686 PROBLEMS

[Jake Benson]

I have a new 686. Last week I put about 100 rounds through it and got home to clean it and the cylinder would not close. Several posts said it the extractor rod was loose. I never felt it loose but kept messing with it and the cylinder closed.

Today I went to the range and after 6 rounds the cylinder jammed. The trigger would not pull. I dumped the bullets out and put them back in and it fired a couple of times and jammed again. The trigger would not pull. I thought maybe it was the bullets, (they were hand loaded ones I bought from a range the week before out of state), so I bought a commercial box from the range I was shooting at. But the gun jammed again. Each time after the cylinder locked up, I would take the rounds out and it would shoot. Finally, I put about 25 rounds through it without mishap and then it started misfiring. I pulled the trigger, the hammer came home, but nothing happened. Pulled the trigger again and it fired. The next pull same thing, no shot. I kept pulling the trigger and it got back around to the misfired rounds and they fired the second time. This happened 3-4 times. Finally, the last 25-30 rounds I shot fired without mishap.

Something is wrong here. Maybe the cylinder is out of sync or something. Anyone have any ideas? I hate having to send the gun back to Smith and Wesson if it could be easily fixed. I have a gunsmith I could take it to, but I hate spending money since its under warranty.

 

[steamloco76]

Don't mess around with a new gun with that list of issues, use the warranty!
E-mail or call S&W Customer Service and describe the problem, (leaving out the part about the reloaded ammo!!). They will send you a return shipping label for two day FedEx as the gun is new and under warranty. I've had two warranty repairs done by S&W this year and the guns were out of my possession a total of two weeks both times.

 

[gr7070]

Yep. Just picked up my gun from FedEx this weekend. It was gone a total of ten days and that includes the days that I wasn't able to sign to accept delivery. I can't imagine why one would bother to bring it to a local smith.

 

[Fkimble]

Pull the grips off and check the screw in the front of the grips. If it was not tighened from the factory and has backed put, it could cause the miss firing and trigger hanging. The closing problem sounds like a loose ejector rod.

 

[scooter123]

Jake, I'm going to agree with Steamloco here. If it's a new 686 under warranty the easiest answer is to send it in for warranty service.

However, there are a couple of things that you may want to take a close look at before doing that.

One, the difficulty in closing the cylinder after a cleaning. I've noticed a similar issue with my S&W's that feature the spring loaded yoke retaining screw. To me it seems as if this system requires a couple of opening and closing cycles to seat the yoke fully rearward in the frame. Because of this it's become a habit for me to apply a bit of reaward pressure on the cylinder when I first close the cylinder after field stripping it and fully cleaning it. My suspicion is that sping loaded plunger tip allows the yoke to sit a touch forward in the frame and it's probably simply a matter of my not paying attention to seating if fully to the rear when assembling the yoke in the frame.

Second, the misfires have recently become a common complaint. I have a 2008 vintage 620 and 2009 vintage 610 and both of these guns were shipped with the strain screw fully seated in the frame and good and tight. Last month I purchased a new 625 JM and was surprized to find that the gun was shipped with the strain screw loose by a full 1/2 turn. It also didn't have any locktite applied to it which was another feature that seemed standard on my 620 and 610. Loose strain screws will not stay in position, especially if they don't have any locktite applied to them. Personally, IMO that locktite is NOT necessary and S&W didn't use this goop until recently. However, the strain screw does need to be tighted down fully and snugged up well because this screw is what applies tension to the mainspring. I would suggest that you remove the grip and check to see if the screw at the bottom of the front strap on the grip frame is tightened down fully. If not, tightening it down will solve your misfire problems. NOTE; it's very important that you use a properly fitted screwdriver to do this because you can damage that screw with a poorly fitted screwdriver. If you don't have a fitted screwdriver I would suggest you pay a gunsmith a few bucks to snug it up or order a gunsmiths screwdriver set from a source such as Brownells.

