S&W 629 hammer / frame alignment...?

[Petander]

How does this look to you?

My impression is that neither the frame nor the hammer surface is straight.

https://i.postimg.cc/MHLDwy8P/IMG-20201010-112015-038.jpg

https://i.postimg.cc/N0WDZ8Bd/IMG-20201009-152445-383.jpg

https://i.postimg.cc/xTtR9V9J/IMG-20201009-155153-341.jpg



This revolver has fired 1000 factory rounds now. Half being 44Specials. Timing is off, barrel is clocked off etc... but the way hammer hits with only left side can not be a good thing in the future I guess. It must be repaired before some unbalanced stress starts ruining something else,right?

Note that the hammer has dragged to the sideplate but not to the frame. EDIT: wrong, lots of frame dragging, some polishing paste revealed it.

At first I thought this could be fixed by straightening the hammer surfaces but after looking better I'm not sure about that. It may be the frame around the firing pin, as you see the frame is not right around there.

Is this (S&W Performance Center) a MIM frame?

Thank you.

[Petander]

The left side of the hammer has been dragging a lot:

https://i.postimg.cc/QdGNW8Ky/IMG-20201010-144345.jpg

Right side,not at all:

https://i.postimg.cc/6pWWhHzr/IMG-20201010-144415.jpg

[Buzz Krumhunger]

I don’t think S&W has devolved to the point of using MIM frames. Yet.

[ScrapMetal]

Have you tried contacting S&W about this? Looks like it could be their problem.

FWIW

-Ron

[Petander]

Have you tried contacting S&W about this? Looks like it could be their problem.

FWIW

-Ron

Yes,this is a customer return gun from a shop I frequent. But things are completely different here back in the woods.

There is The Atlantic Ocean in between. All the bureaucracy ,those export/ import licenses, CIP proofs etc. make sending the gun back and forth economically impossible. Vendor / importer takes a big economical hit here. They had a couple of unrepairable, new 500's last year. CIP proof loads cracked the cylinders. No way getting new cylinders here, I do not clearly understand why S&W won't just send new guns but oh well, lots of other things I do not understand either.

Even parts from S&W have taken two years to get. I sold my M&P 10 because of no parts availability. The barrel started walking out,I got worried about "what next".

I can not buy a smallest pin or spacer directly from a USA shop any more. No gun parts export,not even a screw if it MAY fit a gun of some sort. We have Brownells Finland (with quadruple prices and a limited selection). But I'm glad we have it.

Revolvers are generally out here. It'a all autos. Very few competent revolversmiths can be found, most are retired. That's why I figured I need to learn to work on these, I got back to shooting revolvers after a few years break.

I like to learn interesting things anyway. Hobby gunsmithing keeps me out of the streets and bars.

https://i.postimg.cc/LXJ6BskK/IMG-20201011-124127-618.jpg

[Petander]

I don’t think S&W has devolved to the point of using MIM frames. Yet.

It's very hard to find information about this. But look at this frame around the hammer slot...?

And isn't this brushed finish typical of MIM? Can't get the stainless shine. I don't know,just reading too much I guess.

[Texas by God]

Great pictures, sir. Considering your situation that you described, if it works- I would keep shooting it till it doesn’t. Consider it a “beater”. I’d definitely try to clock the barrel in correctly; but since the hammer does fire the cartridges- I’d wear it in by shooting it a lot. Just an opinion from a distant other patch of woods!

[Moleman-]

Check the hammer pin isn't bent or cracked which is apparently a thing with the MIM parts. Then clock the barrel to see if that corrects how the cylinders line up or if it makes it worse. They make hammer shims which should help keep the hammer from rubbing and hitting the firing pin area recess. My 1984 29-3 has some rubbing on one side of the hammer but isn't hitting the frame at all.

[Petander]

I've been shooting it every day for two weeks now.

Barrel / canted front sight is the big thing because wherever you zero a gun like this, your POI will drift from right to left real bad at other distances.

Zero @ 15 meters is good for claybirds-on-the-berm-fun. That's the rear sight maxed to the right. At ten meters I miss claybirds to the right, at 25 I miss them to the left by six inches... 50 and 100, my usual distances,are obviously impossible.

Is loosening the barrel first the correct way? Then tighten up. My B/C gap is .004" , cylinder pushed to rear. Pushed to front it is snug .002" , cylinder yet uncleaned after 50 magnum factory rounds.

Very little to turn but I don't have tools to measure the momentum... or I do have a two feet long wrench for cars but it can not be attached to the frame key I'm afraid.

https://i.postimg.cc/wjY1G21f/IMG-20201012-011754-531.jpg

[ScrapMetal]

Sorry Petander, I hadn't noticed you were over seas. Wish I could offer more help.

-Ron

[Petander]

Sorry Petander, I hadn't noticed you were over seas. Wish I could offer more help.

-Ron

No problem at all - and I'm getting lots of help here.

Shooting it more is a good advise,it feels smoother already. I stoned the rebound slide and hammer block a little. And the timing feel/time is exactly the same, equally late on all chambers now. It was different,uneven timing and heavy cocking when I got this two weeks ago.

I'm getting off-topic on my own hammer thread. Need to figure out how to remove the yoke now. Never seen one like this,I have put some spacers before.

[Petander]

Got the yoke/cylinder figured out,it was sort of stuck with metal pieces in there.

I still think it makes more sense to repair a bad new expensive gun than a bad old cheap gun.


https://i.postimg.cc/tCccJMVB/IMG-20201011-171618.jpg