I recently was given a 40 year old Smith & Wesson 29. There are a few concerns with the gun. The guy who gave it to me said that after you shoot 25-50 rounds through the gun it becomes very difficult to work the thumbpiece to get the cylinder out. Without firing the gun yet, i wanted to clean it first. I pressed the thumbpiece and the cylinder unlocked normally, but when it dropped down, the entire yoke piece just slides right out of the gun. What piece is missing that would keep the yoke in place and why would the thumbpiece not work after firing a couple rounds?
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Smith&Wesson 29
- Thread starter dbrach
- Start date
spacecoast
New member
Sounds like the screw just above the trigger guard (on the right side, opposite the yoke) may be missing or defective. That's the screw you remove to slide out the yoke for cleaning.
If the cylinder and crane together slide out the front then the screw that retains it is the wrong screw (people mix these up all the time) or it is broken. On the older S&Ws that screw is fitted to each gun. I would be concerned that if someone other than a smith has removed the sideplate and been inside they may have messed up other things besides the crane retaining screw. The thumbpiece not releasing the cylinder is usually caused by the ejector rod unscrewing from recoil (or it may have been tampered with as well) Do the sideplate screws you can see have chewed up slots? Might want to have it looked at by a S&W trained person.
Shotgun693
New member
One of the screws holding the side plate on has likely been switched out with the longer screw that retains the yoke. A very common mistake. Look at all three of'm, the longest one is the one that ought to hold the yoke on.
Now, with the yoke/cylinder assembly in your hand, wrap the little end knob on the ejector rod with a thin piece of rubber or leather. Grasp the leather in the teeth of a pair of pliers, the covered rod should fit in that little circular cut out, and turn the ejector rod counter clockwise, like you're unscrewing it. This will tighten it. If it keeps unscrewing use a very small amount of locktite, or nail polish, on the threads.
If you're going to own a gun you need to learn how to take it apart and properly reassemble it. S&W revolvers are really easy to do basic work on, it would help to have a gun nut go through it with you a couple of times. Any gun you shoot a lot ought to be taken down and really cleaned at least once a year.
Now, with the yoke/cylinder assembly in your hand, wrap the little end knob on the ejector rod with a thin piece of rubber or leather. Grasp the leather in the teeth of a pair of pliers, the covered rod should fit in that little circular cut out, and turn the ejector rod counter clockwise, like you're unscrewing it. This will tighten it. If it keeps unscrewing use a very small amount of locktite, or nail polish, on the threads.
If you're going to own a gun you need to learn how to take it apart and properly reassemble it. S&W revolvers are really easy to do basic work on, it would help to have a gun nut go through it with you a couple of times. Any gun you shoot a lot ought to be taken down and really cleaned at least once a year.