. Make sure that the bolt is flush with the recoil shield and if it is, try the new center pin. But, and it's a big but, before replacing or changing anything, make sure that the ejector rod is not bent. Open the cylinder and spin it while watching the end of the rod. It should turn without any real wobble. A bent extractor rod is usually the main culprit for sticky opening

 

[jsbsmarine]

Well gents looks like nyteman had it right. The bolt is too short, it is not sitting flush with the recoil shield when I have the cylinder open and looking at it. It is slightly recessed.

Anything I can do to fix this problem?
Thanks!

 

[gboling]

One other possibility. If the cylinder had been removed for cleaning and a brass brush bristle found it's way into the cylinder, the bristle would cause an inteference fit of the cylinder assembly causing this problem.

 

[M29since14]

Give S&W a call and see if they have a replacement. You can tell them what is wrong but chances are they won't listen to you and will want you to send them the gun, which will be expensive to ship. Just try your best to buy the part.

If you can't get one from them, one of the parts sellers may be able to help you, such as Brownell's, Numrich, or First. You might also post a WTB ad here on the forum.

 

[H Richard]

Before you order a new part, disassemble (or have someone knowledgeable) do it, and inspect where the locking pin fits into the frame. It could be a build up of dirt, etc. or a piece of a brass brush as suggested by gboling. A burr or nick could also be on the bar which is easily fixed with a stone. The locking pin fits into a groove in the frame, and powder residue, etc. can get in there.

 

[Chuck Jones]

Yes, as H Richard said, make sure the bolt is free to travel fully forward.

/c

 

[butchkent]

Possibly another cause. I have one with similar symptoms and while I haven't taken care of it as yet, the problem seams to be debris under the cylinder release. It is difficult to move and seams to result in the cylinder sticking. Think about it and let me know what you find.

 

[M29since14]

Before you order a new part, disassemble (or have someone knowledgeable) do it, and inspect where the locking pin fits into the frame. It could be a build up of dirt, etc. or a piece of a brass brush as suggested by gboling. A burr or nick could also be on the bar which is easily fixed with a stone. The locking pin fits into a groove in the frame, and powder residue, etc. can get in there.

Good point. A thorough cleaning is always the first step. Even a gun that has not been fired much will accumulate "gunk" from repeated wipe-downs with oil rags, etc., that can interfere with the movement and positioning of small parts.

Parts don't just mysteriously get shorter than they were, other than by wear, which is easily recognized. Of course it is always possible the part was never fitted properly to start with.

 

[texagun]

Possibly another cause. I have one with similar symptoms and while I haven't taken care of it as yet, the problem seams to be debris under the cylinder release. It is difficult to move and seams to result in the cylinder sticking. Think about it and let me know what you find.

Good suggestion. I had an old Model 10 with the same symptoms. I removed the cylinder release and flushed the area out with Gun Scrubber and re-lubed it. Put it back together and it has worked fine ever since.