J-frame misfires...

[LivewireBlanco]

Ok, this is by far the weirdest thing and I can't quite pin it down. I went to the range today and was doing some rapid fire stuff with my J-frame and I load up a cylinder full of some of my mild reloads. BANG-CLICK-CLICK-CLICK-CLICK... I'm thinking *** just happened. The cylinder is not loose, it feels like it should so I open it up expecting light primer strikes on the 4 that didn't go off. Nothing, not even a tiny dimple on the 4 primers that didn't go off. Puzzled, I close the cylinder and BANG-BANG-BANG-BANG. They all shot. Now I'm really confused and load it up again and they all go bang.

This is the only time this revolver has ever done this to me and it's had about 200 rounds through it. I changed the springs on it when I got it with a Wolff spring kit but there wasn't a single light strike on the primers that didn't go off...

 

[tightgroup tiger]

You need to put this under Gunsmithing and repairs.

 

[LivewireBlanco]

Mods, can you move this please?

 

[rcmodel]

, not even a tiny dimple on the 4 primers that didn't go off. load it up again and they all go bang.

About the only thing it can be to cause that is short stroking the trigger in rapid fire.

If the hammer made it back far enough to drop & fire?
They would have fired, or at least had dents in the primers.

rc

 

[wyohome]

Mine did that out of the box. Sent it back and it still did it. Took it to my workplace and a hobbyist gunsmith cleaned it up inside and it now works flawlessly.

 

[Deaf Smith]

I changed the springs on it when I got it with a Wolff spring kit but there wasn't a single light strike on the primers that didn't go off...

Change it back and while you are at it clean the insides and lube it.

Deaf

 

[Jim K]

Look down in front of the hammer and make darn sure the hammer block safety is moving as it should. It is very uncommon (but not unknown) for that to get put in wrong and not move out of the way of the hammer. That will cause misfires.

Jim

 

[rcmodel]

Possibly???

But I can't think of any way you could put the hammer-block safety in wrong.

And still get the gun to even function at all.


Unless the HB safety or the pin in the rebound slide is broken?
You can't put the side-plate on with it out of place.

rc

 

[LivewireBlanco]

I'm thinking short stroking and the transfer bar didn't get out of the way completely but I don't even know if that's possible. It only happened when I shot it fast.

 

[Seven High]

Are you sure that the primers were seated deep enough in your reloads? If they aren't, that will cause misfires.

 

[VA27]

I suspect the trigger return spring is the problem here. If the trigger doesn't reset fully, the cylinder will cycle but the hammer won't. That's why no dimples on the primers. Reinstall the factory spring and all should be well.

 

[rcmodel]

I'm thinking short stroking and the transfer bar didn't get out of the way completely

S&W's do not have transfer bars.

They have positive hammer-block safety's.

And the way they work make it impossible for them to not get out of the way..

Unless something in the gun is broken and the hammer can fall before the trigger is all the way back..

Just for the record.
What model J-Frame S&W was it?

And a new one with a frame mounted firing pin??

Or an old one with a hammer mounted firing pin???

rc

 

[Jim K]

My bad, rc. You are right; the safety can't be put in wrong or the gun won't go together.

The trigger return idea sounds good, but the OP says the gun clicked. Failure of trigger return won't give a click or sound anything like the hammer falling. Plus the hammer won't move much and if the hammer is exposed, that would be noticed, I would think.

Jim

 

[LivewireBlanco]

The revolver is a new model 642 with no exposed hammer. It has the frame mounted lock. I'm going to do some experimenting later on to see if the trigger wasn't resetting all the way. If so I'm thinking the factory return spring will need to be put back in. I highly doubt it was an ammo problem because it was 4 in a row and they went bang the next time. Plus they were pristine primers like they hadn't been touched by the pin at all.

 

[Jim K]

Wellm a 642 doesn't have a hammer block either. There is no need for a hammer block on a gun without an exposed hammer.

Jim

 

[Old Fuff]

It could be the primers weren't fully seated. Try some different ammunition before you start doing things to the gun.

So far as the revolver's concerned, also be sure you don't have a broken firing pin or a mashed firing pin spring.

 

[LivewireBlanco]

Its not the ammo and it shot fine afterwards. I'll be sure to check things out completely before I pull it apart again.

 

[Old Fuff]

Its not the ammo and it shot fine afterwards

Over a period running many years I've had instances where something that didn't fire "the first time around" did fire the second time.

Whatever caused the problem was almost never something in the gun.

 

[LivewireBlanco]

After searching this on Google it seems that some people that have put lighter springs in their 642 had the problem of "out running" their return spring when shooting fast. Since that's exactly what I was practicing and that's the modification I performed to my gun I'm going to put the 15# spring in and see what it does. Thanks guys!