Problem getting cylinder open, S&W 18

[EastSideRich]

I am not generally a revolver guy, so forgive me if I don't know the name of the part I'm talking about.

I have a S&W 18-2. When I got it , there seemed to be no problems with any parts. I have only shot it once (fired about 36 rounds I think) and had no problems.

I took it out the other day to play with it and could not get the cylinder to open. After messing around with it I got it open, but think the plunger that you push with the thumbpiece to push the centre pin out of the hole in the frame (I hope that makes sense) is worn or sticking. It seems like it doesn't push the pin all the way out of the hole. I got it open by turning the extractor rod which loosened the whole assembly.

I was wondering how much a gunsmith would generally charge (ballpark) to fix something like this, or if anyone has any suggestions as to how I could take care of it myself.

Any help is much appreciated.

dbd

 

[deputy tom]

dbd,the first thing to check is the ejector rod. Make sure it is tight.If it is loose it will cause opening trouble similar to what you have described.Hope this helps.tom.

 

[huchahuchax]

If you have the cylinder open, that center pin you are talking about should be just about flush with the surface area around it; this is the pin in the fully extended position. With the cylinder still open, if you wiggle the thumbpiece back and forth you will be able to see if that pin is binding. If that is OK then I would bet the problem is your ejector rod. You said you were able to turn the rod to get the cylinder open - the ejector rod is threaded, but needs to be tightened fully or else the cylinder will jam. The threads are reversed - try tightening it completely and see if that fixes the problem.