642 Pro Series moon clip no-go

[downzero1911]

Got my first S&W today, a 642 Pro Series with moon clips. Nice little gun, replaced the OEM grip with a Hogue Tamer so I can get a bigger grip on it. I wanted to try out the moon clips, so I took some empty, sized brass, loaded them up. I can't close the cylinder with the moon clips and brass. I can with just the moon clips but not as intended. I don't understand what is happening.

The clips measure .0250" thick. I've tried Federal, Winchester, Remington, Blazer, and Starline brass. None of them work with moon clips- ie I can't close the cylinder.

Can someone point to a picture of a cylinder that has been cut for moon clips? I want to make sure this was machined correctly to eliminate that as a cause. Thanks.

 

[Pizza Bob]

Here you go...

According to TK Custom, your .025" clips should be GTG with Federal, Remington, Starline and others except: Winchester, Hornady and Speer, which use .020" clips.

Adios,

Pizza Bob

 

[downzero1911]

Thanks. Just as I suspected. Looks like my cylinder isn't cut like it is supposed to be. It is flush and not relieved like in the pic. Off to S&W.

 

[S&W Rover]

I recently bought a new 442 Pro, cut for moonclips. I could not get the moonclipped bullets to go all the way into the cylinder. On closer inspection, I noticed that the area for the moonclips was not completely cut into the cylinder.

The attached drawing shows what my cylinder looked like.

Here is the link, if the thumbnail doesn't work: http://i213.photobucket.com/albums/cc90/RoverSig/Side View of Cylinders_zpseytcu04c.jpg

You can test for this by seeing if you can get a moon clip (without bullets) to lay flat in the space that is cut for it. Mine would not.

I sent it back to S&W, and they fixed in nicely and had it back to me in two weeks.

Moonclips are a bit finicky, though. Some types of bullets work better than others... I carry the 442 Pro with five loaded, in a clip, for fast and clean extraction; and a small holder with five more in a moonclip. Both moonclip/bullet combinations have been tested several times to make sure they work in this revolver at this time.

The .020 moonclips from TK Custom work a little better with bullets that do not have a very large groove. Of all the .38 brass I have, only about 25% works well with moonclips (the brass is pretty random range mongrels, with lots of Remington and Winchester). But when I buy self-defense ammo -- Buffalo Bore or Speer -- I find that it always seems to work in the moonclips. Bottom line is the bullets must have a groove big enough to work, the clip needs to be snicked into place properly, and you have to test the combination to make sure it works in that revolver at this time.

Good luck -- moonclips are sort of addictive.

 

[downzero1911]

This is my cylinder.

 

[Pizza Bob]

Back to the mothership

 

[Mister X]

I can't tell real well by your picture, but it looks like a regular 642 cylinder. Are you sure you bought a pro model?

 

[M3Stuart]

Nope, yours is not cut for moonclips at all - judging by the pic.

It should look more like this:

I have a 642 pro and it works fine with the moonclips. I haven't tried a lot of different ammo, but the Federal works fine.

 

[theoneff]

This is my cylinder.
View attachment 189136

Does it say pro series on the frame

 

[downzero1911]

I can't tell real well by your picture, but it looks like a regular 642 cylinder. Are you sure you bought a pro model?

Yup. Serial number matches the box which is marked pro series and sku matches with the pro series sku. Three moon clips were included with the gun.

I can't tell real well by your picture, but it looks like a regular 642 cylinder. Are you sure you bought a pro model?

 

[downzero1911]

Does it say pro series on the frame

Yes it does.

 

[theoneff]

How do you test fire it without noticing something like that?

 

[dave7v7]

Either final Assembly person fowled up or someone switched out the pro cylinder for a standard version somewhere along the supply chain.it is for sure NOT machined for moon clips.call S&W and they will fix it.

 

[downzero1911]

Got my gun back from S&W. They installed the proper cylinder cut for moon clips and sent a dozen moon clips back with it as a "sorry we should have caught that before it left" gesture.

Pretty excited. Got the gun, moon clips, Nemesis holster and now I have to load up some heavy LFPs so I have some ammo to shoot.