S&W M13 question--cylinder closing problems

[Dave Reese]

Back with another newbie question.

I was out shooting my S&W M13 (4" .357 K-frame) today; shooting some commercially reloaded 158 gr. lead SWC .38's, which shot pretty dirty. Anyway, after my first or second cylinder of said reloads I ejected the spent shells w/out a problem, reloaded, and attempted to close the cylinder. Problem: Couldn't get the cylinder all the way into the frame. I didn't force it, but I kept bringing the cylinder back to the frame to find the point of friction. From the looks of it, the bolt wasn't dropping to allow the cylinder to make its way into the frame--though I could be wrong. B/C gap is fine, not a lot of crud on the front of the cylinder, so the bolt looks to be the only point of friction.

After a few tries the problem ironed itself out and I resumed shooting. The same thing happened again after 100 or so more rounds. Again, the problem cleared up pretty quickly and now the cylinder opens and closes with no trouble whatsoever.

At no time was the trigger pull affecting or the cylinder show any signs of dragging once fully closed.

Thoughts?

 

[steveno]

check to see if your ejector rod is loose

 

[Old Fuff]

check to see if your ejector rod is loose

Which is to say, unscrewed. And if it has, remember that the thread is backwards (left hand) - turn it clockwise to tighten it.

Since you were shooting "dirty" ammunition, take an old toothbrush and some solvent, and scrub out the area between the back of the cylinder and front of the extractor star. A gunk build-up in this area can also cause the cylinder to stick.

 

[thatguy]

1: Loose ejector rod as mentioned.

2: Dirty as mentioned.

3: Ammo not seating fully in chambers (no problem closing empty gun?). Make sure ammo is sized properly (common trouble with reloads) and clean chambers.

 

[WT]

If the ejector rod is loose, be very careful tightening things up.

Place 3 EMPTY cartridges in the cylinder before you turn the rod. There are some small pins under the extractor star which could break off if one is not careful. The EMPTY cartridges add some support.

A tiny bit of BLUE LOK-TITE on the ejector rod thread helps. DO NOT USE RED LOK-TITE.

 

[Wllm. Legrand]

Good advice is being given here.

 

[Rob1035]

as an aside, I've been searching for "my" perfect first revolver. I love my dad's model 10, but I want the option of magnum loads, low and behold, two M13s in the used section of my local shop, both for ~$250. must.....resist.......S&W........

 

[isp2605]

Agree with Wllm.
Another problem, if none of the previous solutions work and since you were running reloads, could be high primers.
My first guess tho would be the loose ejector rod and then fouling.

 

[Brian Williams]

Also look for junk under the ejector star.

 

[SwampWolf]

"Junk under the ejector star" is my guess too. The only time I experienced a firearm "failure" in almost thirty years of le qualification courses involved a model 13. The cylinder got harder and harder to turn and finally wouldn't. Close inspection revealed a single flake of powder lodged under the star. This kind of debris is more difficult to spot with a blued gun as opposed to a s/s one.