mod 36 cylinder spins backward

[pahrumpcaveman]

I bought a s&w mod 36 on gun broker and the cylinder spins backward .I tore it all apart and took some off the top of the cylinder latch to see if it would engage the notches more to no avail . It wont do it if you pull the trigger all the way through, it locks up ok then .So I'm stumped .What to do ........

 

[1 old 0311]

It should be going COUNTER clockwise. Colt goes clockwise.

 

[HSMITH]

Cylinder stop is sticking down part way or most of the way? If not then cylinder stop spring is probably cut/weak/set. A new cylinder stop spring should take care of it provided everything else is OK.

 

[Old Fuff]

It is almost always a mistake to troubleshoot over the Internet, but for starters, swing out the cylinder, hold the thumbpiece back and slowly double action the trigger while looking at the cylinder stop ball (that's the part of the cylinder stop that sticks up through a slot in the bottom of the frame's window. As you pull the trigger, watch the ball, which should go up and down in a uniform way. Then push down on the ball with your finger and see if it feels like it's under spring tension. It should be, and the spring should give it a firm feel.

I wouldn't remove anymore metal until you are sure what your doing is right. Mistakes can end up costing you a lot of money.

 

[pahrumpcaveman]

The stop goes up and down like it's supposed to and appears to have plenty of tension . Only reason I took to grinding was the stop edge was rounded over a bit so I thought if I took some off the top it would allow it to seat deeper and give a new edge .The notches in the cylinder are fine . The stop is just not engaging them enough .This was supposed to be a cheep purse gun for my girlfriend .Bob the hammer ,reblue it ,new grips ect... Guess I'll try a new stop and spring ....Just thought someone might have a tip on making this one work ..

 

[Old Fuff]

Did the problem with the cylinder start before or after you filed some metal off of the top of the cylinder stop ball? Your trouble might have been caused by filing at the wrong place, and if you didn't go too far, corrected by filing at the right one.

It is probable that you'll need a new cylinder stop, but then maybe not. I doubt that you need a new spring unless you altered or bent it.

 

[pahrumpcaveman]

The problem was there when I got it . The filing was done to try and take the rounded edge off the stop and allow it to engage the notch more . It was as though it was a ramp and allowing the notch to just ride over the stop if you put a bit of rotational pressure on it I fixed it this morning by filing on the top of the body of the stop where it meets the frame . This allowed the stop to move up further and is now engaging the notches properly . Just had to sleep on it .All fixededed..... Any tips on bobbing the hammer ???? Thanks

 

[HSMITH]

Get another hammer to bob. Bobbing the hammer on a J can be frustrating, they barely hit the primers hard enough as it is and reducing the mass of the hammer can cause light strikes.

I have had best results by bobbing and then lightening the hammer further yet, with the stock springs you can get the velocity of the hammer high enough to get the reliability back.

Another reason to get another hammer is that when you bob it you should remove the single action capabilty as well. Lowering a bobbed hammer if you should happen to get it cocked is pretty hairy....

 

[pahrumpcaveman]

Ok so how do I remove the single action capabilty ??

 

[HSMITH]

Pop the sideplate off and look at it as you cock it. That will be a LOT faster and easier than me trying to explain it with a keyboard. It will be pretty obvious when you are looking specifically for that.

 

[medmo]

Does it do it on all cylinders? If it only does it on some cylinders check the crane to see if it is bent/warped. Slapping the gun closed and open can cause the crane to get tweaked and mess up the timing. Next I would replace all of the springs to see if it resolves the problem. Do you have an amazingly smooth DA like the springs are worn out or some hack did some smithing by clipping spring coils? Does it spin backwards after you have cocked the hammer firmly after replacing the springs? Then you are looking at a new cylinder stop or worse a new cylinder. You can "peen" the cylinder stop cuts on a worn out cylinder but at best it is a lot of work for a temporary solution. Got pic's? You have done some work on the cylinder stop so it might be a good idea to check the alignment with a range rod before test firing. You might have alignment problems causing excessive spitting from the bbl/cyl gap. Making a smaller cylinder stop by rounding the edges might be nothing more then band aiding the real problem.