So I picked up an older S&W K38 and took it to the range this weekend. While it shoots great I'm having trouble opening up the cylinder to reload. With the release depressed I have to use A LOT of force to get the cylinder to come out. I've never done work on a revolver myself are the cylinder assemblies easy to take down? With it being so old am I out of luck getting help from S&W?
S&W K38 cylinder is stuck
- Thread starter Babarsac
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Sam Cade
Member
Make sure that your ejector rod isn't unscrewing.
Marty Hayes
Member
Check to see if your ejector rod is loose. This is a common problem with S+W revolvers. If it is loose, tighten it up and likely the problem will go away. Otherwise, you might have some gunk in the cylinder release mechinism, which prevents the plunger from pushing the lock at the front of the ejector all the way.
Be careful with forcing that cylinder out, as you can bend the ejector rod.
Be careful with forcing that cylinder out, as you can bend the ejector rod.
Marty Hayes
Member
If it is loose and unscrewing as Sam says, hold the ejector rod tight, pull back the hammer enough to release the cylinder bolt, and spin the cylinder to tighten the ejector.
Sam1911
Moderator Emeritus
Ahhh-yup! Double- and triple-check that the rod is screwed in tight.
1911Tuner
Moderator Emeritus
A caveat...
If it's loose, and you want to lock it down using a little German torque...Gutentight...place fired cases in the chambers before you twist on the rod.
If it's loose, and you want to lock it down using a little German torque...Gutentight...place fired cases in the chambers before you twist on the rod.
Driftwood Johnson
Member
Howdy
One other thing that can happen is if you are using powder that does not burn completely, a few flakes can work their way underneath the extractor star. I have had this happen with Unique, just a few flakes got stuck under the extractor star, wedging the star back just far enough that the latch could not push the cylinder pin quite far enough forward to unlatch the cylinder.
But the rod unscrewing is the most likely answer.
However, at some point, S&W put a left handed thread on the extractor for exactly this reason. With the left handed thread, normal cylinder rotation tends to tighten the rod, rather than loosen it.
I will have to look up just when S&W changed over to the left handed thread. If you gun has a left handed thread, than the rod loosening is probably not the problem.
One other thing that can happen is if you are using powder that does not burn completely, a few flakes can work their way underneath the extractor star. I have had this happen with Unique, just a few flakes got stuck under the extractor star, wedging the star back just far enough that the latch could not push the cylinder pin quite far enough forward to unlatch the cylinder.
But the rod unscrewing is the most likely answer.
However, at some point, S&W put a left handed thread on the extractor for exactly this reason. With the left handed thread, normal cylinder rotation tends to tighten the rod, rather than loosen it.
I will have to look up just when S&W changed over to the left handed thread. If you gun has a left handed thread, than the rod loosening is probably not the problem.
BCRider
Member
Even the left hand threads unscrew if the rod isn't tightened something more than finger tight. I've seen this on more than one of my own S&W's and on the rental range's S&W's where I RO for them now and then. So going to left hand threading may have made it less of an issue but it sure didn't cure it.
When I find my own S&W's doing this I stick empties in the holes as mentioned and grab the knurled end of the ejector with some big pliers using a patch of leather or some heavy card stock as padding. I then tighten to about double what I can manage by fingers only. The rod never comes loose after that. The key is to not go crazy on the fine threads. It only needs to be a little tighter than what you can manage with fingers only. With the padded pliers holding the rod and the diameter of the cylinder it only requires a light two finger torque from the cylinder.
If it turns out that you got some powder flakes under the star then try to point the muzzle up higher in the future so the flakes fall free with the brass.
When I find my own S&W's doing this I stick empties in the holes as mentioned and grab the knurled end of the ejector with some big pliers using a patch of leather or some heavy card stock as padding. I then tighten to about double what I can manage by fingers only. The rod never comes loose after that. The key is to not go crazy on the fine threads. It only needs to be a little tighter than what you can manage with fingers only. With the padded pliers holding the rod and the diameter of the cylinder it only requires a light two finger torque from the cylinder.
If it turns out that you got some powder flakes under the star then try to point the muzzle up higher in the future so the flakes fall free with the brass.
DickM
Member
Regarding the left/right hand thread question: If it's really a K-38, i.e., a pre-Model 14, or a Model 14 "no dash" then it will be a right-hand thread. The left-hand threaded ejector rod was introduced with the Model 14-1 in 1959.
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