Removing Yoke From Cylinder

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I own a j frame 642-1 bought September 2013, but fired about 500 - 800 rounds since. I tried to remove the cylinder for cleaning & had trouble extracting it. I posted the problem here last week, and got sage advice to try rotating the cylinder.

I rotated the cylindar and & it and the yoke came right out, not very smoothly, but they weren't hard to remove.

I could not, however, completely remove the yoke from the cylinder. At first when I pulled gently on the yoke, it did not budge. I pulled harder and it still did not budge. I then pulled very hard and I felt something "give" and it came out about 2/3 or 3/4 of the way out.

I then pulled with about the same amount of pressure but it clearly felt like it "caught" on something and simply would not come out all the way. I then pushed on the metal bar and it easily went back in. While it easily pulled back out, it again "caught" on something at the same spot & wouldn't come all the way out. Repeating that procedure produced no better results. I was afraid to employ maximum strength because I know from doing this procedure on the 686 that I own, it is suppose to pull out easily.

Does anyone have suggestions? Is there a significance to my feeling something "give" or release to get the rod to pull out to the extent that it actually did so?

I am new to dealing with guns andI have no instinct about these things.

Any comments will be appreciated.
 
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It just slides right off, My best guess is your extractor rod is bent and is getting hung up where it's bent.
 
I'm thinking the yoke is bent a little - how does it match up against the frame when cylinder is closed. Look at top of yoke and also front of yoke.
 
Thanks for both of your inputs.

When I try to examine the yoke, however, I really don't know what normal & abnormal look like. I have zero background in the mechanical operation & make up of guns. While I am eager to learn, I can't tell if anything appears off or not.

I just tried to remove the yoke & cylinder again from the frame & it was rough removing them. Something being bent seems logical. Should I take it to a gunsmith for diagnosis to confirm its not operator error or contact S&W?

Thanks.
 
I'm agreeing that the yoke is probably bent, and if it were mine, I'd send it in to the factory, rather than a gunsmith.....unless you know of one who specializes in Smiths.

Before you do that, though, there's a chance that crud has accumulated in the cylinder "bearing," i.e., the part of the yoke that has the rod on which the cylinder rotates (my terms, not Smiths!). You might take an eyedrop of Kroil and squirt it in there and let it sit for a day or two. Might dissolve something and get rid of it. Worth a try.
 
All good advice. I will get the Kroil & try that. If that fails, it goes to S&W. I saw 2 YouTube videos that suggested removing the cylinder & yoke occasionally for cleaning. I wanted to try & learn about how the gun is put together & works, so since it did not look difficult on the videos, I decided to try it. All went well with my 686, but not my 642.

Mr. McCarver, you are not the only one to advise not trying it. A long time friend and highly qualified MOST knowledgeable retired LEO who was shooting instructor for state troopers also suggested that I not do it. It turns out both of you were right. My interest in learning about my gun, however, overrode that good advice. If there is a price to pay, I will simply have to pay it. How else can a person to improve their knowledge & abilities? Nevertheless, your reply to my post reflects wisdom & is intended for my benefit. I am most appreciative of your input as the replies of everybody else.
 
My interest in learning about my gun, however, overrode that good advice. If there is a price to pay, I will simply have to pay it. How else can a person to improve their knowledge & abilities? Nevertheless, your reply to my post reflects wisdom & is intended for my benefit. I am most appreciative of your input as the replies of everybody else.


I doubt you bent anything taking the yoke/cylinder out of the frame. I would be surprised if the yoke could be crooked enough to keep the cylinder from coming off. The ejector rod would have to have a pretty good wow to be stuck. Check for crud, spray it down good and work it gently. You can always send it in for repair if that doesn't work. I would not be real forceful though.
Hope that helps.:)
Ed
 
Yes, I did that. At first, I had trouble removing it, so I posted an inquiry about what to do. Then, I received a recommendation to turn the cylindar before extracting. I did that with success, but it was still difficult to remove. I felt it "give" before coming out. But then I could not extract the rod from the cylindar more thn 2/3 or 3/4 of the way. I never got it out further.
 
Before sending off to S&W and well before seeking a local gunsmith, look for a factory trained LEO armorer in your area. If you have a department near you that is big enough to have an armorer call and see if you can talk with him. The armorers all talk to each other and you can find out who might be able to help you locally that is trained on S&W revolvers. Aside from other things if he is armorer trained he will probably have the tools and knowhow to diagnose and fix the problem.

As to local gunsmiths, keep in mind that anyone can hang out a sign as a gunsmith and go to work on guns. Nobody really certifies any of them except one mail order organization which takes money and has no official sanction. If they can afford the cost they can get certified. While some are good, many are very bad or worse. Even college or trade school grads from places like Trinidad State Junior College or Colorado School of Trades can fall on a long continuum of excellent to poor. But most of them at least have training.
 
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