S&W Home Armorer: Fixing a slow timed revolver

[tomrkba]

My 629 was slightly out of time on two cylinders. I was going to send it to Sand Burr Gun Ranch, but I decided I didn't want to pay the cost of shipping and gunsmithing. I found a 13 part series from Midway USA for common gunsmithing activities on the S&W revolver. I used these videos, along with the AGI "Smith & Wesson Revolver" DVD, to fix the timing on my gun.

The first problem was I have never disassembled an S&W revolver. This is where the Midway USA videos fall short in that they do not provide close-ups of the internals at each step. The AGI video had some better shots and several tips on takedown and reassembly. I took the gun apart without losing a spring or screw.

Gunsmithing - Disassembly and Lubrication of S&W Revolvers

I ordered a new hand from Numrich. Midway USA names the hand they used (Power Custom). I just bought one labeled for the 629-1. I followed the instructions in the video. I did not need to break the leading edge of the hand as shown in the video since everything was smooth.

Gunsmithing - How to Repair a Slow Timed S&W Revolver

I checked the gun for function and everything seems solid. I will take it to the range tomorrow for testing.

Prior to all this, the cylinder was loose. I fixed that using a gunsmith's posts on another forum and the Midway USA videos.

Gunsmithing - How to Repair a Bent Extractor Rod on S&W Revolvers


Now all the gun needs is a proper yoke screw and new flat sideplate screw. I saved $72 in shipping (one way), $35 to tighten the cylinder, who knows how much to fix the hand, cost of parts and verification. We'll see if I messed up tomorrow.

 

[Deltaboy1984]

Best of luck.

 

[LAGS]

@ tomrkba
After you set your timing, did you check your cylinder alignment on both single action cocking, then Hammer drop, and double action hammer drop.
I don't mean with just a lock up in the notches, but actually with a Cylinder alignment Rod/Mandral ?

 

[tomrkba]

After you set your timing, did you check your cylinder alignment on both single action cocking, then Hammer drop, and double action hammer drop.
I don't mean with just a lock up in the notches, but actually with a Cylinder alignment Rod/Mandral ?

No, I did not. However, I did look down the barrel with a light shining on the firing pin and did not see any "crescents". However, I should do it double action.

Do you have a link to that tool?

 

[LAGS]

@ tomrkba
I would strongly suggest you do that mandral check.
The reason being;
When you are looking down the bore and looking for what you call Crescent's
You are actually looking at the smaller sized hole on the end of your chamber, in relationship to the Bigger sized diameter of your forcing cone in your barrel.
Plus, the light is not shining straight down your bore at the same time you can See Straight down your bore.
That can let the light illuminate areas and give you a false picture.
The bullet is going to travel and jump the cylinder gap, and the Mandral of the proper size will tell if it is truely lined up.

I believe you can purchase the mandral from Brownells, but I take a Brass rod, and turn it down to the diameter I need to fit inside the barrel.
It isn't Rocket Science, but it can make a bug differance in checking the cylinder alignment.
I had made up some Mandral plugs that were about 2" long and fit on the end of my cleaning rod, but it has been so many years since I used them, I would have to search for them.
I had several diameters , because not all Barrels are the same Bore Diameter.

If you do not have access to a Lathe and you don't want to buy the Mandrals, you can make your own using an Drill Motor or drill press and a file to turn Brass, or even aluminum rod to the proper size.
That is what we call a " Poor Mans Lathe "

 

[LAGS]

@ tomrkba
If you are going to be working on your own revolvers, I would suggest you but in addition to your Video Tutorials, a Book by Jerry Kuhnhausen , titled
The S&W Revolver, A shop manual.
I don't know about the Videos, but I always just prefer to read, and have a book right at hand for refferance.
I'm old School ( and cant run a computer for crap )
I think there is a book out also for the Colt Revolvers and several other types of rifles and guns.

 

[BBBBill]

I first verify that the yoke and ejector rod are not bent, and straighten as needed. The yoke in particular can cause timing issues if bent. I also set headspace and end shake before proceeding further. Checking and repairing timing is finally done after the other steps. If only a few chambers are out of time, I swage the corresponding ratchet pad to move a little metal out for better contact with the hand. I have a fixture for that, but it can be done with a flat tipped punch with the ejector carefully held in a proper vise. After swaging, I do the fine tuning with a file to shape the swaged material as needed. Fitting a new hand is a last resort as it affects timing on all chambers, not just the ones that are out of time. The alignment rods are important as noted.

 

[tomrkba]

I double checked each charge hole on the gun in double action. There is a definite crescent in the lower right quadrant of each hole. I can wiggle the cylinder and make the crescent go away on all the holes. A few of the holes have a minimal crescent while the others have more.

 

[LAGS]

@tomrkba
There are several factors in revolver Timing AND Lock UP.
The Service tool or alignment rod will tell you exactly what you have.
If the cylinder Stop is worn, the hand timing may be right, but you may not be Locking up at the proper moment.
Or still getting rotation even if the stop is in the notch.