S&W 29-2 jamming w/ 44 special

S

scroadkill

New member
Hey guys - my first post so please be gentle.

The gun and knife show rolled through and i picked up some 44 special cowboy loads from Georgia Arms -- 200gr, G44SD, lead round nose flat point; 750fps. I figured they would be fun to shoot.. 44 Mag can be a bit harsh.

Anywho I wank down to the range with my 6" S&W 29-2 and after firing one or two the double action stops working. even single action occasionally stops the wheel from turning to the next round. I haven't experienced this w/ 44 mag rounds.

Any tips and suggestions welcome.
 
First thought is "who made the ammo?"

Look for high primers dragging as the cylinder tries to turn.
 
Last edited:
Does the revolver still bind when dry firing (unloaded) or only when the cartridges are loaded into the chamber? If the problem goes away when the gun isn't loaded, I'd be looking for either high primers or debris under the extractor (just a few granules of unburnt powder under the extractor can cause problems). If the problem persists even when the gun is unloaded, I'd be looking for excessive powder/lead/lube residue on the face of the cylinder and forcing cone as revolvers with particularly tight barrel-to-cylinder gaps (.003" or less) can sometimes bind if shot with dirty ammo. Finally, make sure your ejector rod is tight (it should be a left-hand thread) because if it isn't, it can back out and cause binding of the action. A drop or two of blue Loctite on the thread usually cures ejector rods that want to back out.
 
Might be the overall length of the cartridge is to long on a few of them. I have had that problem, even with some factory loads, in some snub .357's. Generally only with Federal hydra shock.
 
High primer is my 1st guess.
Not much else in a wheel gun to cause what you describe.
If you were having bullet jump from too light a crimp that would be obvious and build up is rarely a problem and easily seen.
But with that said, I have been wrong before ;)
 
The cases wouldnt be R/P by any chance, would they? I recently had a similar experience with that brand of brass in my Ruger Blackhawk, and it turned out that some of the cases had bases/rims that were out of spec, and certain rounds would either lock the gun up, or make it very hard to rotate the cylinder/cock the gun.

On examination, there were some pretty heavy drag marks on the bottom of the offending cases. I ran those across a piece of emery, and on some, removed enough material, that you could barely read the headstamp. Once I did that, they worked fine.
 
Georgia Arms uses starline, Good stuff.
Have you looked at the ejector rod as Webleymkv mentioned? Make sure it is tight.
 
I think if everything cycles smooth when empty and dry firing, it points to the cases.

If its not showing drag marks on the case itself, then the primers will likely show them, or signs of backing out. Is that possibly the case here?

Ive had guns, Ruger Blackhawks specifically, tie up because the cylinder gaps were to tight, and the slightest amount of fouling (lead) on the face of the cylinder, cause things to bind. Never had it happen with my Smiths though.

Ive had a couple of Smiths had the ejector rods back out. That in itself did not cause the gun to stop cycling, but it did lock the cylinder up from opening, until I backed the rod in.
 
What I don't understand is why the revolver works fine when dry-firing it and when shooting Magnum loads. As AK103K opined, this would seem to point to the .44 Special cases you're using as being the problem. I would try using another brand of .44 Special ammunition to see if that makes a difference.

In any event, welcome to The Firing Line!
 
Do you have a way to push the primers out of the cases you are having a problem with?
If so, unload the ammo and knock the primers out of a few and see if the cyl still binds.
If it does not you found the problem. (primers too high)
If it does check the thickness of the case head.
Being star line brass I don't see that being the issue.
I load a lot of 44mag and spl and I some time have the same problem with Wolf primers.
They are thicker metal and don't seem to have the greatest consistency in cup thickness.
 
A simple test to see if the primers are to high, is to put the loaded round, base down on a piece of glass or a mirror. If they are high, they wont sit flush and you'll see it pretty quick. You can actually feel it with your fingers pretty quick too.

The glass will also show you if the rims are not true, and might have a little "warp" to them. If you reload and have a shell holder, that too will show that pretty quick. Thats not really all that uncommon either, although you dont generally expect it with new cases.
 
AK103K I agree with your plan but I have had some Wolf primers that were so close on a flat surface you could not tell. They sat flat - what looked and felt flat but once the primer was removed from the brass the cyl rotated fine.
 
Check that the ejector rod is completely tightened...BTW it's reverse threaded, turn it the opposite way you'd tighten a normal bolt/nut assembly. A call to S&W's customer service might help too. Rod
 
" Finally, make sure your ejector rod is tight (it should be a left-hand thread) because if it isn't, it can back out and cause binding of the action. A drop or two of blue Loctite on the thread usually cures ejector rods that want to back out."

Where exactly do you put the Loctite? Tried this and had to undo as it caused the cylinder to bind.
 
Tried this and had to undo as it caused the cylinder to bind.
Click to expand...
I got a little heavy handed with the first one I did and had the same results. Had to take it back apart and clean it all out and do it again.

Back the rod completely off and clean everything good with Gun Scrubber or something similar, then just put a quarter to half a small drop on only the threads. If you get any in the tube or on the rod itself, or elsewhere, its not going to be fun.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top