As for the cylinder jamming, that could be an issue with shooting those reloads and I'll warn you to NOT mention shooting reloads to S&W, it will void your warranty. Instead tell them you were shooting Winchester White Box from Walmart because it can cause problems such as this. Ammos that produce a lot of fouling can cause the cylinder to build up enough carbon fouling in the chambers and on the cylinder face to cause the cylinder to "tie up".

This is especially true if your revolver has a Barrel/Cylinder gap that is less than 0.005 inch. I normally check the B/C gap on any new revolver and if I find it's under 0.005 inch I correct it with a bit of careful stoning using a diamond hand lap. My 625 came in with the B/C gap at 0.0025 inch on one side of the barrel extension and 0.005 inch on the other side. It took about 45 minutes of careful work to take down the high spot and it now checks between 0.005 and 0.006 inch. However, I've a lot of experience doing Tool & Die work and have tools and skills most do not. I also have a lifetime of acquiring tools such as Valve shims so taking on a bit of light gunsmithing is something that comes naturally. If you are not of a similar "bent", the safest answer for having a tight B/C gap is to send the gun to the factory to have it corrected.

However, with WWB ammo even a 0.006 inch B/C gap isn't enough to keep the cylinder from tying up. I have an older model 67-1 with a 0.006 B/C gap and it will tie up the cylinder with just 30 or 40 rounds of WWB sent downrange. My hunch is the problem is too much variation in case length and a carbon ring forms in front of the case that actually causes the cylinder to jam when casings shift back after firing or under recoil. My answer has been to avoid shooting this particular ammo in my revolvers. Since a local range is normally well stocked with American Eagle ammunition at only 2 dollars more a box it's become my go to range ammo. Another good clean ammo I've found is Blazer Brass, however I can only find that when visiting my brother in Ohio, for some reason it's just not stocked in my area. BTW, that's Blazer Brass, NOT NOT simple Blazer in the aluminum casings, that Blazer ammo is foul beyond description. In addition the Blazer Lead Round Nose will produce leading in the newer ECM barrels that I feel could lead to a bullet jamming in the barrel, yeah the leading I saw with just one box of Blazer LRN was that bad. Point is, AMMUNITION MATTERS. If you are on a budget, limit your selection to the American Eagle or the Blazer Brass.

Finally, shooting reloads will not only void your warranty it can also blow up your gun. We've seen the results of reloading mistakes often enough on this forum that the universal rule here is to NEVER shoot any reload you didn't produce using your own hands. For all you know those reloads were cooked up by someone "knocking" back a beer or two with each box of ammo produced. If you have any of those reloads left over I would suggest you turn them into a local PD or shooting range for disposal.

 

[growr]

I have never had a warranty problem with Smith or any one else citing "you used reloads and therefore we can't and won't fix your problem"
Randy

 

[AveragEd]

I was thinking the same thing. I'm a former tournament trapshooter and shot Krieghoffs for many years. Even though their barrels are marked, "FACTORY AMMUNITION ONLY," they warranty guns when they know reloads were used.

And perhaps five years ago, I bought a new Remington Model 700 in .25-06, a usually very accurate caliber. But this one wouldn't group under 1-1/4" at 100 yards no matter what combination of bullets and powders I tried. I called Remington's office in North Carolina and they hooked me up with a manager who is a .25-06 fan like me. He gave me some things to try and when they didn't help, he had me return the gun so they could replace the barrel. Now it shoots 1/2" to 3/4" groups with almost any recipe.

Ed

 

[remnard]

I've got a funny feeling they will give me a hard time when I send this back.

 

[scooter123]

This is why the warranty for a S&W specifically excludes coverage for ANY damage caused by a reload. Believe it or not, there are people who expect S&W to cover damage like this.

 

[Jake Benson]

The strain screw as it has been called in these posts was indeed about a half a turn loose. I tightened it. I hope this solves my problems. I am going to shoot it one more time to see. If there is still a problem, I will send it back to Smith and Wesson as suggested.

