Problem with 686 S&W .357 mag

R

Roy Allain

New member
I am cleaning a S&W rev. for a friend and trying to free the cylinder. It will not release.
The button is missing and I tried pushing the stub forward with a dowel, but to no avail.
The cyl. will not open.
I checked the barrel; no obstruction. There are no rounds in the chambers.

The gun functions fine. The cyl spins when the hammer is pulled back. The hammer cocks back ok and the trigger releases the hammer when pulled.
All ok, except the cyl. will not open. It is totally locked except when moving the hammer back. That tells me something, but I don't know what.

Some people said they think the problem is the "hand", a small part below and to the rear of the cyl. A couple of schematics show the hand, but not how it functions.

I cannot get anyone to explain how to dissemble the internals after the side plate is removed. I have never done this and will not do anything until I have a clear picture of where to begin and end.

Oh, and just to clarify a bit, the side plate and also the left side to a lesser extent looked like they have been worked over with a hammer and a center punch. Not badly or deeply, but it really shows.

Any help is greatly appreciated.

Roy
 
When you try to tighten the rod, remember that it has left hand threads. You go counter-clockwise to tighten it.

I saw a lot of loose ejector rods on our M-15s when I was a firearms training officer in the USAF. It wasn't too hard to get to the rods, because the rods were exposed. It's not as easy on a 686.
 
Ejector rod

What type of tool do you recommend to hold or tighten the rod?

Thanks for the replys. Makes sense.

My biggest problem is everything is jammed. Hope this does the trick.

Roy
 
I agree it does sound like a loose ejector rod. You can use your fingers to hold it still just enough to spin the cylinder tight enough so it will open. You could also use a dowl sanded down just enough to apply pressure the the end to hold it in place.
 
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I did it.

Thanks Smee78. It worked perfectly. I tried it just a minute ago after I read your post. I can't believe it. It is so simple.

This should be on a sticky. Thank you boys, that was a real toe tapper.

I owe you guys, big time and also my buddy whose revolver I just miraculously repaired.;)

Many, many thanks.

Roy
 
Not to be the ambulance that showed up after the patient had been transported, but the "standard" way to deal with this in shrouded revolvers is:

Using a thin piece of plastic (piece cut from a printer transparency works best), slide it between the cylinder and the cylinder stop while the hammer is back a hair; this takes the cylinder stop out of the action.

Now take an ice cream stick and wedge it into the gap between the rod and either the top or the bottom of the rod chase in the shroud. Most shrouded revolvers will have left hand thread, so tightening requires moving cylinder counter-clockwise (viewed from the rear), so stick goes on the bottom gap.
 
Not to be the ambulance that showed up after the patient had been transported, but the "standard" way to deal with this in shrouded revolvers is:

Using a thin piece of plastic (piece cut from a printer transparency works best), slide it between the cylinder and the cylinder stop while the hammer is back a hair; this takes the cylinder stop out of the action.

Now take an ice cream stick and wedge it into the gap between the rod and either the top or the bottom of the rod chase in the shroud. Most shrouded revolvers will have left hand thread, so tightening requires moving cylinder counter-clockwise (viewed from the rear), so stick goes on the bottom gap.
Click to expand...

That's excellent advice. I've got a buddy who was given a "broken" S&W revolver and he used this method it "fix" it. It took him about 1 minute to "repair" the gun, and he gave it back to the guy who was extremely thankful to have his gun back in good condition.
 
Now, to the more serious question! What's with the sides being worked over with a hammer and center punch?? That won't be as easily repaired. Show us pictures of the damage, please.

Bob
 
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