Newbie with repair question - identity first

[Wayne the Shrink]

I have a S&W Hand Ejector 32 Long 4.25" barrel measured to the forcing cone. Serial #5380xx. Sights are fixed.

The ejector rod is very slightly bent. I thought I got a replacement from Mr. Poppert but the one he sent me has a larger boss on the front end, one with two levels of diameter while mine only has one.

I am going to try to post pics but I've never done this on my iPad before. It would only load one pic. Size issue?

 

[Wayne the Shrink]

another pic

Here is a pic of the ejector rod. I can't see the bend when I take it off, when I see an enlarged pic I can.

 

[DCWilson]

If the ejector rod is bent, it is likely that the center pin is bent as well. Both can be straightened if you are careful about how you go about it. Possibly the rod looks straight when it is off the gun because the bend is in the threaded tip. If you trust your own muscle management, clamp the rod in a vise shaped to hold a small cylinder firmly but not crush it, thread the cylinder on, and move the cylinder mass by hand until it is vertical when observed from any direction. You can hammer a center pin straight by rolling the bent side up and tapping it until the arc is gone. This works best on a steel surface or a chunk of hardwood so you can't overcorrect in the wrong direction. This process may lengthen the pin and rod by a tiny fraction of an inch, which may allow the front of the ejector rod to scuff the locking lug when you close it. Just stone that down to restore the clearance.

I am assuming that when the yoke is open and the cylinder spins freely, the tip of the ejector rod moves eccentrically and defines a small circle. If the rod tip does not move like that, then you may have a bent yoke. That is a more serious problem.

Just FYI, 5380xx would be a very early postwar .32 HE or .32 Regulation Police. Does the gun have a square butt or round butt? If square, the serial number would ordinarily be found on the forestrap of the grip between the trigger guard and strain screw. That is the Regulation Police version. The round butt guns have the serial number on the bottom of the grip frame and are considered the basic .32 Hand Ejector.

Once you get it up and running that will be a fine little shooter.

 

[Wayne the Shrink]

First, the serial number is on the bottom of the grip. The inner rod is not bent. The outer rod is slightly bent. If I push it it will lock, but the action is very tight and a little difficult to use when I do. The bend is so slight that it does not lock naturally when it is closed. When locked it will rotate single and double action. Just not as easily as when it was made.

 

[Hondo44]

Is your rod right or left hand thread? Does the replacement look like this:

David gave you great advice above.

Here's a slightly different method I've had good luck using. You need a perfectly flat surface like a piece of marble or table saw top, etc. Let the rod knob hang over one edge so the rod can be rolled flat. In this way you'll find the bend or high spot.

Now cover the flat surface with one layer of masking tape to protect the rod finish. You'll need a rawhide hammer like used in leather work or plastic/rubber tipped mechanics hammer (a small one).

Insert the shank of a drill bit that will snugly fit inside the rod, it will reinforce it so the rod doesn't get flattened. Position the rod with the high spot up and mark it with black felt tip pen so you can tell if the hammer blows are landing on the high spot. Gently tap with slightly increasing force to straighten the rod. Once the rod starts to straighten, the drill bit will become loose. Replace it with the next size larger that fits snug once again. Repeat the process until the rod rolls evenly on the flat surface indicating it's straight.

 

[Muss Muggins]

I would not follow any of the methods described above to evaluate and fix this issues There are two proper Smith and Wesson tools to use in evaluating and straightening a bent rod, one being an apparatus that holds the cylinder and places the rod in a position to be adjusted. DO NOT use a vise or roll the thing around unsupported on a table. Use the right tool or use a gunsmith.

 

[Wayne the Shrink]

Jim, mine is reverse threaded. The one Mr. Poppert sent me looks exactly like yours, what gun is that? As you can see, mine is a single level, yours is double.

Miss Muggins, do you have a link for such a tool? I assume Brownells carries it, but don't know the nomenclature to find them.

 

[Muss Muggins]

Jim, mine is reverse threaded. The one Mr. Poppert sent me looks exactly like yours, what gun is that? As you can see, mine is a single level, yours is double.

Miss Muggins, do you have a link for such a tool? I assume Brownells carries it, but don't know the nomenclature to find them.

I bought mine in Springfield, from Smith and Wesson. Came with the armorer's basic toolkit. I believe I was told at the time that it was proprietary . . .

 

[Hondo44]

Jim, mine is reverse threaded. The one Mr. Poppert sent me looks exactly like yours, what gun is that? As you can see, mine is a single level, yours is double.

Miss Muggins, do you have a link for such a tool? I assume Brownells carries it, but don't know the nomenclature to find them.

It's on a 1917 Army. However that 'mushroom' knob as it's often called, is used on most Smiths prior to 1/22/27 when your style, the barrel knob with right hand, was ordered to replace it. Your reverse thread 'barrel' knob was used after WW II. I would exchange the mushroom knob rod for one like yours or return it to Popperts.

As a practical matter, even if you could buy the S&W tool, it might cost as much as your gun. Finding a gunsmith that has one will be a project as most can't afford all the specialized tools and will straighten your rod with a method similar to those described above.

 

[Wayne the Shrink]

I bought mine in Springfield, from Smith and Wesson. Came with the armorer's basic toolkit. I believe I was told at the time that it was proprietary . . .

Do you do these repairs? I don't know how to PM's here but you can e-mail me.

Wayne the Shrink

 

[Wayne the Shrink]

By the way, I have assumed that this is an I frame pistol since it is much smaller than other Smith's I have or have used.

 

[Muss Muggins]

Do you do these repairs? I don't know how to PM's here but you can e-mail me.

Wayne the Shrink

I do, but not for out of state or even out of my ZIP code owners. Too much trouble with the paperwork and delivery/return. I've got a day job as well . . . There's a good gunsmith in VA, I'm certain of that. . .

 

[Wayne the Shrink]

Actually, since no property is changing hands, I can send it to you in a USPS Priority Mail box and you can send it back to me the same way. It is only when ownership changes that the paperwork occurs. Repairs are exempt from that requirement.

If I can get ahold of my guy I'll ask him if he has such.

 

[Muley Gil]

Actually, since no property is changing hands, I can send it to you in a USPS Priority Mail box and you can send it back to me the same way. It is only when ownership changes that the paperwork occurs. Repairs are exempt from that requirement.

If I can get ahold of my guy I'll ask him if he has such.

Uh, no. Only a FFL can use the US Postal Service to ship handguns. You must ship to a FFL for repairs.

 

[Wayne the Shrink]

Uh, no. Only a FFL can use the US Postal Service to ship handguns. You must ship to a FFL for repairs.

Well, since I have my 03 and this qualifies I guess I still could. I will check local first, though.

 

[Muley Gil]

Well, since I have my 03 and this qualifies I guess I still could. I will check local first, though.

Curio & Relic FFL doesn't count. You have to have a dealer's or gunsmith's FFL to use the USPS. You can ship using common carrier (UPS or FedEx), but you must ship to another FFL if the gun is going out of state.

 

[Wayne the Shrink]

Humm, that's good to know. They can ship to me but I can't return.

Anyway, Larry Poppert got back to me and said "It looks like you need a J frame ejector rod - I have these".

Is that likely to fit? I'm sending his back anyway.