S&W J-frame cylinder release for weakened hand?

My aunt keeps a Model 60 S&W for home protection and has asked for my help. She has the hand strength to pull the trigger double-action--she demonstrated that several times--but pushing the cylinder release forward has become a struggle for her due to reduced strength in her thumb, coupled with the small, angled surface of the release.

I considered a Hogue extended release, which looked like it would do the trick, but their website says, "Our cylinder releases will not fit J-frame model firearms." I'm hoping to avoid complicated gunsmithing. Is there a drop-in solution that would make the cylinder release easier for her to operate?

Thanks--

--DJ

Try to get an early series release and see if that does not solve the problem. Take your aunt to a gun shop that deals in used guns where she can try an older "J" frame Smith.

the part in question is so simple to remove, and its operation and construction is so simple, that it would not be complex to build a new one from scratch, oversized, or simply adding/gluing some plastic or wooden homemade cap to the old one, suitable for the needs of the lady.

I’m assuming a tactical reload is not what we’re after here... try better ergonomics... Turn the gun, grasp it with the top strap toward the palm, barrel to the floor and press the latch downward. She can use both thumbs if required.

ETA: if a new latch is still required, Revolver Supply Company has many styles available. They are plastic and would be easily modified with a file or Dremel if required.

Thanks, all, for the suggestions. No, not a tactical reload. And we tried holding it in different hands, but the challenge is pushing down hard enough not to slip off the release button while simultaneously pushing forward to release the cylinder. She can do it with enough effort, but it takes too much struggle and manipulation to be a reliable method, especially in a stress situation. I'm looking for a solution that is a straight forward push against a square surface.

The other complication is that it has to be drop-in, because she lives about 650 miles away and there is not much left in the way of tools at her house. I would plan to zip in, swap the parts, and zip out. Of course the easiest solution would be to loan her a Model 10 all ready to go, but with me being in a different state, that presents different issues.

Call Revolver Supply. See what they have to say. The probable issue with the Hogue is distance between the screw hole and the recoil shield. Revolver Supply might just have the solution.

My other thought is that a j frame can sit loaded for a hundred years and be reliable. She shouldn’t be trying to open it in a stress situation. She should pick it up, point and click.

Some times you need more than 5 or 6, I would look into brazing an extension on the release. Would be ugly but some help.

I’m a bit more pragmatic I’m afraid… An old woman that clearly isn’t practicing is not doing a reload while the wolf is at the door. The gun should be ready to go and if the problem isn’t resolved in 5, then it probably isn’t going to be resolved.

It hasn’t been said, but what I’ve gleaned from the conversation is the woman wants the gun to be unloaded around the house and then load it when trouble appears. To my mind, a very bad plan regardless of the latch on the gun. If I’m wrong and the plan is a possible reload, I apologize.

imashooter2 may have the correct solution (although I use "elderly" instead of "old"--she is my aunt after all). Perhaps kept loaded in a quick-open pistol safe may be a better option, although that is a choice she would have to make. But I still would like it to be easier for her to load and unload, regardless of how she chooses to proceed, so I'll check out the Revolver Co offerings. I also think the next visit may have to include a trip to the range just to make sure she's still up to it. I don't think her backup plan--the kukri her father-in-law brought back from Burma during WWII--is a viable option anymore.

The release button on mine is sharply checkered. Might be tough on an old lady with fragile skin. A replacement that's taller and smoother would be very nice. Only takes one screwdriver to do.

Does her gun have a nice rubber grip? I swapped a Pachmayer onto mine after the very first range session. Huge improvement to managing recoil. Makes it a little bulky for carry, but she won't be doing that.

My apologies BP Dave. I meant no disrespect.

These look like the perfect solution.

https://www.revolversupply.com/cylinder-release-idpa/

Might even get one myself.

Be aware they are “polymer.” I have handled them at matches and they are nicely made with sharp checkering, but plastic nonetheless.