 

[Nightowl]

Unburnt poweder under the extractor can cause this problem. Turn the muzzle straight up when extracting so the unburnt powder stays in the spent cartridges, and does not fall under the extractor.

 

[kaaskop49]

Ditto on the loose strain screw problem and the Blazer aluminum case lead bullet rounds. They caused cylinder jamming in 2 of my Chiefs.

 

[jpeschken]

I have never had a warranty problem with Smith or any one else citing "you used reloads and therefore we can't and won't fix your problem"
Randy

I suspect they would only make an issue of it if the gun was clearly damaged by an insane load.

 

[scruffy]

I honestly question S&W's current level of quality on new production revolvers:

I posted this a few weeks ago - "Purchased a NIB 642 CT for my wife a few weeks ago. She recently got her CCW and wanted a gun similar to my 442 (no IL) but with CT laser grips. As I have had S&W's with the IL I felt no problem and did not hesitate to recommend getting the 642.

First time at the range after firing 42 rounds (40 Fed .38 and two Hornady 38 +P) the gun quit working right after the +P's. She says.."I'm pulling the rigger but nothing is happening". I tried it and the cylinder turned, but felt very gritty/rough and the firing pin was not fully protruding from the hole and reaching the primer. I unloaded the gun and gave it to the gunsmith on-site at the range. He opened it up and put it back together saying possibly a burr came loose, but it was now working. We didn't fire it any more. Disappointment in a new S&W revolver intended for self defense is an understatement."

 

[spad124]

I recently bought a new M&P Sport (my only non-wood stocked long gun) from a larger on- line retailer (yeah, I know, probably shouldn't have) and the barrel was scuffed when it arrived at my LGS. Because I had "accepted" the Sport the retailer considered it used and would not exchange. To be fair, the retailer disclosed that policy before I bought it. So, I sent the Sport to S&W under warranty without firing it. No problems with S&W. They paid for shipping both ways and replaced the entire upper. No questions asked. They probably could have said that I scuffed the barrel trying to mount some gizmo, but they just honored the warranty. +10 on S&W warranty as far as I'm concerned.

I also recently sent in my 686-1 for the bushing recall. Turn around was 10 days. They also massaged the cylinder release at no charge and thoroughly cleaned it after test firing. Another +10.

 

[DR505]

I've got a funny feeling they will give me a hard time when I send this back.

That is a sad sight.

 

[maxitout]

My 686 began to be very difficult to open the cylinder. It kept getting worse until the cylinder would not swing out at all unless I hit it with a hammer handle. Then it wouldn't close. I could see nothing wrong, until I noticed that the ejector rod was loose. This was causing the front of the rod to bind on the under barrel recess where the knurled end of the ejector rod rests. I found that the shaft inside the ejector rod had backed completely out of the ejector rod housing. The male threads on the shaft had unscrewed from the female threads of the housing. The threads on the shaft are left hand, so I pushed the spring-loaded assembly back together and turned the rod all the way to the left until it wouldn't turn anymore, then snugged it all together with a little help from a small pair of pliers on the knurls. End of problem.

 

[Univibe]

Touch of Loctite on the threads will keep the ejector rod where it belongs. My new 686 had this done at the factory.

 

[Kiwi cop]

The strain screw as it has been called in these posts was indeed about a half a turn loose. I tightened it. I hope this solves my problems. I am going to shoot it one more time to see. If there is still a problem, I will send it back to Smith and Wesson as suggested.

My 686 was not igniting Federal Small Rifle primers (very slow powder reloads) after many years of reliable use. I replaced the strain screw with an 8-32 X 1/2" UNC hex head screw installed with blue Loctite. No more misfires.

A friend I shoot with has a new 929 and the strain screw was backing out after 40-50 rounds. I gave them an identical screw to install.

 

[neorebel]

I've got a funny feeling they will give me a hard time when I send this back.

Looks like normal wear and tear to me.