S&W M63 kit gun help

S

StukaJU87

New member
My father-in-law has a M63 and the cylinder won't advance. He was only able to fire one shot, so it shouldn't be cuase it's dirty, unless that was one dirty 22lr. Lol

If anyone has one, could you please either take a picture of the internals or point me to a disassembly/reassembly video?

Right now, it only functions as a single shot.
 
Could it be the ejector rod has come loose?

Could it be the ejector rod has come loose?

Or was never tightened properly in the first place?

I've found that to be the problem several times.

Aarond

.
 
I second the loose ejector rod. If the rod unscrews and extends, it will lock up the cylinder, although it is more common on older guns that had right hand threads. (S&W later changed that to a left hand thread so that normal rotation of the cylinder would naturally tighten the ejector rod.)
 
Thanks for the help so far. I told him about the ejector rod. He said he had already checked that. I showed him the video but he said the M19 was slightly different than his revolver even though they are both K frames. He said if he can't figure it out he will have to send it in. He was just hoping it was an easy fix so he wouldn't have to wait for warranty work.
 
It's possible he said J frame. It was me that thought they were both K frames since the link is to a M19 witch is a K frame. I'm the one who isn't very knowledgeable when it comes to S&W revolvers so it's easy for me to get lost in the details. I'm just trying to help him find out if anyone else has ever had this problem with the cylinder not rotating when the trigger is pulled. I told him to send it in but I can understand the frustration of having to wait.
 
The 19 is a "K" and the 63 is a "J".
There is a problem with the gun's hand- if he is able to pull the trigger. The hand (or pawl) spring may not be in position.
A gunsmith is in order, as the gun has to be disassembled.
 
Cylinder not rotating could mean that the cylinder stop isn't dropping down enough (not disengaging from the cylinder notch) or if it is, is popping up too fast.

It could also mean that the hand isn't protruding far out enough into the frame to engage the ratchet. The hand spring may not be tensioned against the hand.

While it's one thing to take it apart, it's another to diagnose and cure the problem. Take it to a smith or minimally, an armorer. What state or major city is it in?
 
Gary, I always did say that a course in horology would help a Gunsmith, because if you learn clockwork, you can easily learn how a revolver works (I actually took a course in this). Plus, even knowing how the timing works on a gasoline engine works, will help one visualize how parts function at certain moments through one cycle of a revolver. Each part is timed to act at a certain angular degree of the hammer, as it is being cocked back. That is the whole secret of working on wheelguns.
 
All the things you mentioned above require understanding how entire systems work.
And how each part plays an individual part of the whole.
I, too, learned about pocket watches and have always been a car and motorcycle enthusiast.
What I learned from knowing them greatly aided in understanding firearms.
In the opposite direction, a very popular professor of college mechanical engineering, whose classroom was always full to over flowing, emphasized the study of firearms design in order to be a well rounded engineering student..
 
"...a very popular professor of college mechanical engineering, whose classroom was always full to over flowing, emphasized the study of firearms design "

I presume he was fired and imprisoned for mentioning firearms on a college campus.

Jim
 
Jim,

I've not checked the latest edition of the collegiate books on mechanical engineering, but a small amount of gun design was being taught, in the books, up to not just a few years back. I think the gun barrel was used in the mechanics of materials books by R.C. Hibbeler, showing the calculation for hoop strength for the chamber, etc. I don't have the newest addition, as I used to buy his, when the new edition came out, since they used his books at OSU. They actually have or had a photo of a ruptured gun barrel in the section on hoop strength.

I wonder what Remington and Browning does for new recruits to their engineering offices any more? Of course, the way some of the newer guns have been designed, one might blame it on the universities. The Remington Viper .22 rifle comes to mind.
 
#1: In all the years I've spent dealing with S&W DA revolvers, I have to say lock up with rimfire J Frames is a common problem. Not that it happens often -- I've had exactly three brought to me with problem in more than 30 years -- but because I've never encountered the same problem with center fire Js or any Ks or Ns that had NOT been DIY'd (see #2, below).

In each case, the problem was caused by one or a combination of crud under the star, crud in the extractor tunnel, or a partially unscrewed extractor rod. One of the revolvers also had a very slightly bent extractor rod. I fixed that, but I'm pretty sure that by itself it didn't cause the lock up.

Checking function of the cylinder stop and hand (for basic function, versus precise timing) is not difficult and can be done without disassembly. Again, except as stated in #2, I've never encountered lock up caused by either of these.

#2: Please take the following in the spirit in which it is offered. Disassembling a S&W DA is not that hard. But disassembling and reassembling one without damaging something is not that easy if you have not been to school on the subject. I can't tell how many folks have brought me revolvers and a story that began, "I took my revolver apart and now . . . ."

Sometimes DIY damage is easy to fix; sometimes (notably in the case of warped side plates, but also including scratches on the cylinder from improperly removing the crane), all but impossible.

So, I join with those who urge you take your Model 63 -- a fine revolver that deserves to be treated with care -- to a qualified gunsmith. Most, if asked, will show you the correct way to dismount the crane and clean the star and rod assembly. Side plate removal, in my opinion, is never required for routine cleaning and maintenance.
 
I love my Model 63, but one problem I had when it was new is it would lock up after a couple of cylinders were fired . After talking to it and a whole much of poking I realized that the cartridges were not expanding properly ( or the gun was not handling them properly ). They were coming back against the back plate and thus locking up the whole gun. Just a hint of roughing up the cylinder with a little 400 grade paper and different ammo solved the problem. Of course that was my solution, your problem may be different. Now a little brag on my 63, I have found , using a sand bag rest, my 63 was more accurate than my Model 18 , Go Figure .
 
Thanks for the suggestions. After fighting with it, empty of course, the cylinder still won't rotate. He is going to send it in, he was just hoping he wouldn't have to.
 
Hi, Dixie Gunsmithing,

Yes, I know that; I was being sarcastic. But with the current reaction at schools and colleges to any mention of guns (even ones made from Pop Tarts), I wonder if those teachings are not now politically incorrect.

Jim
 
One can't help being sarcastic, when it comes to the anti-gun lobby, and what they're prepared to do, including stifling education.

It is rare to see anything in collegiate books, now, concerning gun design. The one in mention is one of a very few, and at that, it only mentions the one formula. I have several books on all the ME disciplines, by several authors, but that is about the only one left, that mentions firearms. OSU has a good tech library, though, with many old books that do mention it.

When studying mechanical engineering, one learns the basics, but to design guns is a field that advanced training would be required in, I would think. Especially military ordnance. I don't know if the firearms manufacturers have internal training for the new EITs or not. My guess, would be a hiring those who attend gunsmithing colleges, then go on to study ME. That, or hire from schools in Belgium.

One of the better books that I've read for study, was by Rhienmetall, on the design of guns and ordnance. Another, though old, is by WW Greener.
 
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