S and W M18 issues

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44Bore

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I recently purchased an M18 .22 revolver that was made in the late 1950's which appears to be in excellent condition. I was test firing it the other day and after a few cylinders full it became almost impossible to continue firing by cocking the hammer or by double action pull. the hammer would move back a slight amount and they become solid--it the cylinder was turned at the same time it would rotate into locked position. The revolver looks almost unfired and has a very small barrel-cylinder gap. The cylinder is very closely fitted as in virtually no end-shake and the ejector rod is not backed-out.

I am looking for some suggestions as to possible fixes or do I need to send it in to a gunsmith?

Thanks,

44Bore
 
Take the grips off to see if the spring shows any crub and old lubricant.
Then wash the guts with lighter fluid and blowing everything our with Air . . . two or three times.
Between each wash, test the functioning to see if there is any improvement.
 
If the air gap is too tight , carbon, grease build up on the forching cone, ( end of barrel) and the top strap, which can be overlooked can cause the cylinder to drag.
Had a K17 that was bad for that. When it starts , after a few rounds, that is usually the problem. Open the cylinder and look at the face, see drag marks?
Also check under the star for crud , that can cause the case heads to drag on the back of the frame.
You can stone the barrel, but not really something to do ,unless done right. Take the cylinder out and check for shims.
 
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Older smiths were notorious for the ejector rod backing out. Should be regularly checked and finger tight will work for awhile, but older product used left hand thread on the rod.

dr Jim
 
Thanks for the replies. They point the direction I was thinking. i will give it a going over this weekend and see if that helps. I did check under the extractor star and it is good.
 
I gave it a thorough cleaning inside and out and lightly lubricated it. It is better but sometimes has a "hard" spot when cooking or double action cycling. It doesn't matter if it is loaded or empty. I am leaning towards either a timing issue or lack of barrel/cylinder clearance.
Any suggestions for a Smith and Wesson gunsmith who does good work?
 
44Bore said:
I gave it a thorough cleaning inside and out and lightly lubricated it. It is better but sometimes has a "hard" spot when cooking or double action cycling. It doesn't matter if it is loaded or empty. I am leaning towards either a timing issue or lack of barrel/cylinder clearance.
Any suggestions for a Smith and Wesson gunsmith who does good work?
Click to expand...

Were you able to find a solution or a gunsmith? I, too have this same revolver with a similar problem. my model 18's cylinder doesn't spin too much when I try to spin it. The extractor rod is straight but the double action still seems too heavy. It is otherwise spotless.
 
If you can't open the cylinder, that is a sure sign the rod is unscrewing.
In a center fire a proud primer can drag. 22 rimfire will build up crud bad on a tight gun like these.
 
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