S&W 19 - mixing 38 special with 357 magnum

[Winblows]

I newly bought an used S&W 19 and it works fine with .38 spl. ammo.
Now, I wanted to compare the recoil of the 38 spl. and 357 mag. and I putted a 357 as the 6'th shoot, at the end of the 5 38's.
After the last (357 mag.) shoot, it resulted in the drum got stuck and it took a lot of time and finger gymnastics to get it free.

The question is, was it because it's not recommended to mix the 38 special together with the 357 magnum in the same round, or is because the gun was previously used only with 38 special cartridges ?

 

[fireman 9731]

Would the cylinder not spin or open up? Or was it hard to eject the empty brass?

 

[Driftwood Johnson]

Howdy

Mixing 38 Special and 357 Magnum in the same cylinder (you called it a drum) is not a problem.

If the revolver was previously only used with 38 Special, firing 357 Magnum in it should not be a problem, as long as the gun is functioning properly.

Just as a precaution, make sure the forcing cone (rear end of the barrel) has not split.

This is an example of a split forcing cone.

 

[Winblows]

The cylinder would not open up. I bought the gun from a serious gun dealer. The forcing cone is in fine shape and the gun is in very good condition.

 

[NIGHTLORD40K]

The cylinder would not open up. I bought the gun from a serious gun dealer. The forcing cone is in fine shape and the gun is in very good condition.

Your ejector rod has most likely started to unscrew, which will make it difficult or impossible to open the cylinder. Depending on the year, it may tighten clockwise OR counter-clockwise, but Im sure it will become apparent when you turn it. I would unscrew it all the way, being careful to catch the spring that will try to fall out, then apply a bit of blue Loctite to the threads and then retighten finger tight ONLY. The rod threads are very fine and easily damaged by over-tightening.

Its a good idea to check all S&W ejector rods occasionally for looseness.

It is probable the rod has been loose for some time and firing Magnums had nothing really to do with it, however old M19s are, as Driftwood pointed out, prone to cracked forcing cones when fed a steady diet of light, hot .357s. Commonly accepted wisdom is to stick to limited numbers of 158gr. Magnums and mostly practice with .38s.

 

[Bama59]

Revolver may have fired mostly with .38 spl causing carbon rings in charging holes. Clean with 40/44 cal bronze brush and clean behind extractor. Also high pressue of .357 mag with cause case to swell and stick .

 

[Walkalong]

Your ejector rod has most likely started to unscrew,

Revolver may have fired mostly with .38 spl causing carbon rings in charging holes.

First two things to check.

 

[Winblows]

The ejector rod sits tight. The cylinder looks as shown:

 

[Walkalong]

Rules out the ejector rod. Check the chambers to see if there is buildup at the front. The .357 case is about an 1'8" longer, so it has to go over any crud left in front of the .38 cases. It can bind things up sometimes if excessive.

Could be rough chambers. Those look like they might be. Could be fine with .38 Spl pressures, but not so much with .357 pressures. Let's hope it is just some buildup and a good cleaning will fix it right up. A .40 cal brush chucked up in a drill and some bore cleaner will do the trick.

 

[NIGHTLORD40K]

I think I see some rubbing on the frame below the barrel extension. If the crane is shimmed too far forward, this area could making contact on the front of the cylinder when it heats up.....?

 

[Shak3s1977]

Wasn't by chance Geco 357 ammo? My neighbor bought some because it was cheap as heck for 158gr JHP ammo. As soon as the first one went off, I thought it was warm ammo. It had a heck of sound and flame coming out. Sure enough, he had to beat on the rod to get the empty brass to eject. Came out better in my pistol, but it made my warm reloads seem like 38 specials lol.

 

[Riomouse911]

My first shots with a new-to-me Model 13 had the same issues, the fix ended up being a loose ejector rod. A dab of blue Loctite and it's been trouble-free ever since.

My 686+ would bind up after shooting 40-50 rapid rounds. I sent it back to S&W and they replaced the crane (which swings out from the frame and holds the cylinder) and the ejector rod. Their diagnosis was these parts were bent, they were replaced for free and the gun was sent back. I have no idea how these items were bent, it must have some this way from the factory as it was bought new and I am not a "cylinder-snapper" or gun abuser.

Based on the bluing rub on the frame that the other poster noted the crane may be bent just a tiny bit, so when it heats up it expands and locks up like mine did. If the ejector rod is tight, the chambers aren't clogged with .38 crud rings or roughly finished inside and this binding continues, call S&W. They'll send you a shipping label and you can send it back to the mother ship for a diagnosis and fix.

Those pictures show a nice M-19. hopefully it's an easy fix and you're back at the range soon.

Good luck