S&W 586 cylinder lock-up

[lister]

The cylinder on my 586 has become very stiff to close. Now and then it's smooth (as it should be) but most of the time it takes far more force to close it than it should. I initially figured it was just dirt in the locking points, but that's not the case. Any suggestions on what's up? I'm hoping for an easy (ie-cheap) fix.
Cheers.

 

[Sleeper]

First thing I would check is the ejector rod.
S&W revolvers sometimes have the rod loosen and they are tough to close.

 

[lister]

Thanks, I'll check that out. I didn't see anything obviously loose, but I'll have a closer look. Any other suggestions?

 

[RePete]

Remember that the ejector rod has a left hand thread.

Also, look for lead buildup on the face of the barrel.

 

[lister]

Will do, thanks.
There's no buildup and the cylinder is contact free all around ie-it's not out of line. Hopefully it's just the ejector rod, but if not, any other suggestions?

 

[bearhunter]

I would check the ejector rod spring and plunger under the barrel. Is the ejector rod moving freely inside the cylinder when it is pushed? One other thing to look at is whether or not the rear lock up portion has moved back a bit and is hanging up. This is a relatively common occurrence and can usually be fixed by tightening the rod screw down as mentioned previously. Again, it has a left hand twist and if the threads are bound up with powder residue as well can be difficult to turn back into place.

 

[44Bore]

Also check for residue or build up under the extractor star.

 

[lister]

The ejector rod moves freely, and the star is clean on the bottom so I don't think it's a dirt/gunk issue. I checked all the lock/detente areas last night and they move freely. It seems the consensus is the ejector rod needs tightening. Hopefully that's it. I should be able to check it out this weekend and will report back. Is the rod a 'finger-tight' twist or does it need torque?
Any other ideas are welcome.

 

[RePete]

Very slight torque don't use vise grips or the such unless you know what you are doing.

 

[lister]

So---I checked it out yesterday. The ejector rod seems fine, however the barrel-lug lock point is sticking and not returning to the 'out' position when I let the cylinder release go. I think that's what's causing the problem. I have it soaking in penetrant but I don't know if that'll do it. How difficult is it to remove the 'plunger' to clean it out? I have a 10x weight on the barrel lug so I can't see if there's a screw or whatnot.

 

[Sleeper]

There is a pin that holds the plunger from coming out with a spring behind it.
If you have the correct punch popping it apart and cleaning the barrel of the plunger/lock and the channel in the underlug is pretty simple.
You may want to look at a replacement spring but I would guess dirt and or corrosion is the issue and a good clean up will fix it up.

 

[lister]

OK, thanks. Guess I'll have to take the 10x weight off and pop the pin. Thanks for the input Guys. I'll update this when I get around to doing it.

 

[slug]

In rare cases, the screw that must be loosened to remove the crane, can be replaced too tightly and the end bears on the crane.

 

[Kayser Sose]

Might be a bent cylinder crane... hope that helps

 

[lister]

So I tried taking the 10x weight off the gun and, of course, one screw is stripped coming out (jammed) and the other is stripped going back in (won't start threading) so I can't get the weight off without drilling out the screws. I ended up flushing the 'detente' lock with Hoppes 9 and working the detente in and out, repeat for most of a day. It seems to be freely moving now, and it'll have to do until I can get the stripped screws dealt with.
Thanks again for the input.

One addition--there better be a special place in hell for the guy who invented flathead screws.