Model 10 "issues" help please!!!

[HK45auto]

Hey guys,

New, young-ish guy from Canada...joined this forum to see if I could get some help with my first Smith and Wesson!!!

Anyways...

I was wondering if the "issue" I am having has a fix/solution.

I have a recently gotten a very nice Smith and Wesson Model 10-5. It is extremely lighted used (almost no drag mark at all) and in great looking condition. It dates from the 1960s.

Now since I have gotten it, I have been practicing dry firing with it (with a set of snap caps) and I have been noticing the odd time the hammer would "lock up" on me when cocking it to shoot it in S/A and some times (a lot less often) the trigger would also do so when I go to shoot it in D/A, again "locking" when I start to pull it. By "locking up" I mean I would start to pull the hammer back or the trigger and within a few cm's it would stop, if this happened I could let the hammer (or trigger down) and pull it again no problem and it would go click and be fine for another few rounds of dry firing and reloading.

Now it is happening A LOT more often. Is there something I can check to see if it is out of place or spec? Know if a part might be broken/what that part is? Is something possibly old and worn, like a spring due to age?

I really want to use this revolver and get the most out of it so I want it running 100%!!! I know S&W guns, especially their older wheel guns are quite good and reliable so I am a little flustered/upset at this.

Any insight or advice would be great!!!

PS. I have tried to Google this but pretty much everything that comes up has to do with the internal locks Smith puts in many of their revolvers now.

Thanks,

- HK

 

[Warren Sear]

I suggest taking the grips off and spraying the innards with brake cleaner. Next, drip a good amount of Break Free or other gun lubricant into the mechanism. Prop the gun so the lube will work its way into the gun by gravity. After a few hours, blow it out with some compressed air if you have it. if not, prop the gun up so the oil drains out.

Now, wipe the gun well with a rag and re-install the grips.

See if that helps.

 

[Pef]

I wonder if the "sear" is sticking. The sear pivots on the hammer, and is engaged by the trigger when the trigger is pulled, which in turn causes the hammer to rotate back. If the sear is "sticking" it may not be resetting after firing, which can cause a binding.

Go to post # 5 in this thread: http://smith-wessonforum.com/s-w-re...64-686-problem-first-time-revolver-owner.html

Again, this is a guess.

Shorter answer - do what Warren Sear suggested. Relax the strain on the leaf spring, open the side plate (buy Jerry Kuhnhausen's book to learn the proper way to do this and disassemble), and clean and oil. Who knows, if it's from the 1960's it may have spent 40+ years getting sticky and slow.

(Hmmm...from the 60's, that gun is about as old as I am - would be nice if just a dip in some cleaner would restore my youth).

 

[HK45auto]

Thanks I will try that/read those posts. It IS getting worse now, locking up about 80% of the time.

...find the fountain of youth Pef and you can do just that!!!

 

[DWalt]

There are videos on YouTube showing disassembly, including removal of the side plate. Just make sure you have a screwdriver that fits the screw slots well. Best to tap on the frame with a plastic hammer or maybe a wood hammer handle to jar the sideplate off. I use an inertia bullet puller as a hammer. Do it over a folded towel, etc. so it doesn't fall on the floor. Spray carb cleaner works well to blast out the crud.

 

[Mike McLellan]

Make sure the strain screw is tight. If it is loosens enough, it can create a condition called 'knuckling', where the main spring and its stirrup interfere with the motion of the hammer.

 

[66snub]

It sounds like the gun may be dry? I agree with the previous advise of oil. Take the side plate off and see what's doin' inside there.

 

[H Richard]

On a gun that is 50 years old, and shows almost no signs of wear, (knowing S&W never over oils a gun), I'm betting what little oil that was ever in it has turned to tar and the gun needs a dis-assembly and a clean & lube job.

 

[Seven High]

If cleaning and relubing the innards does not resolve the problem, you might have to replace the strain screw or mainspring or hammer rebound spring. A previous owner might have shortened the strain screw to improve the action. It's a bad idea.

 

[gmborkovic]

Did you range fire the gun yet? or just dry fire. Mike 2796

 

[Sgt 127]

The cylinder stop is the likely culprit. It may be sluggish because of old congealed oil.

What you are describing is exactly what happens when the cylinder stop fails to drop out of the way before the hand starts pushing on the ratchet.

 

[Jim NNN]

Don't forget that a very close tolerance cylinder gap can bind the cylinder if there's powder residue present. It sounds like the OP's gun hasn't been fired much, but doesn't mean there isn't any powder residue. I mention this only because cleaning off the face of the cylinder and the forcing cone is a better place to start than taking the gun apart. If cleaning these areas doesn't work, then go further with more invasive investigation.