Revolver Question, Specifically S&W 38spl

Craig0ry

Craig0ry

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I got my 38spl revolver, Its a hand ejector 5 screw 38spl, I really dont have much info on it, I'll post a picture and maybe you guys can tell me more. But my question is I fired my first 3 rounds out of it tonight and when I went to eject the casing I had to use a little more force than I thought I would, To be honest I was almost expecting them to fall free with ease. So is it normal for have to use a little force on the ejector or are they loaded to hot?

Pics.. Info? Is it an M&P?

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Check the barrel, does it say .38 Smith and Wesson or .38 Smith and Wesson Special. Many of the M & P's that were issued in .38 Smith and Wesson had thier cylinders reamed to accept the longer .38 Special cartridhe. When you get the cases out, are they bulged at the rear? If so, then thats what has happened to your gun.

Some force will be required to eject the cases, your loads sound quite mild for the cartridge but double check the chambers!!

Scott
 
Maybe it just needs a good cleaning?
I say this because I have a Brazilian M1937 and a Heavy Duty in 38 Special.
Sometimes the oil dries out on the ejector rod and creates a dragging kind of lethargic resistance to ejecting the fired casings. This most often happens to the revolvers shot the least and stored away for a long time.
To diagnose this, ensure revolver is empty first off, unlock the cylinder latch and push the crane and cylinder out, as if to load it. When it's at the end of it's travel, push briskly on the front of the ejector rod and release it, allowing the spring tension to reseat the star ejector back into the rear part of the cylinder. The star ejector and rod assembly should have a rather 'snappy' resetting motion.
If oil on the ejector rod is really old and sticky, it will create resistance to the ejector assembly resetting itself to the back of the cylinder.
To eliminate this keep the cylinder and crane assembly open, take a q-tip soaked in gun solvent and blot the point where the crane and the front of the ejector meets it and let some solvent seep into there. With finger pressure on the front of the ejector rod, now take the same q-tip and clean the rear exposed ejector rod sticking out the rear of the cylinder. Wipe any excess goop away with a rag. Repeat this cleaning as needed until the dragging resistance is gone.
I hope my loose terms and explanation are clear enough.

Cheers
 
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Thank you but its oiled properly and cleaned very good. The cgner I bought this pistol from cleaned it immaculately. I was very impressed. The bore and cylinder look brand new.
 
That is a .38 S&W barrel, NOT a .38 Special barrel. Two concerns with that.

Firstly the .38 S&W is a .361" diameter bullet and the bores typically match this. The .38 Special is a .357-.358" bullet which will give poor accuracy in a .361" bore. Use hollow base wadcutters which will obturate in the bore and give decent accuracy without requiring .361" bullets.

Secondly the .38 S&W operates at pressures much lower than the .38 Special. The barrel ought to be of the same steel and heat treated the same as a Special so pressure may not be a factor, but my British proofed .38 S&W quite clearly states "3 1/2 TONS" which is 7,000 psi, not exactly a glowing recommendation to use .38 Special.

Also if your cases come out bulged you have a reamed .38 S&W cylinder. Many Specials have been fired (once, only) from cylinders like this but it's better to use the proper cartridge.
 
.38 S&W Chambers are bigger diameter than .38 special, but shorter, as others here have alluded to. The barrel is clearly marked .38 S&W. You need to check the cylinder. Not too many people have .38 S&W to test with, but if you can find a 9mm round and it fits (disappears) into the cylinder, you have a .38 S&W that has been reamed out to .38 special as others here have suggested. That is the most likely reason for the severe obturation and sticking on extraction.

If only the first half or so of the 9mm cartridge fits, it's a .38 Special cylinder and a .38 S&W barrel.

This would mean that the cylinder was replaced, in which case the extractor star will most likely have been retained to preserve the timing, and is usually slightly mis-aligned, since it wasn't cut with the same reamer that cut the chambers. Take a pencil and run it on the inside of the chamber toward the extractor. Test each cylinder, you're looking for ledges and mis-matches. If you find any, that's the reason for sticky extraction.

Lastly, check the pins that hold the extractor in place in the cylinder. Make sure there are two and that they are in good condition, the fit is sound, and that there is no undue movement. If this is a .38 special cylinder, the extractor can be held in place and will time OK with 6 shells in the cylinder holding it in place. If the pins are missing, the extractor may be jammed up when you fire the revolver, and again, the cartridges expand. This happens randomly based on individual cylinder bore, which can vary quite a bit with older revolvers.

That's all I can think of at the moment.
 
Upon further inspection the bottom of the barrel is stamped right above where the ejector rod sits. "38 special 1 - 150" 4 tons per u?" I can't make out if the last one is a u or Li or a symbol followed by the inch. Iam glad I did some more looking I was worried after I read those posts.
 
OK, that means it was converted somewhere that proofed the barrel to 8000 psi.

It appears a standard load (not +P which is now just about all you can buy) is 13,000 psi. I'll let the reloaders correct me if I'm wrong, but it seems that barrel is not quite up to modern .38 Special specs. +P is about double what your barrel is proofed for.

This revolver started out as a 38 S&W as marked on the barrel, and has a slightly larger (3 or 4 thou) barrel bore. With lead bullets, that shouldn't create an accuracy problem. But sticky extraction is a concern.

I would urge you to take this revolver in to someone who knows revolvers near you.
Have him check the cylinder bores first, then make sure the ejector is OK, and make sure this revolver is up to snuff.

Sticky extraction can also be one of the first signs of the cylinder/chamber failing. The chambers will expand a bit before they fracture if your ammunition is over the pressure they can handle. If it's a legit .38 special cylinder, this shouldn't be a problem. If it's a "reworked" .38 S&W (the barrel was just proofed 15% higher...) then you could be holding a grenade. I'd strongly urge you to get some professional advice.
 
Is it possible he has a reamed and lined cylinder?? I ended up with much the same revolver that started life as a 38 S&W and was changed to a Special. I haven't slugged it, but it shoots fine with .358 boolits. I've always wondered about the ton proof marks, are they a direct 1 ton= 2000 lbs or is there something more to it?
 
In the UK, the 2240 lb long ton would be the one in most common use. Thus, 4 tons per square inch would be 8,960 psi. The 2,000 lb ton usually used in North America is the short ton.

Actual test pressure values would, of course vary depending on the testing procedure used.
 
Sorry, my bad, standard 38 special pressure is widely published as 17,000 PSI.
That's about twice the proof rating of this revolver, even using long tons.
 
This is starting to sound a little scary, The are BNP marks. My 158gr lwc loads are 15500psi and thats a minimum load, I have no clue what my 125gr loads are.
 
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