Smith & Wesson K22 Masterpeice Intermittent Cylinder binding problem

[Cherokee180]

Hi All,
I recently purchased a 1954 K22 Masterpiece .22 LR revolver.
It's really accurate, fun, and inexpensive to shoot.
(I used the search function and tried a few things but haven't solved the problem yet....)
Occasionally (only with cartridges in the chambers) the cylinder will bind. It's not possible to pull the trigger or manually cock the hammer.
The problem happens on the same chamber each time.
I took the side plate off--no prying!--and found the revolver is clean. I did clean a little by the cylinder release and very lightly lubed internally.
After cleaning, I went through 6 or 7 cylinders before the problem returned intermittently.
There are no burrs on the hand or cylinder ratchet.
The cartridges have not backed out of the chamber.
There is no unburned powder under the extractor
The ejector rod is tight (it's not "wobbly" or bent either).
Not much end shake.
No burrs or elongation on the center pin and the center pin spring is strong.
The cylinder release works smoothly.
My buddy who is mechanically inclined looked it over as well and didn't see anything amiss.
I can detail strip my 1911 so if I take my time I believe I can fix this (if I knew what to do next).
Any help is appreciated.
Thank you!

 

[flat top]

Cherokee 180; Next time that happens, hold the gun up to the light and see if the firing pin is sticking......also, my Model 18 has "tight" cylinders, and if allowed to go too long between cleanings one or more of the cartridges will not seat deep enough and cause the cylinder to bind. Good Luck, and let us know what you find! FT

 

[desman]

My model 29 was doing much the same thing.It was fine after a cleaning for a few cylinder fulls,then would start binding.I traced it down to a very tight cylinder /barrel gap that would start binding when a bit of crud built up.

 

[H Richard]

When I first got my 3.5" Pre27 I had the same problem, binding at a certain point, but not on all chambers. I cleaned it well (I thought), and then showed it to a friend who had been through the S&W armorers course. He opened the cylinder, and thumbed the extractor rod and let it snap back a few times, and a tiny piece of burnt powder residue, (unique) popped out of some hidden area. It has worked flawlessly ever since.

 

[john traveler]

You've already "checked all the usual suspects" and inspection points.

Now, do the following:

1. Check to see if barrel-to-cylinder gap is uniform as you cycle the action. This can be done by holding the gun muzzle up with bright object in the background. If it is tight on one chamber position, firing residue (burned lubricant, lead slivers, carbon fouling, etc) can make the cylinder tight at that point.

2. Look for a burr on a chamber mouth that snags the barrel stub ("forcing cone" end of barrel breech)

3. Look for a burred firing pin tip. With action open and unloaded, thumb cylinder release back, and cycle the action. Firing pin should smoothly enter the hole and retract by itself when trigger is released.

4. Look for burred edges on the recoil shield that could snag cartridge rims as they cycle past.

5. With fired cases in cylinder, hold gun up to light source and watch case rims as you cycle the gun. There should be sufficient clearance (headspace) between fired cases and recoil shield.

Check these points and report back to us with results.

 

[armsmaster270]

Or put a feeler gage in the cylinder barrel gap and try to turn the cylinder by hand while holding the hammer back 1/2 way with the gun unloaded

 

[Cherokee180]

Thanks to everyone!
After work today I'll try these suggestions and report back.

 

[flat top]

........looking forward to hearing what you come up with, and hope that your problem is solved!

 

[jrd1976]

I was also having this problem with a K22 M48-4 22 Mag. I had just purchsed the gun and had only fired a box or so and cleaned it. After reassembly it was binding slightly on one chamber and got progressively worse. None of the suggestions listed above helped, so I called S&W to return it.

Before shipping, I disassembled and hosed everything down with Gun Scrubber, lubricated, and reassembled. I don't know where the piece of crud was located, but the Gun Scrubber washed it out. It has a smooth action and is a great shooter.