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Model 66 cylinder won’t advance.
- Thread starter Carryguns
- Start date
I'd look in your local area, first, and look for a smith who is an S&W authorized repair station.
Call S&W, they might be able to tell you who in your local area is....
The 66 is a discontinued model, S&W may no longer work on them, I don't know. There are several pistolsmiths that advertise nationally, and certainly one of them could fix your gun, but their cost and wait times are high.
Try local first, even if its a couple hour drive, it may be the best way to go.
(note, in today's virus restricted times, having the gun shipped to a smith might be your only practical option.)
Call around, see who's still working, and what they'll accept.
Good Luck!
Call S&W, they might be able to tell you who in your local area is....
The 66 is a discontinued model, S&W may no longer work on them, I don't know. There are several pistolsmiths that advertise nationally, and certainly one of them could fix your gun, but their cost and wait times are high.
Try local first, even if its a couple hour drive, it may be the best way to go.
(note, in today's virus restricted times, having the gun shipped to a smith might be your only practical option.)
Call around, see who's still working, and what they'll accept.
Good Luck!
Open it up, hold the cylinder in place, and try to spin the ejector rod. If it moves, that's the culprit, and it just needs to be tightened. It's threaded in reverse, so left equals tight.
Another thing to check is for crud under the extractor star. That can also cause it to seize.
Another thing to check is for crud under the extractor star. That can also cause it to seize.
Open it up, hold the cylinder in place, and try to spin the ejector rod. If it moves, that's the culprit, and it just needs to be tightened. It's threaded in reverse, so left equals tight.
And just to clarify, I think Tom Servo means if the rod alone spins independently of the cylinder. When the rod spins the cylinder is also supposed to spin.
If you're feeling adventurous,
I'd also have a look at the ratchet star at the back of the cylinder, see if they're really buggered up/worn down. Those are the nubs at the back of the cylinder. Also, you could check the hand (little piece of metal that comes out of a slot cut next to the firing pin hole) to see if it's worn down. The hand normally comes out when the trigger is pulled double action or when the hammer is cocked back, and engages the ratchet star and moves upward, advancing the cylinder. The hand won't come out of the slot if the cylinder is out of battery (opened by you) unless you hold the thumb latch to the back while pulling the trigger in double action. Holding the thumb latch back simulates having the cylinder in place. Of course, unload the revolver with ammo out of reach if you're checking it out. If the hand is worn down, it would be like a tooth missing on a bicycle gear. A bike gear that only has 1 tooth to begin with. Can't make the other part move. (okay maybe not the best analogy)
And just to clarify, I think Tom Servo means if the rod alone spins independently of the cylinder. When the rod spins the cylinder is also supposed to spin.
The outer part (with the knurling) of the rod is screwed on over the inner shaft. S&W changed from right hand to left hand thread on the rod in the early 60s, nearly a decade before the Model 66 came out, so it will have left hand thread.
The change in the thread was to reduce the odds of the outer rod unscrewing and tying up the gun. It can still happen now but its less likely.
Hold the cylinder so it won't turn and twist the ejector rod, if it turns (either way) its not tight and that can cause the cylinder to bind. If it is loose tighten it, HAND TIGHT only.
If this is the problem, and it keeps happening, some threadlocker compound can be put on the inner rod just be sure to get one that allows for the parts to be unscrewed. DO NOT use a permanent Loctite.
Yep, excellent advice. RodOpen it up, hold the cylinder in place, and try to spin the ejector rod. If it moves, that's the culprit, and it just needs to be tightened. It's threaded in reverse, so left equals tight.
Another thing to check is for crud under the extractor star. That can also cause it to seize.
1911_Hardball
New member
You didn't say what era of Model 66. Is it an "original" or the current production 2 piece barrel version? (66-8, I think)
I have a Model 66 and I can attest to mine not indexing once upon a time. Firstly it can fail to index by the cylinder being locked up hard or secondly fail to index by the hand skipping past the ratchets on the cylinder because the hand window is too worn or the hand is worn or a combination of the 2. The answer is to pull the gun apart and measure the width of the hand opening and the thickness of the hand. My hand was 94 thou so I purchased an after market over sized hand and stoned it back to about 96 thou. Many times you have to assemble and check but err on the side of caution. Also when buying an after market hand make sure its tool steel so you can stone it, factory parts are case hardened and by stoning them you remove that hardness.