Problems with my 629 OR maybe not

D

Diggers

New member
Hi everyone

So its like this. A couple of months ago I was shooting my 629 4 inch that is not even a year old yet. I first shot about 20 .44 specials through it and then put in some PMC mags. When I shot the second round my gun jammed!! Yes, my revolver jammed. :eek: The shell backed out of the chamber and became lodged in the chamber also so the cylinder could not advance. When i finally got it open the shell was stuck so tightly in the chamber, nothing was getting it out. When it cooled off enough I was able to pull it out. The gunsmith there decided (after a lot of messing around with it) that the chamber was off so he sent it back to S&W to be fixed. When it came back all S&W had to say about it was "fixed cylinder". (and the rear sight was broken, but thats a different story :mad: )
Today was the first time shooting it from when it was fixed and the same kind of thing happened. I shot a bunch of 44 specials with out a problem, then some PMC mags and the shells became stuck in the cylinder. It didn't exacly jam this time but I could feel the shells rubbing as I pulled the trigger.

When I talked to the guys that were working in the shop today about this problem, explaining what had happened in the past, they told me that it wasn't my gun, but that it was that PMC was cheap ammo an the brass will expand too much and get stuck. :confused:

If this is so why was my gun sent back to be fixed to start with?
Has any one else had this experiance??

Thanks
Diggers
 
Just my opinion but, I think you should be cleaning your cylinder when going to a longer cartridge after shooting shorter ones. You'll get some fouling built up from the .44 Specials, then when you go to shoot the longer .44 Mags, the brass is aginst the fouling when it should be against the chamber wall. In a tight chamber this may jam the spent case.
Just my opinion, FWIW :)
 
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Two things.I think that RCL is right.The shorter Special rounds are allowing a buildup where the Magnums case needs to be.ie.Sticky extraction.I've done it to myself in both .357 & .44 mag revos.

Secondly PMC,IMHO,isn't "cheap" ammo.It happens to cost less.That's all.I've several thousand PMC empties stored & waiting for me to start reloading them(sooner or later).:)All of those went boom on command & went,more or less,where I wanted them to go.
 
Common problem with the .357 and .44 mag pistols.

The .38s and .44 specials are shorter and leave a fouling ring in the cylinder. That ring can make it hard to chamber or eject the longer .357/44 mag rounds.

Start with the magnum rounds and shoot your .44specials last--then clean the fouling rings out when you get home before the next range trip.
 
Yeah, that makes sense. But would it build up so quickly with each chamber only shooting 5 or 6 rounds out of it? (and yes it was clean to start)
 
Maybe. I have heard this complaint from others. What has worked is simple. First, the forcing cones have been cut to 11 degrees. The cylinder chambers have also been evenly dimensioned for a particular dimension. I suggest checking your chambers and slugging the bore also. If you find the individual chambers to vary, even them out with a chamber reamer. A light polishing and you should be set. A gunsmith can do this or you can order the parts and tools from www.brownells.com
 
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