new cylinder for a 14-3 fit question

[neverenoughguns]

So I purchased a "new" cylinder for my 14-3. The pistol appears to have been stored on its side and had some rust on the cylinder only. The new cylinder came w/ a crane and teh extractor star and extractor rod. Unfortunately it does not seem to want to get installed w/o taking a bit of material off of the extractor star. Is this normal and how much should I anticipate paying a gunsmith to take care of this issue?

**I have no gun smithing experience, my guess regarding the material from the extractor is just from taking the other cylinder apart and seeing what the issue appears to be.... I missmatched the parts from teh old and the new and can not get the pistol back together w/ the new/old stock cylinder. Yes, I am competant enough to get the gun back together w/ the old cylinder/extractor star/etc but not confident in my assesment of the situation. Any input would be appreciated!

 

[bgrafsr]

Have you tried putting the new cylinder onto your old yoke (crane)? It may be necessary to trim the end of the yoke to get the cylinder to close. You have to be careful doing that though, because you could end up with too much end shake. It could also be that the front of the new cylinder is hitting the rear of the barrel, in which case the barrel will need to be trimmed slightly to get the correct barrel/cylinder gap.

Usually the yoke and frame are polished as a unit to get fit and finish the same. Taking a different yoke and putting it in a different frame will usually cause some degree of imperfect fitting.

There are a lot of variables here, so it would behoove you to have an S&W gunsmith do the work for you.

 

[TacticalReload]

Fitting a new cylinder is not a drop-in job. Even if it fits, you're going to be damn lucky if the timing isn't off. This will mean the fitting of a new hand.

 

[500 Magnum Nut]

So I purchased a "new" cylinder for my 14-3. Unfortunately it does not seem to want to get installed w/o taking a bit of material off of the extractor star.

Don't remove material here! the head space will change.

Might have to set the barrel back. Also as mentioned the yoke might have to be trimmed.

For fun, take the cylinder and extractor and place it inside the window and see if it even fits. If it does, then maybe the barrel doesn't have to be moved, but the yoke will need to be fit.

After you get it working, the carry up needs to be checked.

Forgot to mention this, don't swap the extractors, keep the ones you have together, or the head space will change. They are fit and checked at the factory for proper size.

 

[tomcatt51]

I guess I have a slightly different slant on this. I would try installing the the "new" CYLINDER ONLY with all your old (original) parts. If it will install then check the endshake, barrel cyl gap, and headspace. You may find it only needs the endshake "adjusted".

 

[firearmsunlimited]

Save yourself the grief and aggravation and send it to Frank Glenn at Glenn Custom is Phoenix. He is a master pistol smith specializing in S&W's and was ranked by Hand Gunner magazine as one of the top pistol smiths in the country. His prices are very reasonable. -OR- you can go to the top of this page and click on the heading "Become a Gunsmith."

 

[neverenoughguns]

Thank you for all of the input. I had hoped that it would be a simple process but as it turns out, I purchased a never installed cylinder which is good but..... with the extractor and cylinder only, it will not fit in the frame "window".... I only paid $11 for the cylinder thinking it would be nicer than the one on my 14 but maybe the existing will stay.... The pistol is in awesome condition except for rust on one spot of the cylinder and one area near the tip of the barrel. It looks like it was stored laying on something (cardboard, t shirt, etc.) something that caused rust on one surface only. The rest of the pistol has a really nice finish...

 

[FRAN357]

I would send it toS&w they will charge 1 hr. to install it.Have Gene Sypeck.He is in p.c. the best repair man in smith.