Cylinder won't close
- Thread starter antoniskyriazis
- Start date
snubbiefan
Member
While not very likely...if a gun is built "tight", there can be a variance in rim thickness among ammo....especially the cheaper stuff. I ran across an older box of 32 once (pre-SAAMI ?) and the rims were so thick, they bound-up the gun. Yes...it was a cheap gun and the brand started with a T.
WisconsinKen-Why not just buy your wife a K38?!
That would solve your problem and make a happy wife!Ed
Stilltrying
Member
I went to S&W armor school, NRA instructor School and was an armorer for years until I got promoted. On thing I learned is when you are cleaning gun in a little room is that you do not want to be smelling chemicals. Buy some stainless steel bore and cylinder brushes they will make short work of the crud and WILL NOT hurt the bore or cylinder. It you have a SS gun also buy the ss machinist brush to clean the forcing cone and frame. To me it seems like you have a bigger problem then dirt --Maybe a bend yokethe part the cylinder rides on. What would cause the gun to make you turn the cylinder to close it? Another thing I have Model 63 which I had to carry a piece of X-ray film to the range because the cylinder came lose and I could not open the gun. That never happened with a K models we had. Unless I am wrong I believe S&W changed the direction of the thread so it tighten in the direction the cylinder turned? When was your gun made?
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snubbiefan
Member
I said not very likely, but I went back and read OP's first post. A lot of PP stuff gets used around here, but mostly in rimless...like 380 and 9MM. I don't see anybody shooting the PP in a straight-wall cartridge. It may be interesting enough to actually measure the rim thickness and see how it stacks up to other good name-branded ammo. I'm not bashing the ammo and it shoots very well in semi-auto's for me. SAAMI spec. on 38 is a rim thickness of .044 and .060 on the 357. The rim thickness on the stuff I have measured runs thin and that's likely the case with the 38/357 stuff...but you never know.
Big Cholla
Member
IMHO, your 'end shake' clearance is too tight. And, the symptoms you describe indicate to me that the end of the yoke tube is probably not square with the axis. We all ascribe to the principle that the 'end shake' should be as little as possible, but Zero End Shake is not the way the S&W design works best. .... Every revolver needs clearance for the yoke/cylinder assembly to open and close while hot and for the cylinder charged with cartridges to rotate using the only lever power of the trigger/hand assembly. If your extractor plunger tube is tight and cylinder pin is not too long, it leaves only that the end of the yoke is pushing the cylinder to the rear too much. The fact that you can rotate the cylinder and 'find' a spot that the cylinder will close more readily indicated that probably the end of the yoke is not square with its axis. This is always complicated by manufacturing tolerances in each and every piece of the assembly. IMHO, you ought to measure your end shake with feeler gauges and file 'squarely' a couple of thousands off the end of the yoke tube. Go easy here and use a very fine file and make sure you are capable of filing the end of that tube squarely. Dykem is your friend. Check the breech/cylinder gap before this is done to see if it is going to let that gap get too close.
Every revolver needs a little operational clearance here and there to let every function work easily and properly. Two or three thousands of end shake is a good thing especially in a hot cartridge revolver being shot multiple times. Metal expands as it is heated. ............
Every revolver needs a little operational clearance here and there to let every function work easily and properly. Two or three thousands of end shake is a good thing especially in a hot cartridge revolver being shot multiple times. Metal expands as it is heated. ............
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OP
antoniskyriazis
Member
Yes, it is same direction and I believe it was made in 2014 or 2015. thank you
OP
antoniskyriazis
Member
Stilltrying
Member
I sent you an Email. Check out -Pacific Tool & gauge -Yoke &Crane alignment tool for S&W KLN frames. One can never have too many tools
OP
antoniskyriazis
Member
Though I have been shooting 357s in 2014 so much that I could not touch the cylinder to reload, the problem appeared when started shooting 38s. I apologize and I admit, light does not come the right angle when I clean up my guns and I have been too lazy to wear my glasses. So, I will by now direct my attention to the proper cleaning (with reading glasses and light) and return to the 357s instead of the 38s.
thank you
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OP
antoniskyriazis
Member
Hi again dear friends. Reading glasses and light revealed the culprit: the firing pin rebound spring is broken and lets the firing pin lose. Since everybody and his wife do close the cylinder with the muzzle DOWN, the firing pin falls and blocks the cylinder. I thought to let you know about.
Al last!!!
attached the proof
Al last!!!
attached the proof
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Interesting. I wonder how often that spring breaks?
muddocktor
Member
Wow, thanks for following up and posting what was actually your problem. I only have 1 S&W in the house that uses the newer frame mounted firing pin and wouldn't have guessed this problem. Now I know what to look for if we have problems with that J frame in the future. All my other revolvers in the house are older N frames with hammer mounted firing pins.
Thanks for the update! I don't have many revolvers with the new hammer, but I have a few. Always good to know another possibility.
OP
antoniskyriazis
Member
According to my invoices, after 7000 x .38sp (Magtech and Fiocchi) 1000 x .357 Aguila, 2000 Fiocchi and 4000 x Partizan (1220 J!)
Perhaps that is why they are sold in sets of three.
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