Model 19 Cylinder gummed up?

[NBraun]

Figured i'd ask here and see if anyone else has run into this particular issue. The gun in question is a new Model 19. When purchased the cylinder would spin freely without any issue. Recently however, it has become gummed up to the point it won't free spin at all, and takes a decent amount of force to even move it. I have less than 500 rounds through it, the majority being 38 special loads.

Just gummed up because it's dirty? Thoughts?

[rockshooter]

Most likely, especially if you are shooting cast bullets. Take the cylinder off the yoke and clean both the yoke and the inside of the cylinder- where it fits the yoke. After cleaning, put a little bit of grease on it to keep the crud softer longer. Sounds like more frequent cleaning overall not a bad idea.
Loren

[Winger Ed.]

[QUOTE=rockshooter;. Take the cylinder off the yoke and clean both the yoke and the inside of the cylinder- where it fits the yoke. [/QUOTE]


+1 Sounds like its just dirty.

[NBraun]

Well should have just tried cleaning it from the get go. Pulled it apart and cleaned it and we're good to go.

Thanks!

[Walks]

What kind of lube is on the Bullets you're shooting.
I've been shooting cast bullets since I was old enough to pull a trigger.

I'm currently shooting 3 .38cal DA Revolvers, a M14, M27 & Colt OP. Same bullet; a #358477 cast of 12bhn. Lubed with 50/50, the last of My supply of Tamarack. Bullseye; 3.5grs in .38Spl, 2400; 12.0grs in .357Mag. Plain simple paper punchers.
At least 1,500 rds of .38Spl and 1,000 rds of .357Mag.

Wipe down the outside, tight patch with ED's RED to wipe out the carbon from chambers & bbl's.

I've never experienced what you are. Just plain simple Ballistol as a lube for inside of cylinder/crane.

Have you checked under the extractor, maybe you're getting powder residue under the star.

[tazman]

Quite often, revolvers need to be cleaned more than you would expect. Powder fouling gets into the cracks and crevices and gums things up. Fortunately, S&W revolvers tend to be fairly easy to clean up. I have a model 60 that gets hard to turn the cylinder and must be cleaned after every range session without fail.
As others mentioned, some lubes and powders cause more fouling than others.

[Petrol & Powder]

As others have suggested, remove the cylinder from the yoke and clean both the yoke and the center bore of the cylinder. You may have just had some burr left over from manufacturing that got combined with all of the crud from shooting and it was just a one time problem. A non-rotating cleaning rod with 22 caliber eye and a patch is useful for getting all the way down into that hole in the center of the cylinder.

I agree that a change in bullet lube may be called for. I can shoot countless rounds through a S&W using Bullseye and 50/50 without a hitch.

And I'll second walks with his advice to check under the extractor. A tiny bit of debris under the extractor can cause problems. Sometimes the debris will be stuck to the bottom of the extractor and is difficult to see. Keeping that area dry will help prevent debris from being attracted and trapped there. A tiny drop of oil applied to the extractor rod is all that is needed under the star.

As for the lubrication of the yoke, Clenzoil is my fallback but a drop or two of good ATF will keep the dirtiest of revolvers running.

[NBraun]

I'll take a look, and make sure to apply all this advice for the future. As for what I was shooting, the majority were powder coated, but some were lubed. Alas, i'm not sure what they were lubed with.

[fecmech]

One thing you might look at, see if the cylinder has the gas ring installed. My 14-3 came from the factory with no gas ring in the cylinder and would bind up after 200-300 rds of cast wadcutters. It was a warantee issue on some guns in the 70's and 80's.