Help with 686+ cylinder release

S

Sprout

New member
Everbody,

After reading a number of "Help me pick my first revolver" threads, a year ago I purchased a 4" 686+ as my first gun, and it has been wonderful. Upon the suggession of the guy cleaning the range guns where I shoot, I took off the cylinder and crane, and I disassembed the ejector rod from the cylinder for cleaning. However, I am not a mechanicaly proficient person and, to make a long story short, when reassembled, the cylinder does not want to release when I push the lever. From what little I can tell, the button at the end of the barrel shroud is not being depressed enough to release the cylinder.

I tried tightening the cylinder rod with a pair of vicegrips and a piece of leather, but it doesn't seem to make a difference. I also tried oiling all the associated parts and working them back and forth, to no avail. Does anyone know what I've done wrong?

Thanks for your time,

Li'l Sprout
 
Does the release(thumbpiece) move backwards at all without the cylinder in the window? If you can't pull it to the rear with your thumb, then something is binding on the inside. BTW, such a technique will also allow you to cycle the action without having the weight and drag of the cylinder assembly in place. If there is any notable difference in the pull with the cylinder in place, then that would indicate something needs attention there.
 
Thanks for the help VictorLouis.

The thumb release pulls back easily when the cylinder is out. When the cylinder is in, and the ejector rod is pushing on the thumb release pin, the thumb release cannot be pulled back any further, but will push forward (against the rod and that little spring) as if to release the cylinder. However, this doesn't seem to push the rod inside the ejector rod out far enough to push back that sharpened-looking pin at the more dangerous end of the barrel (the "barrel pin," for lack of the correct term) past the outer housign of the ejector rod (yes, I do need to learn the names of these parts). Right now I can poke the "barrel pin" with a matchstick to push it the extra little bit necessary to clear the ejector rod housing and release the cylinder, but the thumb release alone seems to leave it about 1 mm short.

Did I put together the ejector rod assembly incorrectly? Tightening the ejector rod onto the extrator-star thingie seems to increase the length of the ejector rod stroke, but it really doesn't want to tighten any further.

I had problems with this when I got the gun, and I had cosmetically scraped the ejector rod tryng to tighten it further (using my vicegrips and a shop cloth, instead fo a piece fo leather), so I am now using a new ejector rod I ordered from S&W (nice service, although they sent me the a different screw that the one I had asked for). Both rods appear to be the same length, athough I don't have a pair of calipers to be sure.

Thank you for your help.
 
First off, I hope you know that the extractor rod on the 686 has LEFT hand threads. Trying to thread it onto the extractor the wrong way will ruin the threads of both the rod and the extractor.

If that is not the problem, check everything again. The small spring goes on the flat end of the center pin (ahead of the flange)so as to push it backwards, not on the rounded or back end.

Try assembling the cylinder, extractor, extractor spring, extractor rod, center pin and center pin spring separately, without the crane. Then, after they are assembled, you can insert the assembly into the crane.

Jim
 
If assembled correctly, the ejector rod end piece is tightened up REAL tight (in the reverse thread direction of course). So tight, in fact, some have been known to snap when trying to come off. If you see a length changing as you tighten it, it is assembled wrong or just not tight.

You might want to order the Kuhnhausen manual from Brownells as these kind of things are hard to visualize without pictures. It's been so long since I did mine I don't remember the exact assembly sequence.
 
If they are handy...
Use EMPTY 9mm (9x19) cases stuffed into the chambers to take the strain off of the tiny star locater pins (or keyway) when screwing or unscrewing the ejector rod. The 9s are tapered and will lock up the star nicely.

Get Jerry Kunhausen's excellent book on S&Ws.

Sam
 
Jim,

Yes, the guy at the shooting range was nice enough to warn me about the left hand threads when I asked him the best way to take it apart.

I think that I had attached the center pin spring correctly, and I've attached a rahter dark picture to illustrate how I put it together, to be sure.

Thank you for the help, and the correct terminology for all the parts. I hope the picture will suggest what I've been doing wrong (please excuse the poor photography).

--edit--

So if those parts are in the right order, should I just crank real hard when tightening it up? From the way I've got it assembled, it looks like the sleeve with the lip that keeps the ejector spring on also keeps the ejector rod from screwing on completely (the sleeve is longer than the untreaded portion of the center pin). Could that be causing the problem?

Thanks Jim, bountyh, and C.R. Sam
 

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Figured it out! <huzzah>

I took my 686-6 plus to my local gun range, and the gunsmith there was stumped too ... until he put my extractor rod in his 686-4 plus and the rod from his 686-5 in my gun. Then both guns worked perfectly (my rod did not work in his 686-5, which had us scratching our heads for a while). The funny thing is that both parts look practically identical. Thank's everybody for all of your help, hopefully I can get S&W to send me a part that works.

Sprout
 
Sorry I forgot to check back here sooner.

If I understand you correctly, you've found that the replacement center-pin was too short. Couldn't quite stretch forward enough to depress the forward locking bolt?:D
 
Actually, the center pin is the same, the replacement extractor rod was very slightly longer (a lip past the checkered portion), and the threaded portion was such that the extractor rod collar covered some of the threading so it didn't screw in as far as it could, thereby failing to depress the forward locking bolt (look at the closer picture).

Thank you for your help. When I posted my problem, I had though that it was simply a matter of me incorrectly putting the thing back together. But, when you guys didn't have an immediate answer, I realized I needed professional assistance.

Thankfully, a gunsmith was nice enough to spend about half an hour working on it with me untill we figured it out (for free, even though I had offered to pay. He and his range are going to get all of my business from now on).

S&W says that I don't have to send the wrong parts back, and the right parts are in the mail.

Thank you for all your help.
 
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