S&W revolvers hard to open cylinder

[OldCop876]

Hello all,

I have a few S&W DA revolvers, all of which date from the 1970's. While most of them are very smooth in operation, I have two that seem to be "problem children" with the same fault. The issue is that when I push the cylinder latch, these two seem to require much more effort to get them far enough forward to release the cylinder than my other Smiths of the same era. I had an extended period when I was not able to shoot or handle these due to my health and I do not remember this being a problem before. At first, I though perhaps my hand strength was diminished from my illness, and it actually was, but after recovery I only have trouble opening these two. Sometimes I have to re-adjust my thumb position on the latch to open them at all, not so with my other revolvers.

The guns in question are a Model 49 No Dash and a Model 19-3. I ave cleaned both revolvers to include disassembling the ejector assemblies. Those parts move very smoothly. When I put them back in I have made sure they are tight. The cylinders both open well, they just require more forward pressure on the latch than my other Smiths.

Any ideas about how to fix this would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Dave.357]

The cleaning of forward end of cylinder and under
The ejector star and tightening of ejector rod.
Usually fixes this problem , is there any gap
Between barrel and cylinder? You should
Have at least .004 gap.
Next would be a deep clean of gun with
Side plate removed. There may be a build up
Of gunk some where limiting movement
Of the bolt. Make sure rear end of barrel is clean.

 

[WR Moore]

You seem to have done a good cleaning/lubrication of the internals. Have you checked the locking bolt for free and complete motion? Should easily go flush into its lug.

While you're at it, if you press the center pin flush with the ratchet, the other end of the pin should be at least flush with the end of the extractor. With the cylinder open, is the end of the bolt at least flush with the recoil shield/breech face? If you remove the thumb piece, does that affect how the bolt moves? I suppose if the bolt is slightly warped it might rub on the frame and cause friction. You might also check to see if the bolt body is proud of it's recess and remove any excess.

Finally, I've no clue if you could possibly put the wrong extractor spring in there, but the correct S&W part number for J frame extractor springs is 075790000. There are two springs available for the K frame: standard is 075940000 and there's a California Highway Patrol spec spring 075700000. You might try new springs if nothing else shows up.

 

[Protocall_Design]

Also, check for ejector rods that may be unscrewing. They get longer when they come loose.

 

[amarin]

Given that you have two Smith's with difficult release mechanisms gives a strong rise that they have loosened the rod which makes them longer and therefore harder to open the cylinder mechanism. Remember, they should screw in backwards from your normal mechanisms.

 

[Rusty parrot]

You might check the lock for the ejector rod and insure it is moving freely.
I had this happen on one gun and used lighter fluid to flush the mechanism and it solved the issue. Couldn’t believe the crud that came out. Good luck.

 

[3S16]

I have an LNIB Model 60 with the same issue. Only one in my S&W revolver collection with that problem. I finally gave up and sent it back to the factory.

 

[Dennis2149]

Remove and inspect the forward end of the centering pin. Look for evidence of hammering/mushrooming of the pin. Any lip that may have formed will rub/stick on the inside of the extractor rod requiring additional effort to swing the cylinder open. This was present on a well-used Model 29-2 that I had purchased. Removing the lip with careful honing against a fine Arkansas Stone corrected the problem. Good luck.