[JVaughn]

I was at the range this weekend shooting my Smith and Wesson model 19 revolver and all of a sudden, it locked up on me. After the fourth shot in the cylinder, the trigger locked back and stayed. I couldn't open the cylinder, couldn't free the trigger. The hammer was all the way down, as in - pin touching the primer on the last cartridge that fired. I was able to move the hammer back with almost no resistance at all, but it would return to the firing position, I assume because the trigger was back. I tried to free it for about 2 minutes with no luck, then suddenly it released and moved fine. I didn't fire anymore rounds through it but after that, it cycled fine empty and everything looked good to me.

I took the side plate off the next day and looked everything over. I am not experienced in gun repairs, so if something were off a little, I wouldn't know. I did note that everything seemed to be in good working order.

Anyone got any ideas on this one?

Thanks.

[fredg]

I would suspect (from the way it corrected itself) that you had some powder crud either in the area of the ejector star or the cylinder forcing cone gap. I am leaning toward crud under the ejector star based on how it locked up.

[788Ham]

I'd think it was burned powder under the star also, try that first, some Hoppes and an old tooth brush. Now, NEVER remove that side plate!!! You'll spring it and it might never be the same, flat and flush against the frame. You'll also screw up the heads of the screws if you don't have the proper screwdrivers! Its not an old Mattel Fanner 50, leave this to someone who knows what up, and has the right tools!! Gets some carb cleaner and shoot it under the star of the cylinder, then get a compressor and blow it out, then lightly oil the star rod with a good oil, should be good to go.

[MrBorland]

the trigger locked back and stayed. I couldn't open the cylinder, couldn't free the trigger.


I am leaning toward crud under the ejector star based on how it locked up.

I'd think it was burned powder under the star also

The issue's that the trigger's locked back, not that the action won't cycle, so I'm not seeing how crud under the ejector would lock the trigger back. :confused:

I'm voting for crud in the action itself.

Now, NEVER remove that side plate!!! You'll spring it and it might never be the same, flat and flush against the frame. You'll also screw up the heads of the screws if you don't have the proper screwdrivers!

788Ham offers sage advice, but if you're the curious sort (the innards may need a good cleaning, after all), the plate can come off, so long as you understand there's a right way and a wrong way to do it. Use the correct screwdrivers, don't pry the plate off, loosen the strain screw beforehand, and put the screws back in their original holes, especially the yoke screw. BTW, once the yoke screw is out, the cylinder can be opened, and the entire assembly slides right off the front of the gun...and onto the floor if you're not careful. The yoke and cylinder also slide apart once off the gun, so be careful.

Here's a good link to help you out:

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=397027

[Elkins45]

My S&W 19 will do that if I shoot a whole bunch of full power rounds at once. The cylinder gap is tight enough that when the gun gets really hot the cylinder will expand and drag against the rear of the barrel.

[rcmodel]

A tight, or binding cylinder, or powder grains under the ratchet will not stop the hammer from rebounding and the trigger from returning.

It had to have been one of two things.

1. Dirt inside the action binding up the rebound slide, or hammer, or trigger?

2. Or, a primer extruded into the recoil shield FP hole and froze the firing pin, which kept the hammer from rebounding, which kept the trigger from returning.

Since you said you could pull the hammer back easily, and the trigger remained stuck back?

Has to be #1.

rc

[JVaughn]

So, the general consensus is grime in the action. I can buy that, because it did return to normal operation afterward and seems to be good now. It can't be dirt behind the star, I had it completely apart (the cylinder that is) before the shoot and used solvent to clean it up good. That was the fourth round fired through it since the cleaning.
Thanks for the responses.

[gringolet]

sometimes ejector rod screws out enough to lock things up...
remove rod (carefully) clean thoroughly and reassemble with a bit (not too much) of medium strength loctite and snug up..should fix it...
later if need to for cleaing or whatever to remove loctite a soaking with gunscrubber should work fine.