Locked UP Triplelock

[delta-419]

I can not open the cylinder to reload the revolver. Fortunately, it is unloaded. I have thus far removed the mainspring and hammer and noticed that the bolt does not travel all the way back in its slot. No amount of pressure will cause it to release the cylinder. It will travel forward a bit. What course of action will it take to get the cylinder out and to correct the problem. The inside is as clean as can be, no rust or dried oil. Can provide photos if necessary. Your help is much appreciated.

 

[murphydog]

Aside from a loose ejector rod, I don't have suggestions. When you say the "bolt" doesn't travel all the way back in its slot, you are referring to the part that locks into the cylinder notches, correct?

 

[delta-419]

Bolt

Its the part that the thumb latch is screwed into. I thought maybe the ejector rod had come loose and moved a bit forward, but how do you get the yoke to open in order to tighten the rod? I can remove the hand, rebound slide, and trigger along with the cylinder stop, but don't see how that would solve the problem. Before I took out the hammer, the gun would cycle and time properly (no problem there). The thumb latch will not release the cylinder/yoke to open it.

 

[JDBoardman]

Slide a business card under the cylinder to depress the cylinder stop (or remove it) and then rotate the cylinder counterclockwise while holding the ejector rod knob. This should tighten the rod down enough to open the cylinder, whereupon you can fullt tighten the ejector rod.

 

[2152hq]

If you remove the trigger w/hand and cylinder stop (or just the c/stop spring & plunger actually) , the cylinder will spin freely.
You can carefully wedge a small piece of wood gently between the extractor rod and the housing to hold it in position and rock the cylinder to see if the rod turns (loose rod).
If it's loose,,tighten it up as best you can and see if that will allow the cylinder latch to open the gun.

If the forward locking bolt is stuck for some reason, some oil into where you can get at it both in front of the ejector rod and in the joint of the 3rd lock.

About the only place you can get at the locking bolt is right in front of the ejector rod ,,and not very securely.
You can see if it moves forward at that point by pressing it in that direction very carefully with the tip of a small screwdriver.
You may be able to move it forward enough to unlatch the cylinder.

If nothing moves,,you can disassemble the forward locking bolt from the underside of the bbl by removing the 2 small pins in the shroud.
One holds the bolt spring and plunger in place. The other the small cover.
With the bolt out, the center pin pushed all the way forward from the back inside of the frame, the cylinder is free to open.


FWIW
If you take the cylinder assembly apart, it's not the same inside as other S&W's. The TL has a couple different components inside,, a small C spring and a collar.
The C spring snaps into a groove in the center pin.

The disassembly is a bit different in that the extractor rod head itself has to come off first (RH thread),,then slide the crane off. Push the center pin forward, remove the C spring and pull the collar and a small coil spring off the pin. Then slide the pin backwards and out of the cylinder.
The extractor rod is still in place. Remove (RH thread,,this may be your problem part above as well as the extractor rod head itself).
The extractor lifts off the back of the cylinder.
Don't loose that tiny C spring!

 

[delta-419]

Its Out

Thanks for the tip! I got it out. The bolt spring seems kind of weak, maybe a new one is in order. That's one trick I won't forget. What a great place this Forum is for us.