629-1 issue

[Parke1]

Hi all,

I have a pretty low round count 4" 629-1. Every so often, about once every 2 or 3 cylinders full, it'll fail to advance the cylinder. Something of like "BOOM...BOOM...CLICK...BOOM BOOM BOOM" Open the cylinder, and you have 5 fired cases, one untouched. No real rhyme or reason to it. I can't duplicate the issue dry firing, even when I let my finger drag on the cylinder as it advances (which is how I normally check for any timing issues on a used revolver). It's a low round count gun, no evidence of the sideplate ever being removed (before I removed it to inspect all the internals).

When I had it at the range last time it did this, I stopped shooting it for the day. I went home and started to disassemble the gun and found the front two screws in the sideplate were slightly loose. Not falling out of the gun or anything, but definitely not snug. Could have have been my issue?

Thanks for any help or advice!

 

[bigggbbruce]

Yeah.. the 629-2E addressed this problem.

 

[Parke1]

Ok, so I'm just out of luck, basically?

 

[M1A]

Is it always the same cylinder position?
Is the mainspring strain screw adjusted properly.
My 629-1 fired many thousands with no issue.

 

[Parke1]

Is it always the same cylinder position?
Is the mainspring strain screw adjusted properly.
My 629-1 fired many thousands with no issue.

I *believe* it's always the same position, but I'm not 100% sure yet. The next chance I get to go shooting, I will verify that.

Honestly, I don't know about the mainspring adjustment, I'll have to research that and check it out. Thanks!

 

[M1A]

on the bottom front of the grip frame. loosened for lighter trigger pul, but causes light hammer strike.

 

[oldgranddad]

Yeah.. the 629-2E addressed this problem.

I understand the symptom but don't understand the problem. Sounds like one spoke on the ratchet is worn. Can you educate someone who doesn't own a 629-1? How is the 629-2E different?
Thanks

 

[Fishinfool]

OP - What others are referring to is the addition of the "Endurance Package" with the model 629-2e. The factory made a variety of internal changes to I believe the hammer & trigger studs, the bolt & cylinder notches, and some others I am forgetting.

N frame .44 magnums had a reputation for unlocking and the cylinder turning when folks started using heavy 300 grain bullets loaded hot for long range steel.

What loads are you using? You shouldn't be having problems with a tight, low round gun if you are using nothing hotter than standard 240 grain loads. A lot of guys treat the pre-endurance package 29 / 629's sort of like they do model 19's - shoot a limited number of full power magnums, and a lot of midrange stuff.

 

[bigggbbruce]

Ok, so I'm just out of luck, basically?

Keep a full power mainspring in, help eliminate possible hammer bounce and unlocking. Install an extra power cylinder stop spring. Help keep it locked.

 

[Parke1]

OP

What loads are you using? You shouldn't be having problems with a tight, low round gun if you are using nothing hotter than standard 240 grain loads. A lot of guys treat the pre-endurance package 29 / 629's sort of like they do model 19's - shoot a limited number of full power magnums, and a lot of midrange stuff.

Nothing but mild 240 grain Winchester white box stuff. I have some 300 grain rounds, but they're exclusively for my 44 carbines.

 

[624 Fan]

Parke1 - Try this - After making sure the gun is clear of ammunition point the muzzle up (assuming that it's a safe direction) and pull the trigger several times. If the cylinder does not advance then someone has been inside the gun and not reassembled correctly.


The 1st time I disassembled a S&W many years ago I started having the same problem you are having. I did not get the hand a/k/a "pawl" - the long shiny silver part that advances the cylinder put back together right. It MUST have forward spring pressure that keeps it pushed forward in the slot in the frame. Without the spring pressure it will not advance the cylinder if the muzzle is pointed slightly upwards before or during the shot. Sometimes it will fall forward and engage the cylinder, sometimes not. The hand has two pins, one goes through the trigger and pushes the hand up to advance the cylinder as the trigger is pulled. The other pin on top goes in the elongated trigger hole and receives forward pressure from a spring inside the trigger. Hope this helps.

 

[steelslaver]

Probably a slightly tight hand or the hand is gunked up a bit and not cycling the cylinder every trigger pull. Possibly your not letting the trigger go all the way forwar between shots (short stroking.)

A loose or light mainspring would still give the primer a dimple even if round did not fire.

I have 4 629-1 guns and they all work fine.

 

[Mike_Fontenot]

If you still have any of the fired brass around, get a magnifying glass and look at the rear of the casings, under bright light. Do you see any firing-pin tracks that start from the primer crater, and go all the way out to the rim?

My 4-1/4' Model 60 L-Frame .44mag had those firing-pin tracks. It was NOT a failure to rotate the unfired round into alignment with the barrel ... when the previous round fired, the cylinder-stop was being inertially pulled down by the recoil, and the unfired round was then auto-rotating into alignment with the barrel (before any hammer cocking was initiated). Then, when the hammer was cocked, the next round (which was the first round that was fired after the cylinder had been reloaded with 6 fresh rounds) was rotated into alignment with the barrel, and hence the click. The problem was exacerbated I THINK by the fact that I use a VERY relaxed grip, with relaxed and flexed elbows, resulting in VERY high muzzle-rise. The problem only occurred on the last round after a reload, because (I think) the extra weight of the larger number of unfired rounds in the cylinder either eliminated the inertial unlocking of the cylinder-stop, or reduced the amount of cylinder rotation after the unlocking. I solved the failure-to-fire by using a longer strain-screw (which increases the hammer pressure) ... that required more energy to pull the firing-pin out of the firing-pin crater as the unlocked cylinder started self-rotating , and reduced the amount of cylinder rotation during the unlocked time. But I still didn't like the cylinder-stop inertially unlocking due to recoil, and so I bought a 5" full-underlug 629 for my EDC, and it doesn't show any firing-pin tracks on the fired brass, and no failures-to-fire. I think the problem could probably be completely eliminated if S&W would make the cylinder-stops out of titanium.