S&W 586 Cylinder rotates with slight stiffness...

[philthephlier]

on one chamber only. What should I look at first? And second?

[Petrol & Powder]

Need a little more info....

Are you saying that a particular spot drags, as in when one particular chamber comes up it drags?

That is probably something stuck in the ratchet (extractor) that is causing the hand to bind on that one chamber. However, the first thing I would do is pull the yoke out and separate the cylinder from the yoke and clean the arbor that the cylinder rotates on. It is far more likely that you have some crud/lead/powder/carbon/etc. restricting the free rotation of the cylinder.
Another possibility is the face of the cylinder has lead/lube/etc build up and is dragging on the forcing cone but that generally shows up throughout the entire rotation of the cylinder.

[philthephlier]

One chamber only has a definite increase in cocking force need to rotate the cylinder to lockup. The additional resistance is felt as soon as the hand begins to rotate the cylinder and remains through full rotation to lockup. All 5 other chambers are normal. The additional resistance felt on the one chamber is annoying mostly as the cylonder does lock up and fires fine but I want to correct whatever is causing the issue. Is the crane bent? Is the ejector rod bent?

[Petrol & Powder]

I doubt a bent crane would manifest itself on only one chamber. A bent ejector rod would have to be seriously bent before it would cause that issue. You can open the cylinder and watch the ejector rod as you spin the cylinder. A bent ejector rod will be immediately apparent. A bent ejector rod can generally be repaired by a gunsmith. (if you have a lathe, and a dial indicator, MidwayUSA has a video on the process)
However; I think it is much more likely that you have a problem with one particular "tooth" on the ratchet. Take a brush and clean the extractor/ratchet and make certain you don't have some crud causing the hand to bind when rotating one particular chamber into alignment with the barrel.

If that doesn't fix the problem, remove the cylinder from the yoke and clean the yoke/cylinder. If you don't know how to pull the yoke out PM me. Examine the end of the arbor that the cylinder rides on, you could have a high spot causing it to drag.

Is this a new problem or has the gun always had this issue?

[Petrol & Powder]

I'm not endorsing Midwayusa but this is a decent video for information:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0QEsDAI44Ns

[Dan Cash]

Look at the face of your cylinder for signs of dragging against the back of the barrel. It is not impossible or even unlikely that the cylindeer face is not square to its axis thus dragging on only one chamber.

[Petrol & Powder]

Look at the face of your cylinder for signs of dragging against the back of the barrel. It is not impossible or even unlikely that the cylindeer face is not square to its axis thus dragging on only one chamber.

True and the fix would be a trip back to S&W.

[roysha]

I realize this is pretty far out but in the mid, late 90s 2 of my acquaintances and I experienced bulged chambers on our 629s. Apparently S&W had a batch of cylinders incorrectly heat treated or made from faulty material because they replaced the cylinders free including return shipping. (S&W never admitted to anything, just speculation on our part) The description of what you are experiencing is exactly what we experienced.

Just as a check, hold the revolver sideways to a light source so you can see between the bottom of the window and cylinder. Slowly rotate the cylinder. If there is a bulge, it will be quite visible.

As I said, it is pretty far out especially since yours is blue and not stainless but it could be possible that it was a heat treat thing. Just a thought.

[philthephlier]

I found it. It was something new to the revolver. It was some crud probably not more than .003" thick, if that, between the crane and the frame. I brushed it away with solvent and a bristle brush and it runs fine now on all 6 chambers.

Thanks for the suggestions.

[Petrol & Powder]

Good deal! Enjoy your 586, it's an excellent firearm.

[Moonie]

That was my first thought, my 7445 DW would do this as I kept the gap set to a minimum. Low powered loads (ie 44spc) caused it faster.

[philthephlier]

This is actually a 586 Smython. I put this Python barrel on the 586 about 6 years ago. It is a real shooter and I really like the look.

[Petrol & Powder]

The Colt Python barrels are alleged to have tapered bores, larger diameter near the breach and tighter close to the muzzle. You take that attribute and combine it with the S&W action and you end up with a gun that shoots well, for a long time!

Cool setup

I love this country!!!!!

[mtgrs737]

I am a fan of the Python and the 586 Smith, yours is a perfect blend of both. You get the great short action of the Smith and the super accurate barrel of the Python. The look is great too!