My $800 S&W disassembles itself... JUST LIKE MY $400 TAURUS DID. >=(

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Been shooting revolvers of all kinds for many years and have had a few screws loosen up on many of them. My current problem child is a S&W 37 made in '81. I have to keep an eye on the cylinder latch screw on it as it will back out within a couple of cylinders downrange.

As an aside, part of the safety drill we have to go through every time we qualify at the range for DOC is to check all screws and the ejector rod to ensure that they are tight.

No need to get your blood pressure up. Just keep an eye on the screws and keep the correct screwdrivers in your range kit.
 
Okay all. Thanks for your feedback. I was unduly angered as it was a very recent purchase. Loctite it is.
 
LocTite is your friend.

I found out about loose screws on S&W revolvers when the cylinder on my 29 went to the ground during a reload. After that, they all got LocTite, and not just that gun, all of them.

Ejector rods too. Just go REAL easy there with the thread locker.
 
AK103K said:
LocTite is your friend.

I found out about loose screws on S&W revolvers when the cylinder on my 29 went to the ground during a reload. After that, they all got LocTite, and not just that gun, all of them.

Ejector rods too. Just go REAL easy there with the thread locker.
Click to expand...

REAL EASY is key.

Use the right Loctite...blue or purple are low strength compounds perfectly suitable for this use.

Red Loctite is bad for this use. REALLY BAD. It's a high strength threadlocker and you may very well find yourself in a future condition of not being able to remove the screws at all...or breaking them in the process.

Repeat after me:

Blue or Purple...Blue or Purple...Blue or Purple...

;)
 
VanGoghComplex said:
Okay. The title of this thread is about as angry as I needed to get, but now that the red mist has subsided, I'm still left with a burning question re: my apparent waste of 4 c-notes. :mad:

When I used to clean my old Taurus 66, I noticed the side plate lines didn't match up smooth, and quickly found that after a few range trips, tightening the screws was necessary. At the time I figured: "Eh, it's a cheap gun. It's a small price to pay for the low price of entry." (It was my first firearm.)

Tonight as I was cleaning my Smith, lo and behold: side plate wasn't lining up! The screws worked themselves loose!

Is this normal? Am I raising my blood pressure for no good reason? Does this reflect badly on S&W, did I get a lemon, or is this just what revolvers do? How bad of an idea is it to loctite firearm screws? :fire:
Click to expand...
Bet you never owned a Harley, either. ;)
 
It's a revolver, screws loosen, carry a driver with appropriate brand-specific bit sets from Brownells.


The risk of breaking a screw off, or stripping the slotted screw head due to being unable to break it free...
Click to expand...
....is a total non-issue with Blue 242 or Purple 222.
 
This thread caused me to go on a brief loose-screw inspection. None found on any firearms. The operator, however...
 
I get the impression that the OP removes the sideplate every time he cleans his revolvers, which is not at all necessary. Doing that will eventually wear the screws enough that they might become loose, but I suspect he is just not tightening them enough because he knows that he will be removing them again in a few days.

My advice is to forget the Loctite; just use a good screwdriver and crank down on those screws. Then leave the sideplate alone; if necessary to clean the revolver, use a spray cleaner and light gun oil on the lockwork.

Jim
 
Jim K said:
I get the impression that the OP removes the sideplate every time he cleans his revolvers, which is not at all necessary. Doing that will eventually wear the screws enough that they might become loose, but I suspect he is just not tightening them enough because he knows that he will be removing them again in a few days.

My advice is to forget the Loctite; just use a good screwdriver and crank down on those screws. Then leave the sideplate alone; if necessary to clean the revolver, use a spray cleaner and light gun oil on the lockwork.

Jim
Click to expand...
The OP never removes the sideplates on his revolvers during cleaning.

The sideplate in question has never been removed by anyone, as it was bought BNIB a couple months ago.

Still though, I've calmed down. Thanks for the input. =)
 
It happens, as posted, use a proper bit and re-tighten carefully. A tiny bit of Blue Loctite will usually stop them from loosening. Don't get carried away with it. A little goes a long way.
 
I had the ejector rod back out of a then brand new 1980 build S&W Model 19 .357 magnum and lock it up tighter than a drum. Never had a problem with the side plate screws, but I always take out the forward screw to remove the cylinder for cleaning.
 
No screws loose:
S&W Model 28--Purchased 1969
S&W Model 29--Purchased 1980
S&W Model 586--Purchased 1990
S&W Model 17--Used 2002
S&W Model 624--Used 2003
S&W Model 57--Purchased 2005
S&W Model 19--Gift 2005
S&W Model 642--Purchased 2011
I DO NOT TINKER WITH MY REVOLVERS
 
Over the years I've had 7 Smith revolvers - only had a problem with 1.
The "Thumbpiece Nut", as S&W calls it, loosened & fell off.
Resulting in the loss of the nut & the Thumbpiece.

Other than that I've had great luck with my Smiths
 
My 28 kept having the ejector loosen up. It was annoying, and blue loc-tite solved the problem. The only other thing I used it on was on the sight adjustment on a couple of old, really old, and shot a whole lot, Model 10's I had.
 
Sight screws loosening up on model 10's ?
I think this whole situation is just blown out of proportion ! A screw or two loosening up on a firearm is certainly not a dramatic failure, it is just a loose screw ! How often have auto shooters found the grip screws loose of one of them? Tighten them up and move on....
 
Eh. I've shaken sideplate screws loose on revolvers and grip screws on autos. My Sig P239 was really bad about it. Cleaned threads and screw with a little alcohol, blue locktite, never another issue.

I used to have to do the same with 1911 grips when I shot IPSC too. Of course, I was shooting over 2000 rounds a month then.

No biggie.
 
Whut? I didn't think S&W Model 10's had adjustable sights, or sight screws.

But I agree, the OP has his knickers in a twist for no good reason. His firearm did not "disassemble" itself, a couple of screws shot loose.
 
My first thought was, screws are designed to go in and out. Tighten them up a little with the correct bit. If they continue to loosen, a dab of Loctite will fix it. Nothing to be mad about.
 
The barrel on my colt police positive 32 new police gets loose and I have to tighten it up.
 
NO LOCTITE unless you want to risk buggered up screws! Do what old guys did before loctite, get a bottle of you wifes/girlfriends fingernail polish and put a dab on the threads and they won't back out and they will come out when needed without damaging the heads.:banghead:
 
jehu said:
NO LOCTITE unless you want to risk buggered up screws! Do what old guys did before loctite, get a bottle of you wifes/girlfriends fingernail polish and put a dab on the threads and they won't back out and they will come out when needed without damaging the heads.:banghead:
Click to expand...

There are about a million Loctite products out there, each for specific uses. With respect to common threadlockers, though, there are only three that the layman needs to be concerned with:

Red: A high strength thread locker. NOT for use on small screws or bolts, and definately not suitable for those in common use on firearms. DO NOT USE RED LOCTITE ON FIREARMS.

Blue: A medium strength threadlocker. Suitable for small screws and bolts, screws and bolts easily removed without damage.

Purple: A low strentgh threadlocker. Suitable for small screws and bolts, including the tiniest. Screws and bolts easily removed without damage.

The key is to use the PROPER Loctite for the job.
 
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