M29 sticky opening?

[WHO CARES]

My Model 29-10 has a very sticky thumb piece and sometimes needs a little help pushing it forward. Once it has decided to move the rest of the opening of the cylinder goes nice and smooth. What do you suppose is hanging up?

Thanks
Ward

 

[Joni_Lynn]

I think it might be the front latch in the barrel shroud. A little oil may crear it up.
It might be a good idea to lube the internals as well.

 

[Milton]

Joni_Lynn is probably correct but I had a 686 with your symptoms some time back.I oiled it,cleaned it nothing worked.I ended up removing the entire thumb piece and physically scrubbing down the inner surfaces of the frame and thumb piece.I then lightly oiled the parts after assembly and never had any further problems.What had happened was the previous owner had cleaned this gun a lot,even removing the side plate often and spraying WD-40 inside the gun.The stuff dried,built up and finally turned into a sticky mess making the thumb piece stick in operation.

 

[Pisgah]

Originally posted by Joni_Lynn:
I think it might be the front latch in the barrel shroud. A little oil may crear it up.
It might be a good idea to lube the internals as well.

... and remember -- it's a good idea to check the ejector rod periodically to be sure it's screwed all the way in. The problem you describe can be an early symptom.

 

[tomcatt51]

Sometimes the cylinder release is just installed such that it drags in it's slot in the frame and binds up. Lossen the nut holding it and you'll find you can rotate it some. Center it and tighten the nut.

 

[WHO CARES]

Thanks to all for the advice!

Joni, you had it pegged, but it needed more than just lube.

Problem solved. I closely examined all the parts that move when the latch is pressed forward and then the cylinder is relocked. I noticed that the locking bolt didn't completely engage while gently closing the cylinder. I found that the forward end of the center pin was peened over for some reason and would not move freely within the ejector rod. It would apparently wedge in place during recoil. I disassembled the cylinder and smoothed off the end of the center pink, reassembled and it now works very smoothly.

While this revolver has had about 300 heavy 44 special rounds and maybe 100 medium to heavy 44 mag loads fired through it - I believe it came this way from the factory - wonder how this happened?

Ward

 

[tomcatt51]

The center pin shouldn't have a square end, put a 45 degree bevel on the corners and leave the center flat for the front latch to rest against. They do get peened from bouncing during recoil with heavy loads.