S&W Mdl 19-3 lock-up while firing

[2ifbyC]

I have S&W Model 19-3 with 6” barrel that I haven’t fired in over 30 years. I also have some reloaded .38 Special rounds with semi-wad cutter bullets; also 30 years old. I did not maintain the records for the loads but I know I never loaded near maximum when reloading.

I took the revolver out shooting today. After shooting about three rounds, the cylinder would lock-up to the point that I could not rotate the cylinder by pulling back on the trigger in SA. I was able to open the cylinder, with some force, rotate the rounds, and fire three more. Again, the cylinder would get stuck until worked on to release. Same thing happened with the next 3 rounds while shooting DA. After loosening the cylinder and firing the next three rounds, the cylinder would become stuck again. The cases show no signs of excessive pressure.

I recently took the gun apart, cleaned and oiled the internals, and then replaced the mainspring with a Wolff mainspring and 13lb recoil spring. The revolver has less than 400 total rounds fired and is a 1970 model.

Based on the symptoms above, what is likely the cause of the cylinder lock-up?

 

[MrBorland]

I recently took the gun apart,

Based on the symptoms above, what is likely the cause of the cylinder lock-up?

Most likely is a loose ejector rod.

 

[Jim K]

Check the ejector rod first. If it loosens up it will bind at the front on the ejector lock housing (the lug under the barrel). If the rod is tight (it might have left hand threads), check the barrel-cylinder gap; it should be about .007". If it is less or the front of the cylinder shows rubbing, the gap might need adjusting. (But that problem would have been there from day one, so if it worked before that is not the problem.

Jim

 

[skidder]

I would also check the b/c gap and the primers on the spent cases.

 

[Brian Williams]

Loose cylinder rod would make it hard to reload, not lock it up. Check for dust, dirt under the ejector star.

 

[gamestalker]

Yep, loose ejector rod!

 

[F-111 John]

Loose cylinder rod would make it hard to reload, not lock it up.

I beg to differ. My Model 19-4 locked up within the first box of ammo when I bought it new in 1980. The ejector rod backed out enough to make it impossible to fire, and I had a heck of a time opening the cylinder.

 

[2ifbyC]

Thanks for the tips.

I did not take apart the cylinder mechanism but did notice some sticking of the ejector rod. After years of sitting I believe the old lubricants dried up and encrusted. I took the assembly off the revolver and scrubbed the rod and underside of the ejector with cleaning solvent and a bronze brush. I then lightly oiled and re-assembled. The ejector rod movement is much smoother now.

I checked for endshake and the cylinder gap. Since the revolver was not fired much, they were within tolerances. The ejector rod appears tight but until I have a better understanding of the tightening technique, I am leaving it alone for now. I just purchased Jerry K’s shop manual and it gives a great appreciation to the art of revolver gunsmithing.

I plan on taking the revolver to the range and testing it once again. I also have some factory ammo as I read reloads can sometimes cause dragging on the breech face. Hopefully, shooting will go better.