S&W cylinder wont open HELP!!

er775 · August 14, 2012, 04:07 PM

I have a S&W model 629, I went out shootin today and came home and cleaned it, I did unscrew the ejector rod and removed the star to clean( have done this numerous times n the past) and reinstalled, I did not notice anthing out of the norm, it all went back together with ease, I closed the cylinder and now it wont open back up, I pushed on the side of the cylinder with some force but didnt wont to go too much not wanting to do any damage or bend anything, it seems like the pin that latches the cylinder in place isnt getting the clearance it needs to open up ...what the heck do I do??!??!!?

SDC · August 14, 2012, 04:34 PM

You may not have threaded the ejector-rod all the way back onto place, and it unscrewed under recoil, leaving it too long to unlatch from the frame. If you're SURE that it's unloaded, I would probably try to use some non-marring thin wedges or spikes (wood or plastic) to stop the rod from spinning, and then spin the cylinder in the proper direction to get the rod to screw back into the cylinder; you'll probably need to use a piece of tape across both the hand and the cylinder stop/bolt to get them out of the way while you're spinning the cylinder. Past that, your only option would be a gunsmith, who can probably do a better job to begin with.

er775 · August 14, 2012, 06:28 PM

Got it!! I was able to get a small wedge in between the ejetor rod and the locking mechanism and open it, had to back the ejector rod out just a bit

August 14, 2012, 04:07 PM	#1
er775 Senior Member Join Date: December 9, 2011 Posts: 129	S&W cylinder wont open HELP!! I have a S&W model 629, I went out shootin today and came home and cleaned it, I did unscrew the ejector rod and removed the star to clean( have done this numerous times n the past) and reinstalled, I did not notice anthing out of the norm, it all went back together with ease, I closed the cylinder and now it wont open back up, I pushed on the side of the cylinder with some force but didnt wont to go too much not wanting to do any damage or bend anything, it seems like the pin that latches the cylinder in place isnt getting the clearance it needs to open up ...what the heck do I do??!??!!?

August 14, 2012, 04:34 PM	#2
SDC Senior Member Join Date: January 23, 2001 Location: People's Republic of Kanada Posts: 1,652	You may not have threaded the ejector-rod all the way back onto place, and it unscrewed under recoil, leaving it too long to unlatch from the frame. If you're SURE that it's unloaded, I would probably try to use some non-marring thin wedges or spikes (wood or plastic) to stop the rod from spinning, and then spin the cylinder in the proper direction to get the rod to screw back into the cylinder; you'll probably need to use a piece of tape across both the hand and the cylinder stop/bolt to get them out of the way while you're spinning the cylinder. Past that, your only option would be a gunsmith, who can probably do a better job to begin with. __________________ Gun control in Canada: making the streets safer for rapists, muggers, and other violent criminals since 1936.

August 14, 2012, 06:28 PM	#3
er775 Senior Member Join Date: December 9, 2011 Posts: 129	Got it!! I was able to get a small wedge in between the ejetor rod and the locking mechanism and open it, had to back the ejector rod out just a bit