686 disassembly
- Thread starter sophijo
- Start date
Capt. Charlie
Moderator Emeritus
I've had my 586 for about 20 yrs now and have never had to totally disassemble it, although I have replaced springs. The Smith's are one of the easiest as far as moving parts are concerned, and while a gunsmith may not be necessary, I still wouldn't recommend it. The tricky part, if you haven't done it before, is removing the side plate. Do NOT, EVER, pry on the side plate!! It can be removed only by tapping the frame with a wooden or plastic mallet. Once removed, the hammer block will fall out, and it's tricky to replace properly. That's as far as I'd take it. Spray the guts with gun scrubber and re-lube. I do remove the crane and cylinder when I clean, but that's as far as I take it.
Dissassembly is fairly easy.
Reassembly can be difficult. The internal springs can be difficult to install and easy to lose.
Books and videos are available to instruct you in dissassembly and reassembly, if you wish.
I have dissassembled an reassembled my model 57 and it works just fine.
http://www.thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=184979
If you are careful, good at following instructions, and good with your hands, I'd say go for it! You learn how your weapon functions and become very intimate with it as well.
Reassembly can be difficult. The internal springs can be difficult to install and easy to lose.
Books and videos are available to instruct you in dissassembly and reassembly, if you wish.
I have dissassembled an reassembled my model 57 and it works just fine.
http://www.thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=184979
If you are careful, good at following instructions, and good with your hands, I'd say go for it! You learn how your weapon functions and become very intimate with it as well.
Dfariswheel
New member
If you'd like to be able to PROPERLY disassemble you S&W, there is NO better source of info then Jerry Kuhnhausen's book "The S&W Revolvers: A Shop Manual".
This is a real pistolsmith's reference that shows just about EVERYTHING known about the S&W DA revolver.
The methods shown for disassembly, parts check-out, new parts fitting, repairs, and tuning, are 100% FACTORY methods....NO shade tree gunsmithing.
Simply being able to determine whether your revolver has a problem and being able to correctly diagnose it is well worth the price.
You can buy a copy for around $30.00 from Brownell's or Midway USA.
I consider these Kuhnhausen manuals necessary reading for any gun owner, even if you have no intention of actually working on your gun.
This is a real pistolsmith's reference that shows just about EVERYTHING known about the S&W DA revolver.
The methods shown for disassembly, parts check-out, new parts fitting, repairs, and tuning, are 100% FACTORY methods....NO shade tree gunsmithing.
Simply being able to determine whether your revolver has a problem and being able to correctly diagnose it is well worth the price.
You can buy a copy for around $30.00 from Brownell's or Midway USA.
I consider these Kuhnhausen manuals necessary reading for any gun owner, even if you have no intention of actually working on your gun.
I recently disassembled a 3 screw m38.
It wasn't hard, but I only did it as I had a timing issue and wanted to ensure that I gave it a complete, detailed cleaning.
In the end, I could've given it the same cleaning by using a $2 can of spray brake cleaner followed by a few drops of CLP.
I wouldn't open it unless you truly feel a need, but it is easy enough. Remove the three screws, remove the yoke and cylinder. I presume the grips are already off. Hold revolver in your palm, plate up, and then use a hammer with a wooden handle. Tap the handle (not the head!) on the grips a few times, stoutly but not hard, and you'll find the plate sort of pops up. Remove carefully.
Do not pry!
As they said, the hammer block is loose, when you reassemble it, you'll find a groove in the plate to align it with.
A picture is worth a thousand words, right? THere's two thousand words of quality education right here, http://smith-wessonforum.com/groupee/forums/a/tpc/f/530103904/m/875107028
It wasn't hard, but I only did it as I had a timing issue and wanted to ensure that I gave it a complete, detailed cleaning.
In the end, I could've given it the same cleaning by using a $2 can of spray brake cleaner followed by a few drops of CLP.
I wouldn't open it unless you truly feel a need, but it is easy enough. Remove the three screws, remove the yoke and cylinder. I presume the grips are already off. Hold revolver in your palm, plate up, and then use a hammer with a wooden handle. Tap the handle (not the head!) on the grips a few times, stoutly but not hard, and you'll find the plate sort of pops up. Remove carefully.
Do not pry!
As they said, the hammer block is loose, when you reassemble it, you'll find a groove in the plate to align it with.
A picture is worth a thousand words, right? THere's two thousand words of quality education right here, http://smith-wessonforum.com/groupee/forums/a/tpc/f/530103904/m/875107028
Capt. Charlie
Moderator Emeritus
I've found that after awhile, the cylinder support tube on the crane gets gunked up, preventing the cylinder from rotating freely. If it gets really gunked, it can add a pound or two to the double action trigger pull. That's the only reason I pull the crane and cylinder. A quick wipe down of the tube, inside and out, a few drops of Rem Oil, and you're back in business.