# Help with S&W .357 Highway Patrolman



## Sled14 (Sep 3, 2007)

Hi
I have a S&W .358 Highway Patrolman revolver that has been in the family for a while. It hasn't been shot much. After taking it to the range a couple weeks ago, I cleaned it and oiled it. Went to the range yesterday, shot maybe 50 rounds then the hammer and chamber was really sticking alot. I took the chamber out and wood grips off, completely sprayed it down with Gun Scrubber, but still have the problem. It was well oiled - maybe over oiled earlier. 
I have no idea whats causing it the stick. When the chambers out and I press back on the chamber-release and the hammer and trigger work perfectly. The chamber spins free and seems to be fine. The problem is when I put the chamber back in the closed position, then it sticks alot and is very hard to move.
Does anyone have any advice on what could be wrong?


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## Guest (Sep 3, 2007)

Is it sticky in both double action and single action mode? Does the cylinder swing out freely? I think I'd find a gunsmith as it's probably not a big deal if it has never been fired much.


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## Sled14 (Sep 3, 2007)

Yes it sticks both in single and double action. I believe the hammer being stuck is due to moving the stuck chamber. For some reason the chamber is sticking when its in the closed position. Can't for the life of me figure out whats causing it to stick


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## Baldy (Jun 21, 2006)

Find yourself a good gunsmith and let him fix it for you. There's several things it could be all would be guesses and smoke in the wind without being able to see the gun in person. Did you think that maybe that's why it hasn't been fired much as it was put up because there was something wrong with it? Good luck with it and it is worth getting fixed.


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## Sled14 (Sep 3, 2007)

It hasn't been shot much because we haven't been to the range that often, but its been in the family for a long time, it use to be my grandfathers. We had fired it some in the past and it had been fine. I had put some lubricating oil in it the night before we last fired it. It started getting stuck when my friends were firing it a couple lanes down from me, and I dont believe they could have done anything wrong but I guess that is a possibility.


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## DJ Niner (Oct 3, 2006)

One thing you can easily check before taking it to a gunsmith is to see if there is any powder residue stuck underneath the extractor "star".

When you fire a revolver, there is often unburned or partially burned powder grains left in the chambers. When you open the cylinder and press the extractor rod to eject the empty casings, some of these tiny chunks of powder can get trapped underneath the 6-pointed star (the extractor) that ejects the empty cases. When this happens, these little chunks of crud prevent the extractor from snapping all the way back into the cylinder when it is released, and it sticks out a tiny bit; maybe only a couple of hundredths of an inch, and nearly impossible to see.

When you reload, or even if you just close the empty cylinder back into the frame, the fact that the extractor is sticking out that tiny bit makes the cylinder too long to fit into the frame cutout and still spin freely. Because of the way the internal parts are designed and fitted, they do not have the leverage to overcome the cylinder binding, and the result is a stickiness in operation.

If this is the problem, the fix is simple; clean under the extractor star. Open the cylinder, press in on the extractor rod and hold it in so the extractor stays in the extended position, then wipe underneath it with a solvent-soaked patch or toothbrush-type cleaning brush. If the chunks have been in there awhile, they may be smashed rather flat and might have to be scraped off, but usually they come free with a gentle wipe or a few passes with the brush. Make sure to check both the underside of the extractor itself, AND the cutout in the face of the cylinder where the extractor seats when it is retracted; crud in either place can cause the problem.

Some guns seem more susceptible to this problem than others; if yours is one of these guns, you may have to wipe this area out every 30-50 rounds or so (or whenever it starts to stick) while shooting at the range. Most of us old revolver/PPC competitors usually had a toothbrush-style cleaning brush hanging out of one of our pockets at every match for a reason, and it wasn't dental health we were worried about. :mrgreen:

Hope this is helpful.


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## Bob Wright (May 10, 2006)

Try this: with the cylinder and crane out of the gun, slide the cylinder off the quill. The quill is the tube on which the cylinder rotates. Check for build-up of lead/powder residue on this. Clean it off with carburator cleaner to remove any carbon build-up. Also, not whether the cylinder face might be binding on the barrel stub, and barrel/cylinder gap may have been been shifted.

As noted before, check under the extractor star for powder particles or grit. Also look to see if the ratchet or hand has been burred. The ratchet is the milled surface on the extractor star that rotatetes the cylinder, the hand is the lever that rotates the cylinder through the breech face.

Last of all check to see if the trigger pin is still in place. This requires disassembly, and you may want a gunsmith to do this for you. If the trigger pin has sheared off the action will usually function with the cylinder swung out, but bind up given the additional stress.

Pleas keep us posted.

Bob Wright


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## Sled14 (Sep 3, 2007)

Well I cleaned under and behind the extrator star, cleaned around the crane and cylinder. There is still a tiny bit of room on the beginning of the barrel so that isn't rubbing against the cylinder, and the trigger pin isn't detached. I'm gonna take it by a gun smith soon because with my lack of knowledge I don't feel comfortable breaking down the gun any farther. 
Thanks alot for the help, I appreciate it!


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## Bob Wright (May 10, 2006)

If you didn't take the gun down further, how do you know the trigger pin is not sheared off? You can only tell this by breaking the gun down.

But, whatever the problem, would you do us the kindness of reporting back when the problem is resolved? It would be of much service to us.

Bob Wright


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## Sled14 (Sep 3, 2007)

I'm sorry, I confused the trigger pin with the firing pin, guess I should read more closely next time, haha. I'll hopefully get to a gun smith with a week or two and will keep you guys updated. Thanks!


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