Need some advice for a repair

Umm...did you try screwing the rod back in? They can back out and cause the problems youre describing. A drop of nail polish on the threads can solve this permanently if thats the problem.

1. scrub under the ejector star and rear of cylinder very well with some good solvent and a toothbrush. Take your time and get it really clean.
2. See if the ejector rod is loose at all. If it is, remove the cylinder assembly, insert some dummy cases or snap caps into the chambers, secure the ejector rod in a PADDED VISE, take hold of the cylinder, and tighten it.

If these don't help, contact S&W or your favorite qualified gunsmith.

Also, a good disassembly/cleaning of the inside of the frame is not a bad idea.

Howdy

Both of the above posts are correct.

S&W ejector rods can unscrew slightly, which makes it difficult for the front of the extractor rod to unlatch from the latch at the front of the cylinder. S&W started putting a reverse thread on the extractor rod long ago, so the rod will tend to screw in, rather than out, when the cylinder rotates.

Your revolver will have the reverse thread. So make sure the rod is screwed all the way in by turning it counter-clockwise, the opposite of the way one usually screws anything. First try it finger tight without using any vices. If that solves the problem, there is your answer.

The second thing is that burnt or unburnt flakes of powder can get stuck under the extractor star at the rear of the cylinder. This can also cause problems with the cylinder releasing. Push the extractor rod in and see if there is anything stuck on the rear of the cylinder under the star. If so, clean it out.

As already noted, I suspect this is an easy at-home fix.

On a more general note, I tend to farm most things out to the local gunsmiths. This can be very hit-or-miss as there are some terrible "gunsmiths" out there, but once you've found a decent one, you can expect faster and better solutions to most problems, as compared with the repair departments at S&W, Ruger, etc. These days, they only things I send to the manufacturers are gross problems, like warped frames, which really require a replacement rather than a repair.

Bulletski said:

My question is, does anyone think it's not a good idea send it back to S&W and just go the local gunsmith route?

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Bulletski, I've done it, but I don't like shipping a gun back to the manufacturer. I do not like the hassle that comes with shipping a gun anywhere. That's why the steps I take to get a gun up and running again are as follows:
1. Try to fix it myself (sometimes with the advise from good folks right here on THR, or even with the advise I get from calling the manufacturer).
2. Take the gun to a local gunsmith.
3. Ship the gun back to the manufacturer.

Good news!

purple Loctite

Bulletski said:

Well, that's all that it was - the ejector rod had worked itself a little loose - a left hand thread on the rod, by the way.
I guess I should have figure this out on my own - but I didn't.
Thanks again and you made my day.

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Glad it was an easy fix!

You’re lucky, a trip to the mother ship in Springfield is a months-long process right now.

I’ve had the ejector rod unscrew on a couple of S&Ws over the years, as you found out it’s an easy-to-check maintenance step every time you clean it .

Stay safe.

Use some type of thread sealant or thread locker on the rod to prevent it from occurring again. Unscrew the rod, flush the threads (male and female) with solvent to remove oil. One small drop of thread sealant (shellac, LocTite, nail polish [color optional]) assemble and don’t mess with it for 24 hours.


Kevin