649 Questions

[Colonel Dan]

Update as of 7/12/10: I spoke to a Tech Rep at S&W this morning concerning the questions we surfaced on the thread below.

Regarding the periodic sticking cylinder: He said that there should be no sticking at all and that we should check two areas. 1) the ejector rod is not fully screwed in and 2) the muzzle end of the ejector rod is not a perfect 90 degrees(level straight across) and is sticking there. If that is the case, he suggested taking a file lightly to the end of the ejector rod to reduce the sticking. He added that this is the only place it could be sticking. When I told him that several of us could not turn the ejector rod, he said it has to turn because that's the way S&W assembles the cylinder assembly. My thought...if that's the case, I'm not inclined to try turning this with anything other than hand pressure. Additionally, my NIB 642 ejector rod won't turn with hand pressure. If anyone has better info on this, we would certainly appreciate it.

Regarding the hammer spring tension, he said they are rated at 12-13lbs and the reason they are more difficult to pull back in SA mode is the leverage factor as mentioned below by Headknocker.

---------------------------------------------Picked up my first 649 (no dash). It will be a great little CCW I'm sure but I have a few concerns maybe someone here could shed some light on.

1. The gun is very hard to cock in SA mode. Wolff spring website says the factory spring is 8.5# and their reduced power spring is 8#. That might be but this feels a lot stronger than 8.5# and if their spring is only 0.5# lighter, is it worth the trouble? Is this normal for this version of the 649? Has anyone else had a similar experience and if so, what have you done, if anything to lighten that up?


2. Seems my cylinder sticks now and again when I try to open it. The cylinder release latch itself seems OK but it appears the cylinder periodically sticks and I have to push it to get it open. It's as if the latch doesn't push the little spring loaded button on the extractor part in enough to release the cylinder. One way I've found around this is to dry fire the gun first then it will open more easily. I suspect this will be a job for a gunsmith but I thought I'd ask here to see if anyone had any ideas or thoughts on the problem.

If I hadn't practically been given this gun, I would have passed on it but...

I'd appreciate any thoughts you might have….

Thanks!

 

[photoman]

I would recommend taking the gun apart (if you know how) and doing a complete cleaning. It may just be gunked up inside.

 

[HEADKNOCKER]

The BodyGuards don't have as long a hammer spur as a normal cheifs special aka M36/M60 so you don't have as much leverage on the hammer spur.. Does it have a decent Double Action Trigger Pull??
Could need lubrication??
Also I would check to see if you ejector rod is loose, If it's turned the slightest bit loose the inner rod can't push the detent in the barrel far enough to come loose smoothly/correctly..

BTW I used to have a 649 No Dash & that's one great heavy weight snubbie you got there.. Very Nice!!

Good Luck!!
Gary/Hk

 

[Colonel Dan]

Thanks guys....I did take it apart and clean it well...and yes it was gunked up. I lubed it and got it all back together. The DA trigger pull is smooth and fine so it may just be the leverage aspect you spoke of.

I thought about the loose ejector rod as I've experienced that on other revolvers but this one doesn't turn at all...either direction like my other guns. I guess my question is...should it turn or is this a different design of some sort?

Thanks again

 

[Goffman]

Colonel Dan,

my wife has a 649-4, which I believe is very similar to your 649-nodash. Using one hand only (no supporting hand), I can cock back the hammer maybe seven or eight times in a row before my thumb starts getting tired. So, I would say that the hammer is a bit stiff.

Likewise, opening the action requires a little push from the right-hand side of the frame or, alternatively, a modest snap of the wrist. As you said, the cylinder is a little tougher to open immediately after it has been closed, as compared with after it has been closed and then fired (or dry fired).

Her pistol has maybe 300 or 400 rounds through it and is in nearly new condition. So, I would guess that your experience with your 649 is par for the course.

 

[Colonel Dan]

Goffman, What you described is pretty much the way mine is...after 7 -8 times my thumb is sore and by the looks of this gun, it hasn't been fired all that much....although by the looks of the insides when I disassembled it, it had been carried alot and pocket "stuff" got in there. It's all clean now.

As for the cylinder, does your feel like its hanging up on something preventing it from opening when you try to open it right after closing it? That's the way mine is. My 642 opens very easily regardless of whether you just closed it or just fired it.

 

[Goffman]

On hers, the resistance to opening the action immediately after closing it is not great, but slightly greater than immediately after firing it. I checked my newer model 640-3 (also a j-frame, but the 357 magnum variety with the slightly longer barrel), and it seems to open a hair easier than her 649. I tried to figure out from where the resistance is originating, and it looks like it probably is located at the spring loaded pin at the dangerous end of the revolver (not sure what that pin is called), as if the extractor rod is hanging up there (but just barely). It doesn't look (or feel) like anything is loose though, including the extractor rod. Perhaps the push rod that runs through the cylinder is 1/64 of an inch shorter than would be ideal. I'm guessing that 500 rounds or so (with the associated 100 instances of opening and closing the action) will loosen it up.

 

[Colonel Dan]

Goffman, Does te ejector rod of your 649 "on the business end" as you say unscrew as on other revolvers? I don't mean turn the cylinder freely but unscrew if you turn the rod while holding the cylinder itself from turning.

 

[Goffman]

It looks like it does unscrew, and it has the knurled tip, but, judging by my tenative attempt, it doesn't look like it will be unscrewed by hand (or at least not easily and without the loss of some skin on my thumb and index finger).

 

[Colonel Dan]

Goffman yep, that's mine as well.

I'll call S&W on Monday and see what the experts say and post their reply here so we'll both know.

Thanks for the exchange..."talk" with you Monday.

CD

 

[MikeD99]

I, too, am interested in hearing what S&W says.

Thanks,
Mike D.

 

[Colonel Dan]

Answers from S&W Tech Rep are at the top of the Original Post.

 

[Goffman]

Colonel Dan, thanks for posting the response from S&W. I'll take a closer look at the ejector rod on her pistol.

 

[sheriffoconee]

how to unscrew (or tighten) a Smith ejector rod
YouTube - Gunsmith - Fix a bent ejector rod on Smith & Wesson revolver

 

[Colonel Dan]

Thanks Sheriff, That video was very good. I checked my ejector rod and it wobbles less than a mm but I can detect a very slight wobble when I spin the cylinder so that might be the problem. I never thought of that as possibility. If that is it, I'll rely on S&W or a good gunsmith to correct the problem.

Thanks again....