Wayward_Son
New member
I've had an ongoing problem with my 686+. I've been reluctant to post this for a couple months because I didn't want to tarnish the reputation of this fine revolver, but I realize that idea is silly and it does the community more good to publicize the issue, and perhaps I can get some feedback from the community as well as to whether this is a common problem or what I should do to get it resolved.
The gun is a 686+ 4". I purchased it the first week of January, 2008, brand-new. This gun does have the lock like all current S&W revolvers.
When I first purchased it I didn't bother to clean or lubricate it. I took it straight to the range and fired 200 rounds, followed by 150 rounds the following weekend. This was all single-action.
The third time out, the gun developed a serious problem: sometimes when I cocked back the hammer it would seem to bind up somehow at the very last bit of travel. Then when I pulled the trigger it took an unusual amount of force to fire the gun. I estimate the trigger pull in this condition somewhere between 20-30 pounds. I thought that perhaps I was having a problem with the now-infamous "S&W Lock" horror, and tried locking and then unlocking the gun. It did not help. The lock appears to have no bearing on the problem.
Another shooter took a look at the gun and said that it looked very dry and that I clean and lubricate it.
I took it home and cleaned it for the first time using Hoppes #9, and lubricated it with some Hoppes aerosol lubricating oil. The next two times out to the range, I experienced zero problems and felt the problem was fixed. I figured the guy was right and that lack lubrication was the culprit. Soon enough, however, the gun started doing the same damn thing.
At this point, I was cleaning and lubricating it after every single outing, no matter how many or how few rounds I fired. I just couldn't see how the gun was still binding up or jamming when completely clean and well-oiled.
What was really perplexing about all this was that this problem only occurred when firing single-action; when shooting double-action I experienced zero problems of any sort.
So about five weeks ago after several outings with the gun on which I knew that it was well-cleaned and well-lubricated and yet still experiencing binding/jamming problems (and frustratingly, even more frequently) I finally took it to a local gunsmith. After explaining the problem he looked at it for a few minutes. He thought it might be due to a couple problems: 1. Ejector star getting debris caught underneath it, disallowing it from seating completely. 2. Some kind of internal problem with the "hand", which is one of the internal parts that help in the cocking of the gun. As it turns out, he found that neither of those are the cause.
He found the bushing around the firing pin is bulging out. He showed me several other Smith revolvers and how the bushing sits flush with the frame. On my gun, you can run your finger over the bushing and feel that the bushing is in fact protruding or bulging out from the frame. This is causing the bushing to rub against the brass of the cartridges and this is causing my binding problem. He even commented that he was surprised I wasn't having any misfires, because with this problem the firing pin isn't protruding far enough past the bushing to ensure good primer strikes.
He also told me that this problem could be caused by an ejector rod coming unscrewed. As it turns out, my ejector rod just will not stay tight. After a few rounds I actually have to tighten it again. However, today when I took the gun to the range I used a pair of pliers and a rag to tighten the rod, and it stayed tight, yet the problem still occurred. Doesn't seem to me like an ejector rod problem, even though my ejector rod clearly seems to need addressing.
I told him that my research of modern Smith and Wesson revolvers told me that dry-firing was not a problem, and he assured me that dry-firing a Smith was definitely not a problem. And even if it was, it should not have caused this bulged bushing. He said he could fix the problem by taking a fine stone to the bushing to hone it down, but since the gun is so new I would really be better off sending it back to S&W. And if they decide not to warranty it, he could fix it for me in that event.
Okay, so that's all fine and good. But there's something that's nagging at me. I'm a mechanic, and while that doesn't necessarily mean a damned thing when it comes to firearms, it does mean that I have a firm grasp of the physical sciences and of basic physics. I know what happens to various materials under various circumstances, including what happens to different metals of varying hardnesses when you beat on them with a hammer. And I have dry-fired this thing a lot in an effort to smooth the double-action trigger. And when I learned about "marrying" the trigger by pushing on the hammer with the thumb while pulling the trigger in single-action, I did this as well. In fact, I did it more than was recommended.
Additionally, when I went to the range today, the damned thing started binding up on me in double-action as well! Good grief.
Is it possible that I've abused this thing with too much marrying and dry-firing? Has this caused the bulge of the bushing that encases the firing pin? Is this at all a common problem, or at least one that is known well enough that someone here can give me some advice or reassurance? Will S&W fix this free of charge? I've been sheepishly searching the backlogs and it looks like my incident is unique to me. The only posts I can find about S&W revolvers locking up or binding are due to the lock and nothing more.
