[PV62]

I recently inherited a S&W Model 29-3, in excellent condition. The first time I shot it I used Wolf Gold, which has a brass case, 240 gr. copper JHP bullet.

The problem was that after firing, the cartridges had expanded so they were stuck in the cylinder and the extractor wouldn't budge (until I later gently tapped it with a hammer).

What happened?

thanks

[Japle]

Firing a cylinder full of full-power magnum ammo in any revolver can result in stuck cases. That's one reason most of us handload our ammo to lower pressure.

Also, it's hard on the gun. And hard on the shooter.

Buy some .44 Special ammo.

[David E]

That's silly.

.44 magnums are made to shoot .44 magnums.

I'm not acquainted with Wolf Gold, but the first thing I'd do is thoroughly clean the chambers, especially towards the diameter reduction where the .44 magnum case ends. If you happened to get the Model 29 from someone that took the above .44 Special advice, there may be powder build up just ahead of the shorter Special cases. When you shot the longer magnum rounds, it may have caused the problem.

So, clean the cylinder and buy some different ammo and report back.

.44 Specials are fun to shoot, as are reduced power ammo, but you shouldn't be required to only shoot those loads.

Enjoy your gun!

[Beelzy]

If the cylinder chambers are bone dry I could see that happening.

Try leaving a trace amount of oil in the cylinders next time.

If the problem persists, your gun just doesn't like that ammo.....it happens.

[fattboyzz]

reloading 44 mag is the way too go for sure ! you can reload the cases for a revolver in 44mag./spc. a good many times without worry ....plus I find it more fun too shoot my reloads anyway and you can get a basic setup that will last you forever an just change out dies for other calibers as well ....

sounds like you need too clean/lube that gun really well and stay away from hot loads ...!

[PV62]

Thanks for the quick replies. This is the first time I have posted a question here and you guys are a great resource.

But I'm not sure about the ammo being hard on the gun -- it is a top-of-the-line Smith & Wesson and it's built for .44 magnum ammo.

Cleaning's not the problem either -- I keep my guns very very clean. The cylinder looks perfect. But maybe it was too dry. I usually keep my guns well oiled and sometimes run a dry patch thru the barrel before taking them out. I don't remember if I ran it through the cylinder too, maybe. I'll make sure it's lightly oiled.

I agree that a) I probably have to switch the ammo, and b) I gotta get myself a press and start loading my own.

Has anyone else had trouble with Wolf cartridges?

[fattboyzz]

brass might be soft on those wolf rounds as well ....if its clean/lubed good just try some hornady,rem., fed. an see if it does it as well ....

I had some south african ammo in brass in 223/5.56 that would get stuck in my m4 when others wouldnt ......mite be possible ...

[mnrivrat]

All ammo is not equal , and I suspect the Wolf may just be the issue in your gun. If the problem is still there with other brands, than perhaps a light polish of the chambers is needed.

[Virginian]

I have seen a lot of cylinders that needed to have the chambers polished. If it is slick like it ought to be, there is nothing for the case to grab, I don't care if it's steel, aluminum, or brass.

[cottonmouth]

Make sure you didn't shoot 41's!

J.B.

[unspellable]

1. Make sure chambers are clean, no 44 Special rings.

2. Make sure chambers are smoth enough, no gross tooling marks.

3. Grossly over pressured loads can do it.

4. Bad brass can do it. Try switching ammo.

I seldom hear bad brass mentioned as a cause but it has happened to me twice. The first time I bought about 400 rounds of PMC brass for my 445 SuperMag. Had to use a rod and mallet for extraction no matter how light the load. I called Dan Wesson and they said they had the same problem with the same brass, switch to Starline. Second go was 100 rounds of Winchester 44 Magnum bass that I necked down for my 357-44 B&D. Same problem. In the past I've had good results with Winchester brass so I have to assume it was a bad batch.

[Walkalong]

unspellabe gave you sound advise.

[jglcolosprgs]

Actually the best advice has been by unspellable....

I shoot full power 44 mag loads in my 629 all the time. It can take it..... you might get tired of the beating. I would first suspect the brass then maybe a rough cylinder..

[Brian Williams]

First don't oil your charge holes/chambers, check out threads about the 22 jet. I would suspect the charge holes/chambers might be rough or the brass is suspect. You say the charge holes are mirror so then I would change the brass.

[rcmodel]

The chance of a S&W Model 29-3 having rough chambers is slim to none. These were flagships of the S&W line, made at a time when they didn't skimp on making them nearly perfect.

Either your Wolf ammo is over-pressure, or the brass is too soft.
Or somebody shot .44 Spl in it and there are still hard fouling rings in the ends of the chambers.

Use a bronze bore brush in an electric drill with Nitro Powder solvent and scrub the snot out of them.

Then buy some better ammo.


