686 cylinder Locked Up

H

hatchet

New member
I recently bought a new 686 Plus. Over the past few months I have put roughly 150 rounds of lighter reloads though it, with no issues.
Yesterday, I ran an initial cylinder though it with no issues and then loaded another. On the 3rd cartridge of double action shooting in that cylinder, the hammer half stroked and everything locked up.
The hammer is in the down position and will not thumb cock, the trigger and the cylinder will not move at all.
I have had A LOT S & W and Ruger revolvers over the last 36 years but have never had this happen.
This is a "lock" gun, so first thing I did when I got home was break out the key and made sure the lock was not engaged. So it does not appear to be that.

Anyone else experience this?
 
J

Jim Watson

New member
Can you see through the cylinder gap? A stuck bullet bridging the gap will lock it up.

We used to hear a lot about unscrewed extractor rods but they changed to left hand threads years ago to prevent that.
 
4

44caliberkid

New member
I had a six shot 686 when they first came out that did the same thing. When shooting DA it would seize up in mid stroke, hammer half way back, nothing would move, couldn’t open the cylinder. The dealer sent it to a warranty station, they sent it back, still did the same thing. I traded it for something else.
 
J

jmr40

New member
I'm thinking the ejector rod may have backed out. This used to a pretty common issue.

If this is the issue you will have to force the cylinder open. Then screw the ejector rod in tight. Use of locktite will prevent it from backing out.
 
H

hatchet

New member
Jim Watson,

Yes, I checked that yesterday. Everything is clear. I stuck a piece of paper though the forcing cone area, as well as the rear of the case to make sure it was not a primer popping out.
 
H

hatchet

New member
jmr40,

I was reading about this last night. I am able to slide the cylinder release forward, and when I do I can see the rod in the end of the ejector rod protruding out.
Not sure how to correct that though.
 
L

Lurch37

New member
Maybe I missed it but you say on the 3rd shot the hammer half stroked and is now in the down position. Did the 3rd round fire or is it a live round?
 
4

44 AMP

Staff
You said the gun is new. New as in still under warranty, new??

If the gun is still under warranty, it needs to go back to S&W.

Call S&W, they will tell you how to proceed. I suggest finding a S&W warranty service shop (S&W can tell you the closes one to you), take the gun there, and have them handle sending it back to the factory.

IF S&W tells you to do something different, do what they say.

Good Luck, and let us know how things work out.
 
T

tangolima

New member
The gun is loaded, so you may not be able to ship it. Look up the closest service station, and bring the gun there for them to deal with.

Back to the revolver, is the trigger reset or stuck to the back position? The cylinder can't turn if the trigger is kept back.

-TL

Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk
 
4

44 AMP

Staff
I'd take the grips & side plate off and go from there if you're comfortable taking it apart.
Click to expand...

Comfortable and competent are different things.

taking the guts out of a S&W revolver is not mechanically difficult. Do so without damaging anything requires some training and the correct tools. Knowing what you are looking at, and looking for, correctly diagnosing the cause of the problem, doing the needed repair, and getting the parts back in is something MOST people have no clue how to do, and a Utube video is a great way to screw up your gun WORSE.

Let the people who are professionals handle it. Particularly if the gun is still under warranty.

the issue here is, If YOU take the gun apart, #1, are you going to be able to recognize what is causing the problem?? #2, are you going to be able to figure out what caused the problem in the first place, #3, can you do the needed repairs yourself ?? Get any needed parts?? Install them and possibly fit them as needed?? etc.,....

Also to consider is that if you are going to try and fix it, ALL costs will come out of your pocket, can you do it and not damage anything, including the finish?? And, will doing so void your warranty??

Just some points to ponder before you tear into the gun on some keyboard commando's (well meant, of course) advice.

Friend of mine had a S&W lock up in a similar manner around 20 years ago. S&W told him to take it to their warranty center (which happened to be the local shop he did business with) and they discovered that a part had broken, and the broken piece, less than half the size of a grain of rice, had, somehow (and against the odds) managed to work itself into just the right place to jam the gun solidly. The gun was repaired and returned to service, but it was NOT a matter of just plugging in a new part and being good to go.

SEND THE GUN TO S&W, let them fix it. Its the smart thing to do.
 
M

MC 1911

New member
44 AMP said:
Comfortable and competent are different things.

taking the guts out of a S&W revolver is not mechanically difficult. Do so without damaging anything requires some training and the correct tools. Knowing what you are looking at, and looking for, correctly diagnosing the cause of the problem, doing the needed repair, and getting the parts back in is something MOST people have no clue how to do, and a Utube video is a great way to screw up your gun WORSE.

Let the people who are professionals handle it. Particularly if the gun is still under warranty.

the issue here is, If YOU take the gun apart, #1, are you going to be able to recognize what is causing the problem?? #2, are you going to be able to figure out what caused the problem in the first place, #3, can you do the needed repairs yourself ?? Get any needed parts?? Install them and possibly fit them as needed?? etc.,....

Also to consider is that if you are going to try and fix it, ALL costs will come out of your pocket, can you do it and not damage anything, including the finish?? And, will doing so void your warranty??

Just some points to ponder before you tear into the gun on some keyboard commando's (well meant, of course) advice.

Friend of mine had a S&W lock up in a similar manner around 20 years ago. S&W told him to take it to their warranty center (which happened to be the local shop he did business with) and they discovered that a part had broken, and the broken piece, less than half the size of a grain of rice, had, somehow (and against the odds) managed to work itself into just the right place to jam the gun solidly. The gun was repaired and returned to service, but it was NOT a matter of just plugging in a new part and being good to go.

SEND THE GUN TO S&W, let them fix it. Its the smart thing to do.
Click to expand...
Sorry not a "keyboard commando". How are you going to ship a loaded gun to S&W? That is bad advice! Yes I am comfortable & yes I can get them back together correctly. No matter what he does it needs to be unloaded.

Ignore the suggestion & carry on..
 
H

hatchet

New member
HighValleyRanch,

Cylinder, hammer and trigger all locked up and will not move.
The cylinder latch does slide back and forth.
 
H

hatchet

New member
44AMP & MC1911,

Yeah that is the issue, I can not ship it to S&W loaded. I did call them as I bought the gun new about 6 months ago. So, I will have to take it to a gunsmith and have him take it apart to figure the issue.
 
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