Removing S&W N-frame Side Plate??

[HiWayMan]

I have many revolvers, but I just recently purchased my first S&W, a 625-10 out of the Performance Center. I want to remove the side plate and clean it out and relube it. Is there anything special I should know about removing the side plate? Are there any springs or other things that are gonna fly out? Just a little nervous about this one.

Thanks all.

 

[P95Carry]

First - obviously - remove grips. Then use best possible screwdrivers (Brownells perhaps) to remove the screws. The actual plate removal is best expedited by tapping firmly a few times with a hard rubber or hide hammer ... sufficient to shock it into coming out enough to remove with fingers. Nothing should be used to lever it out.

It is unlikely anything will fly out - but I would always suggest as a precaution ... doing this under a thin white sheet ... draped over head and whole work area. Should something like a spring decide to ''ping'' out it will be caught - and wear eye protection too as a precaution.

 

[Tijeras_Slim]

Just seconding the previous post. Remove the stocks, and remove all screws using proper fitting screwdrivers. Using the handle of a hammer tap the grip frame on the side while holding down the top of the side plate with your thumb (they can jump up). When the bottom edges of the sideplate come up and are loose, just lift it off. The only thing that may come out is the hammer block, but that's no biggie.

 

[The Rabbi]

All good advice here.

AFAIK, the gun does not need relubing. In fact, some lubes will attract dirt and powder residue and make things worse.

When you put the sideplate on, gently put it over where it needs to go and tap it lightly into place. Definitely not a part you want to booger.

 

[carebear]

I just use a thin hardened piece of tool steel to pry with........


What?

Some questions get answered correctly in the first 3 posts.... but where's the fun?

 

[Shootcraps]

Leave it alone. It ain't necessary.

 

[All-Around-Shooter]

I would not pry it off with anything. You may damage the edge and when you put it back together you will have an ugly gouge where you should only have a thin parting line.
hold it over a sheet with the side plate facing down and lightly tap upwards on the grip frame.it will loosen and fall, or just need to be removed by hand.

 

[Topgun]

I don't agree with holding the plate down. Like it on top. Just lightly tap frame around the plate and it will begin to rise. You can just lift it out and off. Reason for not liking plate facing down is because the rest of the parts are able to drop out (IF YOU HIT IT TOO HARD) and then trying to figure out where what goes is mysterious if you aren't familiar with the workings.

 

[Sir Aardvark]

As for relubing:

A 340PD I recently purchased came from the factory almost bone dry. I do trigger jobs on all of my revolvers myself, so this wasn't that big a deal because I pulled all its guts out and polished everything and had to lube it all up again anyways.

A Model 629 Trail Boss that I also recently purchased had a horrible trigger pull. My Trigger pull gauge goes to 14 pounds and this thing was off the scale. I hosed it out with Gun Scrubber and followed that up with Breakfree CLP, and then blasted the extra oil out with my air compressor. Just doing that brought it down to a consistent 12 pound pull - I still ended up doing a trigger job on it, but it does go to show you that new guns need cleaning too!.

 

[Standing Wolf]

The bigger the hammer, the faster the gun comes apart.

 

[The Rabbi]

And remember to use a Dremel tool to do the polishing.

 

[carebear]

What?

My "vice grip and belt sander" technique isn't right either?

No prying?

No grinding?

You people must have taken a different correspondence gunsmithing course than me.

 

[Sir Aardvark]

Carebear,

I are a graduate from the "Oxyacetylene" skool of gunsmithing.

 

[Standing Wolf]

You people must have taken a different correspondence gunsmithing course than me.

School of Hard Knocks here, although I'll have to admit I dropped out before receiving my diploma.

 

[JohnKSa]

Where you tap doesn't matter. You can just whack the butt on a 2x4 (after the screws and grips are off) and get the same results.

 

[carebear]

So the "drop it on a concrete floor" technique is as valid as prying?

Wow. There is so much more to learn about how to do this right.....