Jamming-Binding-Locking up new model

[Invictus357]

Hi,
Thanks for the input. The problem is not the cylinder gap, the forcing cone or the ejector star. It is definitely the crud that is blown into the center area of the cylinder. When the gun jams up, and I am finally able to swing the cylinder out, the cylinder cannot be rotated at all on the ejector rod. What I have to do is remove the cylinder/crane assembly and soak it in a plastic tub of solvent. When I can start to turn the cylinder I do a complete tear down on it. The amount of soot, lead, burnt powder, etc. is what locks everything up. Once the internal cylinder parts are cleaned and lubed everything works fine until the next string of shots is done later.
I have a fair number of S&W revolvers (10, 14, 19, 22, 25, 36, 37, 29, 57, 58, 649) that date to the 60's thru 80's and this is the only one that has ever done this. I would never trust this one as a defense gun.

Send it back to SW or take it to a gunsmith. Get it fixed and then report back. Thanks.

 

[BigBill]

Check with a feeler gauge the gap between the cylinder and barrel?
Your shooting leadcast and jacketed bullets and it still happens.

 

[Rachel33189]

It is definitely not the cylinder gap. Once I manage to open the gun the cylinder will not rotate at all. I can understand if it would not rotate when the cylinder is closed but once I manage to swing the cylinder to the open position the cylinder is frozen solid and requires complete disassembly and cleaning to resume normal functioning (for the next 20 or thirty rounds)..

 

[Messer]

Don't mess around with it.

Call S&W Customer Service - they will pay for shipping both ways.

Get it fixed, and enjoy the gun.

 

[Gearhead Jim]

Recently I had a new 19-9 fixed under warranty, it took about two months from shipping out until returned.

When I asked about having some simple non-warranty work done on an 18-3, they said it would be six months.

 

[PeteC]

@Rachel33189: I would repost this in the Gunsmithing part of the forum, those guys do not automatically search other sub-forums looking for interesting questions to answer, If the problem is common, someone in that forum might know, but if this is a recently made gun, they may not.

There is some reason why more crud is generated in your revolver, and going where it should not be. It can't just be the odd gas ring design. Some dimensional tolerances may be off, or something else. The clue is that the use of 357 ammo causes is more quickly (higher pressure round or more heat).

If the cylinder gap is too large, more gasses carrying crud may be escaping into the area between yoke and cylinder (for example). Maybe it is worth it to measure it, even if it is not the main or only cause. Minimum, maximum, both left and right side. Feeler gauges are cheap.

If you remove the yoke and cylinder assembly, and then separate the yoke from the cylinder after some small number of rounds (24~30), you should be able to take a pic, post it, and someone can tell you whether what you are seeing is normal or not.

On older .357-rated magnums, the gap between the forcing cone and the cylinder was usually smaller from the factory compared to .38 spl guns, and for good reasons. Not sure if that is still the case on a modern 66-8.

 

[SWFan27]

Sorry for commenting on an ancient post sent to me by someone trying to defend their statement that the new Lipseys No Lock Mountain Guns have the same gas ring issue as the complaint here. He claimed this is a common problem that supposedly many 66-8 and 19-9 owners are complaining about.

That is news to me and my 66-8 and 19-9 are excellent and problem free revolvers after thousands of rounds. My 19 just went to the range today and shot fantastic as always. The next purchase on my list is the new Lipseys 686+ No Lock Mountain Gun.

 

[daveyc]

I wouldnt say this is "common" at all. it seems to be a case of one, and we never did find out the cause of what was happening.

 

[JWintergreen]

It's certainly not a case of one, and any revolver without a gas ring will be more likely to experience sluggish cylinder rotation or binding. There is a reason why every other Smith and Wesson revolver (other than the ones mentioned) have them. Even the change from a cylinder to yoke mounted gas ring was controversial when it happened in the 70s.

This is not a design change that will bother everyone. However, the average consumer should be aware of this. Regardless, I apologize if there have been any hard feelings, and I hope that these new revolvers bring their users many years of enjoyment.

The Smith & Wesson L-Frame Story – RevolverGuy.Com

Problem with 66-8: powder fouling causing cylinder to bind

https://smith-wessonforum.com/s-w-r...1062-issues-my-66-8-2-75-a.html#post139635514

 

[jer830]

I also had this issue on one of my 66-8s. Two cylinders of shooting and it became sluggish and eventually bound up. It took 2 trips back the S&W to correct the issue. The repair order said “adjust yoke”.