I took my birthday present to the range last week and shot 3 full loads (18 rounds) thru her and at #18 she locked up. Could not cock it either in DA or SA. Took her home and removed the side plate and found out the sear is jamming up on the trigger. It is over riding the end of the trigger.I can take a screwdriver and slightly depress the sear downward and it will go into battery. That is as far as I went with the diagnosis. Could the sear spring be broken? Your thoughts please.
Model of 1950 38/44 Locked Up
- Thread starter delta-419
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CCV
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Sounds like a trip back to S&W is in order.
OP
Included a photo of the HD.
ptrumble1
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I would be interested in knowing if S&W will work on the old girl?
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Doubtful, they won't accept guns made prior to 1957 due to lack of parts, so the best option would be to track down the parts and finding a good gunsmith to install them.
Maybe I'm not understanding the problem. When you refer to the sear, I take it you mean the DA sear that is pinned to the front of the hammer and has a light spring behind it to return it to forward position when the action is at rest. You can check the spring on that by pushing the lower end of the sear back against the hammer. If it does not return forward, the tiny coil spring is broken or missing, and you need to replace it.
What I don't understand is this: without the spring, pulling the trigger should just let the upper trigger spur ride right past the sear, turning the cylinder but not moving the hammer. If you cock the hammer manually, the DA sear is not involved at all and should not affect your ability to put the gun in battery for SA operation.
You would also get a lock up of the sort you describe if the hand was jamming on something, or if the cylinder was blocked from turning. Is the action free if you swing the cylinder open? (Holding back the bolt with the thumb release, of course, so that the hammer is not safety-blocked.)
I always wonder about small crumbs of metal that get down in the action and prevent something from completing its full range of motion.
I don't see anything in the photo that looks obviously wrong.
What I don't understand is this: without the spring, pulling the trigger should just let the upper trigger spur ride right past the sear, turning the cylinder but not moving the hammer. If you cock the hammer manually, the DA sear is not involved at all and should not affect your ability to put the gun in battery for SA operation.
You would also get a lock up of the sort you describe if the hand was jamming on something, or if the cylinder was blocked from turning. Is the action free if you swing the cylinder open? (Holding back the bolt with the thumb release, of course, so that the hammer is not safety-blocked.)
I always wonder about small crumbs of metal that get down in the action and prevent something from completing its full range of motion.
I don't see anything in the photo that looks obviously wrong.
OP
The sear on the hammer seems to work as does the spring. I flushed it out with a lot of spray gun oil and put it back together and "saints be praised" its working OK. I'm thinking a new hammer and trigger might be in order. They seem worn and may just jump alignment, although the gun is very tight it may just have been full of crud. Trigger pull is crisp at about 3.5#s. No wobble or cylinder movement. Works good in DA & SA. Cylinder gap is ok. Will see what happens next time at the range. DC you may be right about the bit of metal or trash. I did not clean it before its first range trip. Will keep this lesson in mind with my next "new" Smith.
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