Not very familiar with revolvers. Own a few but seldom get them to the range.

Purchased a new SW model 69, ran 18 rounds of .44 special underwood through it. The action is now binding up pretty good.

Will oil it and clean it, disappointed at the moment.

What say the experts?

Sounds like fouling underneath the ejector star .

What’s binding? If the cylinder won’t turn, check for crud under the extractor. If it’s not wanting to open and close make sure the ejector rod hasn’t started to unscrew.

I’d be willing to bet it’s the extractor. What kind of 44 special? Factory? Reloads? It seem dirty?

Dudes are correct… first thing is check under the extractor star. Brush with nylon brush. Next check barrel cylinder gap with feeler gauges if you have some. Cylinder pushed back and cylinder pushed forward. Should be no less than .002”

I wouldn’t think 18 rounds would crud up an extractor star, or anything for that matter. But you’ve got to start somewhere.
Assuming you bought it brand new.

Give it a thorough cleaning especially under the extractor star. Scrub the ejector rod and oil it. Get a Lead Away Cloth and use it on the front of the cylinder and back of the forcing cone.

Hopefully it's just left over crud from the manufacturing process. If that doesn't help, check the barrel cylinder gap with feeler gauges. I've got a 629 Classic that is very sensitive to crud under the extract star.

With so few rounds through it, my guess is the extractor rod has unscrewed. Fairly common in Smith revolvers.

quote:

Originally posted by YooperSigs:
With so few rounds through it, my guess is the extractor rod has unscrewed. Fairly common in Smith revolvers.

My thought as well. Take note, it tightens back up counter clockwise. It's strong but do not torque on it too much.

As Yooper says, my first inclination would be to check extractor Rod, I have had this happen, not something you would expect to happen but it does.

Please don’t use pliers on the knurled tip of the ejector rod. If you’re going to try to tighten the rod yourself with pliers, pad the plier jaws with leather. The threads are fine and the rod can also bend. Be gentle.

Brownells used to carry a special wrench for tightening ejector rods. If I remember correctly, it was made by Ron Power gunsmithing. I don’t know if it’s still available.

Frankly, if the rod is loose, I’d suggest you get S&W to issue a call tag and send it back to them, if you aren’t familiar with working on revolvers.

Don’t forget that the extractor rod is reverse thread .

The most likey issues have already been well-covered in this thread. For good measure, I'd also check the cutout for the locking detent in the crane and make sure no crud is in there preventing complete lockup, and then the tip of your hand and the ratchet teeth on the extractor for burrs.

My money is on either dirt under the extractor or a loose extractor rod, though.

I have found that I do need to pull my cylinder assemblies apart occasionally and clean the bearing surfaces as they will eventually start to gum up with fouling and not spin freely, but it has always taken a lot more rounds then you described to get to that point.

quote:

Originally posted by arfmel:
Please don’t use pliers on the knurled tip of the ejector rod. If you’re going to try to tighten the rod yourself with pliers, pad the plier jaws with leather. The threads are fine and the rod can also bend. Be gentle.

Brownells used to carry a special wrench for tightening ejector rods. If I remember correctly, it was made by Ron Power gunsmithing. I don’t know if it’s still available.

Frankly, if the rod is loose, I’d suggest you get S&W to issue a call tag and send it back to them, if you aren’t familiar with working on revolvers.

True, not on the knurled rod end. I had a small pair of pliers with radiused jaws which fit near perfect to the rod diameter on all my K and L frames. I wrapped the rod with a short piece of .020 thick sheet brass to protect it. Again, don't over tighten it. Tighten the rod counter clockwise while holding its ejector end in place at the back of the cylinder. You'll be fine doing so.

I chuck the knurled end and as much of the shaft as I can fit into padded vice jaws, put empties or snap caps into the cylinder to protect the extractor from torque on the ends and locator pins, and unscrew by turning the cylinder by hand.

Thank you for all the quick replies.

I will get to it this week and come back with an update.

It’s unfortunate but this happen I guess.

I only add this because you said you aren’t a revolver guy. ALWAYS point the gun vertically (up obviously) when you punch our empties. If it is pointed down that is the easiest way to have something fall under ejector star. It doesn’t take much to jam it up. Literally an unburned grain of powder under the star can be problematic. Point it up then punch them out.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: pedropcola,

Just cleaned the star. Under it and made sure the rod is tight.

Cylinder spins just fine.

If I try to put the cylinder in the frame. Lot of resistance and if I push it in. Locked up.

Again. Brand new gun. Factory ammo, underwood .44 special.

Very odd.

Where does the resistance start? Can you tell if it's at the front or rear of the cylinder?

Call S&W. Ask for return shipping label. Let them fix it. It usually takes two days.

Before you go to all the trouble of sending it to Smith. Can you post a pic of the cylinder not going into the window? Or several pics of the area? (I use postimages)