Is this normal for a chief's special?

[TwoNiner]

I just picked up my first model 36. It looks to be in great condition: the bluing is nice, barrel is mint, screws are unturned, lockup is tight, grips are perfect, but...I noticed that I can spin the cylinder clockwise (that is, counter to how the cylinder normally spins when cocking the hammer) without first cocking the hammer or pulling the trigger at all. It only takes a minor bit of finger force to do so. My concern here would be if the gun was pocket carried and did the cylinder rubbed against pants or something whereby the cylinder would be out of its groove with the stop on the frame, and how this might affect a shot when it comes time to fire. I tried turning the cylinder at full lockup and it doesn't seem to want to go anywhere.

I should also mention that I noticed some minor "flairing" of the metal on the frame around the hole where the firing pin goes through. By flairing I mean the hole in the frame is not perfectly smooth/flush, but rather it is dinged a little whereby I can feel it with my fingernail. For example, if you've ever marred a screw head by using the wrong screw bit, the metal on the screw head exhibits the same feature.

I will try to get some pics up once I can find my card reader...Thanks.

 

[TexasBill]

Send it to Smith & Wesson or a good gunsmith for repair. The cylinder should not "spin" at all. The firing pin bushing should also be smooth; flaring can cause problems if a primer backs out.

 

[David E]

It could simply be old oil/dirt build up that is preventing the cylinder bolt/stop (whatever name S&W uses) from fully engaging the cylinder bolt cut.

In which case, disassemble it and clean it, reoil, reassemble.

I had a 629 that did the same thing. I did the above and it's been great ever since.

 

[TwoNiner]

David, thanks for the idea-- I cleaned the cylinder grooves. They are very clean and have no dirt in them but when I take a rag to the gun to wipe it off I can still accidentally spin the cylinder clockwise easily.

Bill, any idea what would cause the firing pin frame window flaring? I'm hypothesizing that the gun was dry fired too much and the firing pin which pivots on the hammer could have possibly smacked the frame repeatedly. I noticed that the flaring occurs at the six o'clock and 10 to 2 o'clock positions.

I swear I have bad luck with revolvers...jams, bad machining, botched gun-smithing, etc...Oh well I guess its all part of the fun

 

[MMCSRET]

You really need to carefully remove the stocks and side plate, pull the crane and cylinder assembly out of the frame and them clean the lock work from the inside out, lubricate and reassemble. I wouldn't worry about the recoil shield until you test fire it after cleaning.
I fell into a Model 37 airweight model of the Chief's Special(36) and had to do an indepth cleaning to get it to function reliably. It had been laying in a night stand drawer for 25 years. Like your 36, it had never had a screw turned.
Good shooting!!!!!!

 

[madcratebuilder]

What MMCSRET said. You may have a build up of crap in the action preventing the bolt to fully engage the cylinder notch. A good cleaning may be all that is needed. I had to do that to a M36 i picked up a few years ago. It had been in a night stand all of it's life and the oil in the action had turned to a gummy mess.

 

[Phydeaux642]

I had a Colt DS acting strange on me some time back, so, I took the grips off and soaked the action with Gunscrubber a couple of times. I let it dry real well then I sprayed it with CLP. Seems to work fine now. YMMV.

 

[Old Fuff]

It seems that the cylinder stop (the part that sticks up through the bottom of the frame and engages the slot in the cylinder) isn't coming up high enough, or (less likely) burrs in the notches are preventing it from going in far enough.

There can be several reasons for this, but the question is, "when you cock the hammer and then lower it, and release the trigger, can you still turn the cylinder?"

If this is an older model 36 (you didn't mention a dash-number, or post a serial) it might be a good idea to send it in to S&W for a through, 100% check-up. Thereafter your peace of mind would more then justify the cost.

 

[ohio58]

Chief's Special

I bought a very nice Model 36 Chief's Special a few months ago. Excellent condition from an estate sale from Maine. Mine was manufactured in 1971 and mine did the very same . I couldnt figure it out. So i called Smith and Wesson and sent it out for a 100% inspection. Im now waiting for them to call and tell me what they found to be the problem.......

 

[rcmodel]

Dollars to doughnuts all that is wrong is dried oil & grease and setting unused for years.

I've seen a lot of old guns like that come through here.

In almost every case, all they need is to flush out the crank case and an oil change.

rc

 

[David E]

I cleaned the cylinder grooves. They are very clean and have no dirt in them

I'm glad they are clean, but in Post #3, I said it's probably the BOLT STOP and that you need to disassemble the gun to properly clean it to see if that's the problem.

The next 6 "here's how to fix it" posts are echoing what I'd already said.

 

[DrLaw]

I got a Model 36 built in 1980. I ordered it from a gun dealer who ordered it from Smith & Wesson. I noticed that the cylinder stop was not protruding high enough to lock the cylinder.

I took the gun apart and found that there was excess metal on the portion of the stop where it met the frame of the gun. A little filing with a needle file was all it took to get the fit better and the stop to protrude from the frame.

But it could be dirt in there as well.

As for the raised burr by the firing pin. Don't know. I would ship the whole thing back to S&W (after calling them and getting instructions and the name of the person you talk to, and including a letter reiterating your conversation and the name of the person you talked to).

The Doc is out now.

 

[Old Fuff]

I took the gun apart and found that there was excess metal on the portion of the stop where it met the frame of the gun. A little filing with a needle file was all it took to get the fit better and the stop to protrude from the frame.

That pad on the cylinder stop is where it is for the express purpose of having extra metal in case the fit has to be adjusted. Apparently what should have been done in the first place wasn't.

 

[TwoNiner]

I have the side plat off of the gun. Whats the best way to clean the cylinder lock mechanism? The tolerances are so tight you can't get a rag in there, and I'm quite uneasy about taking any further components out of the internals without any special tools.

Looking at the cylinder lock, if it could move another few thousands of an inch upwards it may help it move farther through the cut in the frame and engage the cylinder better.

 

[GRIZ22]

I'm quite uneasy about taking any further components out of the internals without any special tools.


If you don't feel comfortable looking at the innards with the side plate off its all the more reason to send it to S&W.

 

[madcratebuilder]

Twoniner, do you have a local gunsmith. The charge for cleaning the internal parts can't be too much. If you look around there are you tube vids and disassembly of the J frames.

 

[Maj Dad]

Check out this thread (the top sticky on the Revolver page) by Sylvan Forge - it is invaluable for anyone unfamiliar with Smith innards.

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

 

[bluetopper]

Spray the internals with brake cleaner in an aerosol can you find at the auto parts store, an ample amount to really flush everything. It will dry quickly. All gunk will disappear. Don't do it indoors.

 

[S&Wfan]

My 1964 Model 36 that I got about three years ago simply needed the side plate carefully removed, followed by stripping the action and cleaning the dried up gunk . . . and it runs like a top.

It was rarely shot and the old lubricant had simply dried to gunk things up. A very simple thing to do that didn't take me long but, if you aren't comfortable a local gunsmith will be glad to do it for a very nominal fee.

Here's the old revolver . . . as good as new but much more desirable!!! Puts all five rounds into an inch at 10 yards too, dead on! They are great guns!!!