What say you, oh wise revolver collective?
The gun is a 686+ 4". I purchased it the first week of January, 2008, brand-new. This gun does have the lock like all current S&W revolvers.
When I first purchased it I didn't bother to clean or lubricate it. I took it straight to the range and fired 200 rounds, followed by 150 rounds the following weekend. This was all single-action.
The third time out, the gun developed a serious problem: sometimes when I cocked back the hammer it would seem to bind up somehow at the very last bit of travel. Then when I pulled the trigger it took an unusual amount of force to fire the gun. I estimate the trigger pull in this condition somewhere between 20-30 pounds. I thought that perhaps I was having a problem with the now-infamous "S&W Lock" horror, and tried locking and then unlocking the gun. It did not help. The lock appears to have no bearing on the problem.
Another shooter took a look at the gun and said that it looked very dry and that I clean and lubricate it.
I took it home and cleaned it for the first time using Hoppes #9, and lubricated it with some Hoppes aerosol lubricating oil. The next two times out to the range, I experienced zero problems and felt the problem was fixed. I figured the guy was right and that lack lubrication was the culprit. Soon enough, however, the gun started doing the same damn thing.
At this point, I was cleaning and lubricating it after every single outing, no matter how many or how few rounds I fired. I just couldn't see how the gun was still binding up or jamming when completely clean and well-oiled.
What was really perplexing about all this was that this problem only occurred when firing single-action; when shooting double-action I experienced zero problems of any sort.
So about five weeks ago after several outings with the gun on which I knew that it was well-cleaned and well-lubricated and yet still experiencing binding/jamming problems (and frustratingly, even more frequently) I finally took it to a local gunsmith. After explaining the problem he looked at it for a few minutes. He thought it might be due to a couple problems: 1. Ejector star getting debris caught underneath it, disallowing it from seating completely. 2. Some kind of internal problem with the "hand", which is one of the internal parts that help in the cocking of the gun. As it turns out, he found that neither of those are the cause.
He found the bushing around the firing pin is bulging out. He showed me several other Smith revolvers and how the bushing sits flush with the frame. On my gun, you can run your finger over the bushing and feel that the bushing is in fact protruding or bulging out from the frame. This is causing the bushing to rub against the brass of the cartridges and this is causing my binding problem. He even commented that he was surprised I wasn't having any misfires, because with this problem the firing pin isn't protruding far enough past the bushing to ensure good primer strikes.
He also told me that this problem could be caused by an ejector rod coming unscrewed. As it turns out, my ejector rod just will not stay tight. After a few rounds I actually have to tighten it again. However, today when I took the gun to the range I used a pair of pliers and a rag to tighten the rod, and it stayed tight, yet the problem still occurred. Doesn't seem to me like an ejector rod problem, even though my ejector rod clearly seems to need addressing.
I told him that my research of modern Smith and Wesson revolvers told me that dry-firing was not a problem, and he assured me that dry-firing a Smith was definitely not a problem. And even if it was, it should not have caused this bulged bushing. He said he could fix the problem by taking a fine stone to the bushing to hone it down, but since the gun is so new I would really be better off sending it back to S&W. And if they decide not to warranty it, he could fix it for me in that event.
Okay, so that's all fine and good. But there's something that's nagging at me. I'm a mechanic, and while that doesn't necessarily mean a damned thing when it comes to firearms, it does mean that I have a firm grasp of the physical sciences and of basic physics. I know what happens to various materials under various circumstances, including what happens to different metals of varying hardnesses when you beat on them with a hammer. And I have dry-fired this thing a lot in an effort to smooth the double-action trigger. And when I learned about "marrying" the trigger by pushing on the hammer with the thumb while pulling the trigger in single-action, I did this as well. In fact, I did it more than was recommended.
Additionally, when I went to the range today, the damned thing started binding up on me in double-action as well! Good grief.
Is it possible that I've abused this thing with too much marrying and dry-firing? Has this caused the bulge of the bushing that encases the firing pin? Is this at all a common problem, or at least one that is known well enough that someone here can give me some advice or reassurance? Will S&W fix this free of charge? I've been sheepishly searching the backlogs and it looks like my incident is unique to me. The only posts I can find about S&W revolvers locking up or binding are due to the lock and nothing more.
What say you, oh wise revolver collective?
