S&W model 19 help

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C-grunt

C-grunt

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I have an older model 19-5 from the mid 80s I believe. Ive only had it a few months. One of the chambers in the cylinder gets a really bad stuck case when firing 357 through it. Stuck to the point I have to use a rod and a mallet to knock it out. I spent a good amount of time with a brush and some cleaner to make sure it wasn't a carbon ring buildup but no matter how much I clean the chamber it still gets stuck.

It will extract about a 1/4 to 1/2 and inch with the extractor then it is stuck. Like I said before, I cant grab it out or even pry it out. It requires a rod and mallet.

I dont see anything obviously wrong with the chamber.

Is the revolver to old to send back to S&W? There are a couple really good S&W gunsmiths locally, should I just go to them?
 
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Could be a few things, powder build up, the chamber may need some extra polishing, the ejector rod may not align perfectly on that chamber. You aren't using steel case rounds are you?

I would contact Smith and Wesson to see if they would take it in but in all honesty I would find a real gunsmith in your area and have them fix it. Your gonna pay for it either way and I'd rather have a gunsmith do it for a variety of reasons
 
With the info given, a correct analysis is a little bit hard. So here is my shot in the dark; since a carbon ring is at the forward end of the chamber, you do not have that. A rough chamber will lead to hard extraction that gets consistently worse with rounds fired and will make extraction hard from the very beginning, just like a carbon ring does.

My guess is, that your spent brass will be slightly expanded (which is normal) and binds on the extractor star, which will press the canted brass onto the chamber rim. The brass should also show some scratch marks. If that is so, the extractor star either needs alignment or cutting.
 
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If it’s stuck that badly, my fear is that there’s bulged chamber from somebody overcharging a round.

You might want to measure the cases and see if the one getting stuck is oversized.

Try pushing the stuck one into another charge hole. Then see if another fired case seems to fit loosely in the one that’s stuck.

I realize that’s a worst case scenario but, if you’ve really cleaned it and it’s smooth, it’s a likely reason.
 
sgt127 said:
If it’s stuck that badly, my fear is that there’s bulged chamber from somebody overcharging a round.

You might want to measure the cases and see if the one getting stuck is oversized.

Try pushing the stuck one into another charge hole. Then see if another fired case seems to fit loosely in the one that’s stuck.

I realize that’s a worst case scenario but, if you’ve really cleaned it and it’s smooth, it’s a likely reason.
Click to expand...

Ditto. K-Frames are light .357 Magnum ammunition revolvers.
 
sgt127 said:
If it’s stuck that badly, my fear is that there’s bulged chamber from somebody overcharging a round.

You might want to measure the cases and see if the one getting stuck is oversized.

Try pushing the stuck one into another charge hole. Then see if another fired case seems to fit loosely in the one that’s stuck.

I realize that’s a worst case scenario but, if you’ve really cleaned it and it’s smooth, it’s a likely reason.
Click to expand...

This sounds like very good advice indeed.
 
sgt127 said:
If it’s stuck that badly, my fear is that there’s bulged chamber from somebody overcharging a round.

You might want to measure the cases and see if the one getting stuck is oversized.

Try pushing the stuck one into another charge hole. Then see if another fired case seems to fit loosely in the one that’s stuck.

I realize that’s a worst case scenario but, if you’ve really cleaned it and it’s smooth, it’s a likely reason.
Click to expand...

Thanks. I'll try that. Unfortunately I don't think I saved a spent casing from that chamber. Sounds like a range trip is in order
 
I would try dissembling the cylinder from the frame take the cylinder down to the bare cylinder and soak the entire cylinder in a small container full of Break Free to really get the chambers clean. Leave it soak for a day then clean it and reassemble the gun and shoot it.

If it still hangs up then take it to a ‘smith.
 
Follow the procedure in #4 - get it over with. If it is a bulged charge hole you may as well find out sooner rather than later.
 
I would want to know what the problem is before I paid anyone else to fix it.
Some very good suggestions have been offered above.
I would obtain another fired case or two and start from there.
Did you by chance bring the fired brass home? Finding that case should not be hard in a few cases- tougher in a thousand!
That may tell you what the problem is and determine your course of action.
Cleaning, not polishing, as best you can and measuring fired case should be first step and are not detrimental to the cylinder.
Please keep us informed and post picture of fired case with measurement.
Jmho
 
If one chamber is bulged wouldn't that likely also effect at least 1 adjoining chamber?Since the space between the chambers is the thin spot it would most likely fail there. Or am I wrong?
 