BTW: If it happens again, instead of beating them out with a hammer>

Push out one at a time with a pen or pencil or dowel rod until the rest of them will eject.

Model 29's & hammer's have no place in the same air space!

rc

[Stainz]

First, obtain both a bore and a chamber brush, both in bronze only - Brownells, etc carries them. A chamber brush differs from a bore brush in being both slightly larger OD and longer, too.

Since you said you 'inherited' the 29-3, it may have been put up either dry or oiled - and now have light corrosion or gummy oil. In either case, a simple flooding with Hoppes #9, etc, and a few swipes through with a a chamber brush, followed by some time, reapplication, then dry swipes will clean those chambers. Do the same with that barrel bore, too - using the bore brush. That 'time' - to permit the solvent to work - is important - and often overlooked. Even a bunch of Specials and Russians residue can be removed this way. The 'shadow' which remains has no thickness and will not affect spent case extraction. I've seen one 29 with chambers marred by a SS brush, I assume - it needed professional help.

Also, check those new cases with a magnet... Wolf sure uses a lot of steel cases!

A piece of 1/4" or 3/8" brass rod (3 ft sections are a couple bucks at the hardware store.) should be in your range bag - indispensable for stuck squib rounds/stuck cases. Always lay the revolver on something soft - with the cylinder out. Hold the cylinder and insert the rod from the exit bores - often just the weight of the rod - or a little push is all you need. Work against yourself holding that cylinder - not the revolver, as it puts torque on that crane & yoke assembly it wasn't designed to contend with. Good luck - and enjoy your 'blaster'!

Stainz

[Virginian]

Well, I don't remember what "dash" it was, but I had a 629 Classic that had very tough extraction with heavy loads, and I didn't shoot that many really heavy loads. Didn't matter if it was Remington, Winchester, or Midway brass. After I polished the chambers, no more issues. It did not look rough, just very light circumferential markings in a shiny chamber. That was the only one out of six Smith 29/629s I had any issues with, other than the first one which started getting loose. I had two Smith 44s at the time, and the chambers on the one that didn't stick actually looked worse just looking at them.
That 629 Classic was definitely my second all time favorite Smith, and my favorite DA 44 by a mile. Accurate in the extreme, and a pleasure to shoot with heavy loads with that full underlug. I had a pair of the old Safariland wood looking hard plastic gips on it, and they fit my hand just right to spread out the recoil.

[Walkalong]

Just cleaned this cylinder (http://www.thehighroad.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=105805&d=1253486794) using a bronze brush in a drill this afternoon. Carbon Killer and a brush. Most cleaners will work.

It's an Astra though, not a Smith.

[unspellable]

A point I overlooked above has been touched on. NEVER use a hammer or mallet on the extractor rod. If the cases are really stuck tight you risk bending the extractor star. Since the ratchet is part of the star it's not a cheap replacement job. The proper way for really stuck cases is to use a mallet to tap on a rod in the chamber while holding the cylinder and leaving the revolver frame suspended with a finger to keep it from swinging. If the frame is not free to jump a bit you risk a bent crane or as S&W call it, yoke. And I've had bad brass stick that tight.

[BCRider]

If the brass won't come out from a gentle to moderately gentle tap on the stick then I'd suggest it's time to remove the crane and cylinder and then the cylinder from the crane and apply greater force. Even hanging as unspellable suggests will transfer a lot of impact from the cylinder to the rod and crane since there's just no way for your hand to soak up that much force.

I'd say that if you have to use a rod and tap it with something at all then I'd use unspellable's method. But once you need to hit the stick harder than you would use to crack a walnut without damaging the meat inside I'd say it's time to remove the cylinder from the gun so greater force can be used safely. And then don't shoot anymore until you get better ammo.

[Virginian]

If you put the back of the cylinder up against the edge of a solid wood workbench, and then hit a dowel on one stuck cartridge case, the gun's vulnerable parts won't see any significant stresses.

[rmc25]

I'm new to the board and I am not familiar with Wolf Gold ammo. The only Wolf ammo I've ever seen (never used any) was steel cased. Is Wolf Gold steel cased with copper bullets or does it really have brass cases? I have seen shooters have problems extracting the steel cased ammo.
rmc

[Hawk]

Wolf Gold has reloadable brass cases. I don't know if it's the same as Prvi Partisan or not.


I seldom hear bad brass mentioned as a cause but it has happened to me twice.
Once here. Specifically PMC .44 Mag. Took my 29-2 and a buddy's Anaconda out of service for a bit. This was a while back but PMC was pretty good about reacting to the problem and advised it was soft brass. They didn't replace it but I think they were in one of their "padlock the facilities" modes at the time.

I suspect bad brass lots are more common than some would guess.
'Course I've also gotten factory squibs and a half-case of S&B that the primers would fall out of. Payback for previous transgressions no doubt.