The Firing Line Forums - View Single Post - Word of warning... "I think" I learned something last night... old S&W

Magnum Wheel Man · August 20, 2010, 09:28 AM

I finished up my custom holster for my S&W 1 1/2 snubbie last night, so I decieded to clean it up, got a little Flitz out etc...

next thing, I knew, I had the cylinder out, & the hinge / extractor locked up, after I closed the frame up...

1st off... be carefull the flat spring in extractor mechanism is tiny, no bigger than a drill shaving ( BTW I dropped mine out "twice" on an unfinished concrete floor, at my work bench, that had drill shavings on the floor )... a cow magnet & some time on my hands & knees, & I did find it...

what I think happened, is that if the action is closed, with the cylinder out, the arm of the extract mechanism must bind with the frame, with the cylinder removed ( if anyone is more familiar with these, & can confirm this, that would be great )

... as I sat at my bench last night, with the gun locked up, I was totally distraught... I though surely I had either wrecked it, or it had broken... I ended up pulling the extractor mechanism out of a similar S&W, & the gun functioned fine... I breathed a big sigh of relief...

next issue after I found the tiny spring, was to be able to get it back together again... 8-10 trys later & it was back together & worked fine... my local machinist buddy is the one that suggested that it may have been caused by closing the action with the cylinder out...

just thought I'd solicite your opinions, & offer up the warnings through my story, if it can help anyone else...

August 20, 2010, 09:28 AM	#1
Magnum Wheel Man Senior Member Join Date: July 26, 2006 Location: Southern Minnesota Posts: 9,333	Word of warning... "I think" I learned something last night... old S&W I finished up my custom holster for my S&W 1 1/2 snubbie last night, so I decieded to clean it up, got a little Flitz out etc... next thing, I knew, I had the cylinder out, & the hinge / extractor locked up, after I closed the frame up... 1st off... be carefull the flat spring in extractor mechanism is tiny, no bigger than a drill shaving ( BTW I dropped mine out "twice" on an unfinished concrete floor, at my work bench, that had drill shavings on the floor )... a cow magnet & some time on my hands & knees, & I did find it... what I think happened, is that if the action is closed, with the cylinder out, the arm of the extract mechanism must bind with the frame, with the cylinder removed ( if anyone is more familiar with these, & can confirm this, that would be great ) ... as I sat at my bench last night, with the gun locked up, I was totally distraught... I though surely I had either wrecked it, or it had broken... I ended up pulling the extractor mechanism out of a similar S&W, & the gun functioned fine... I breathed a big sigh of relief... next issue after I found the tiny spring, was to be able to get it back together again... 8-10 trys later & it was back together & worked fine... my local machinist buddy is the one that suggested that it may have been caused by closing the action with the cylinder out... just thought I'd solicite your opinions, & offer up the warnings through my story, if it can help anyone else... __________________ In life you either make dust or eat dust...