I just bought a used S&W 13-2 that looked & felt good & tight & was priced right, to boot.
It seemed to function OK (didn't get the chance to fire it).
So once home, I started cleaning it : removed the front sideplate screw to slip out the crane & cylinder... cleaned & cleaned & oiled...(seems the innards were full of some kind of heavy grease, possibly gummed-up oil...)
Put things back together again : now the cylinder won't open all the way :
I can unlock it & push it about 45°, then it binds -hard- & needs more push than seems healthy to swing to horizontal ( to 90°).
It didn't do that before cleaining so... WTH ??
The cylinder won't swing to horizontal unless I UNscrew the yoke screw 2 -3 turns (which by the way seems very loose to me).
So : out with the yoke screw again.
Nothing wrong with the screw, but it had gouged out a portion of the inner face of the screw slot on the yoke button (just from that ONE in-and-out swing after cleaning/reassembling !)
How could this happen ? What did I do wrong?
Now I know about mixing up front and middle sideplate screw, and I am absolultely positively certain that didn't happen :every screw went back in where it came from.
Have I damaged my yoke beyond usefulness ?
What should I do ?
Help ! .. anyone... ?
It seemed to function OK (didn't get the chance to fire it).
So once home, I started cleaning it : removed the front sideplate screw to slip out the crane & cylinder... cleaned & cleaned & oiled...(seems the innards were full of some kind of heavy grease, possibly gummed-up oil...)
Put things back together again : now the cylinder won't open all the way :
I can unlock it & push it about 45°, then it binds -hard- & needs more push than seems healthy to swing to horizontal ( to 90°).
It didn't do that before cleaining so... WTH ??
The cylinder won't swing to horizontal unless I UNscrew the yoke screw 2 -3 turns (which by the way seems very loose to me).
So : out with the yoke screw again.
Nothing wrong with the screw, but it had gouged out a portion of the inner face of the screw slot on the yoke button (just from that ONE in-and-out swing after cleaning/reassembling !)
How could this happen ? What did I do wrong?
Now I know about mixing up front and middle sideplate screw, and I am absolultely positively certain that didn't happen :every screw went back in where it came from.
Have I damaged my yoke beyond usefulness ?
What should I do ?
Help ! .. anyone... ?