I thought the same re: bulged chamber. I bought a Bubba’ed M-10 Victory model that was sold online as a .38 Spl... but it was a poorly hogged out .38 S&W so the cases bulged badly (some split) and had to be pounded out the first time I shot it. A new cylinder fitted to the gun fixed the issue.

As for “too old”, I sent a 66-2 back to S&W in July, I bought it used but just didn’t like the way the cylinder release felt. $135.00 (Plus 20 bucks shipping) and it’s in the pipeline to be sent back soon. The tech did a bunch of stuff to bring it back into spec. (Once I get if back I’ll post on it.)

Stay safe.
 
In my experience, the bulging on K-frames happens mostly where the cylinder stop cut-out is. The brass would then be pressed into that recess ( or any other bulge ) and ejection would be hard from the beginning. Since the OP does have fairly easy ejection for the first 1/4 to 1/2 inch, a bulged chamber is unlikely.
 
Ya you’re right, it would be sticky the whole way... there could be an issue with the ejector rod being tweaked under the cylinder, the previous owner could have been one of the dreaded “ cylinder snappers” who snapped the cylinder closed a lot and tweaked the crane, etc.


OP, when you spin the cylinder when it’s open is there any wobble in the rod or a noticeable misalignment of the gap between the crane and the frame when it’s closed?

Just a thought...

My 686+ had to go back to S&W for a crane misalignment issue that manifested itself when I fired a bunch of rounds in a row and it heated up.

Stay safe!
 
Riomouse911 said:
Ya you’re right, it would be sticky the whole way... there could be an issue with the ejector rod being tweaked under the cylinder, the previous owner could have been one of the dreaded “ cylinder snappers” who snapped the cylinder closed a lot and tweaked the crane, etc.


OP, when you spin the cylinder when it’s open is there any wobble in the rod or a noticeable misalignment of the gap between the crane and the frame when it’s closed?

Just a thought...

My 686+ had to go back to S&W for a crane misalignment issue that manifested itself when I fired a bunch of rounds in a row and it heated up.

Stay safe!
Click to expand...

I'll check that out in a few hours.
 
No obvious misalignment and the ejector rod spins freely without any wobble.

I have range time setup Monday morning. Ill take some pics of the brass and try to film some video of loading, shooting, and unloading.
 
Does the factory ammo drop in just fine like the other chambers?
Will S&W fix it? Yep; but it won't be free most likely. I sent my 66-2 back for hand repair and I paid for shipping to and repair and it took about 8-10 weeks total, so if you have a good smith nearby, go there first.
 
George P said:
Does the factory ammo drop in just fine like the other chambers?
Will S&W fix it? Yep; but it won't be free most likely. I sent my 66-2 back for hand repair and I paid for shipping to and repair and it took about 8-10 weeks total, so if you have a good smith nearby, go there first.
Click to expand...

Ammo loads in fine.
 
ontarget said:
If one chamber is bulged wouldn't that likely also effect at least 1 adjoining chamber?Since the space between the chambers is the thin spot it would most likely fail there. Or am I wrong?
Click to expand...

I would think so. Anytime the material in a pressure is stressed beyond yield, it is time to scrap the pressure vessel. There are no positives to a bulged barrel, ringed barrel, or bulged cylinder. Once the material has been stressed to plastic deformation it is far weaker than it was before the damage and no firearm is worth keeping if it puts a cylinder top strap in your forehead.

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ontarget said:
If one chamber is bulged wouldn't that likely also effect at least 1 adjoining chamber?Since the space between the chambers is the thin spot it would most likely fail there. Or am I wrong?
Click to expand...

Not necessarily. I had an N frame with a bulged charge hole ; adjacent holes had no issues.
And btw - a cylinder replacement is sometimes a drop in affair , but don't count on it. Best to engage a competent gunsmith and get it right , fine points and all. May as well get the action improved while you are at it.
 
Slamfire said:
I would think so. Anytime the material in a pressure is stressed beyond yield, it is time to scrap the pressure vessel. There are no positives to a bulged barrel, ringed barrel, or bulged cylinder. Once the material has been stressed to plastic deformation it is far weaker than it was before the damage and no firearm is worth keeping if it puts a cylinder top strap in your forehead.

View attachment 863953

View attachment 863954

View attachment 863955

View attachment 863956
Click to expand...

Slamfire, I thought all Ruger revolvers were "built like a tank" and "indestructible". LOL.
Just glad I wasn't holding any of those at the moment of self destruction.
I see your point though.
 
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