29-2 tight cylinder rotation

[papicker61]

I have an 8-3/8" nickel plated 29-2 that has been in storage for several years. It now exhibits a very tight cylinder that is hard to open and requires substantial hand assistance to rotate on its axis when manually cocking the hammer. Then the cylinder is open the trigger and hand operate freely and normally. I've tried applying a high tech lubricant/cleaner to the ejector rod but to little avail. This situation intensifies the longer the gun sits unused. Any knowledgeable input regarding this problem and possible solutions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance for any help.

 

[Alk8944]

Fouling from firing is blown into the cylinder bore and can cause this. Remove the yoke and cylinder and clean the center bore of the cylinder and the yokes cylinder axis. All this requires is removing the yoke screw and pulling the yoke and cylinder out of the gun.

The cylinder rotates on the yoke, not on the extractor rod, so lubricating it won't help anything.

If you do not feel qualified to remove one screw then take the gun to your local gun shop and pay them to clean it for you.

 

[papicker61]

Thank you for that information. I appreciate your help.

 

[Pisgah]

Screw the ejector rod in tightly -- remember,counterclockwise.

 

[stansdds]

I've tried applying a high tech lubricant/cleaner to the ejector rod but to little avail. This situation intensifies the longer the gun sits unused.

The fact that the problem gets worse when the revolver is stored tells me it is either a corrosion problem or a dirty, gummy, dried lubricant problem. If I were to place a bet, my money is on it being dirty, gummy, dried lubricant.

 

[Protocall_Design]

The most common cause of this condition is from unburnt powder, carbon, lead and other debris falling out of the chambers onto the back of the extractor during the unloading process. This debris then gets trapped between the extractor and the back recess of the cylinder, effectively making the cylinder assembly longer.

As this is already a closely fitted part, it doesn't take much to make everything too tight. The fix is to hold the extractor in the extended position and brush both the back of the cylinder and the bottom of the extractor thoroughly, and visually check for any remaining bits of any foreign material.

 

[papicker61]

Thank you for all the useful information Pisgah, stansdds, and Protocall Design!

 

[Narragansett]

OK, inquiring minds want to know what happened?

 

[Vtgw938]

This is a common problem with revolvers at gun shops around me. Literally would just require removing one screw and cleaning the yoke. Sometimes consignment guns and other times the dealer just sticks it out as they get it. I'm sure many people pass on these because they don't know how to "fix" it. Of course many gun shops don't know a lot about S&W's and or just don't want to bother.