Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Handguns S&W side plate off - maintenance

Got a question for some of our dedicated S&W revolver shooters. Guys like RGK and Mackay Sagebrush who have a fair number of them and shoot them a lot - and take good care of them.

I'm curious to know how often do you guys take off the side plate to examine the innards as a matter of routine maintenance?

Not because there's an obvious problem but because you figure "it's just time". You've shot it a bunch. It's time to look inside there as a matter of due diligence.

Remove the grips and the screws. Then tap (very lightly) the frame with a plastic or rubber hammer and the side plate will pop open.

All depends on how often the gun is used...but it is not very often. I usually pop the sideplate of a S&W when I first get it to make sure everything is in place and put in a 13# trigger return spring... May also polish the rebound slide and then lightly grease all the contact and pivot points with Shooter's Choice grease.

Unless the gun is used in a very dusty or wet environment that may be the only time the sideplate comes off...

Bob

navlav8r - thanks but I've taken a few side plates off over the years.

I'm just curious to know the habits of the guys who have more revolvers than I do and shoot them more.

RJM - you're another one of the guys I was thinking of.

More important to take the front sideplate screw out and remove the cylinder/yoke assembly for through cleaning each time... Be careful when scrubbing the front of the cylinder as to not let a brush bristle break off and fall in as it will cause some binding. Clean out under the ejection star and put two drops of oil on the two yoke bearing points and where the yoke goes into the frame hole..any pivot or bearing point needs just a drop of oil...

Also often overlooked in a drop of oil at each end of the ejector rod. One end that snapps into the breachface and one that snapps in under the barrel. Also one drop on the ejector rod right as it enters the yoke.

Bob

Revolvers don't really need that kind of maintenance, which is one of the nice things about revolvers. When I get a new revolver, I take the side plate off, mostly inspecting for any obvious things like rust or damage to the internals from a "gunsmith" who doesn't know what he's doing. After that, like Bob, I clip two coils off the rebound spring (I prefer that over an aftermarket spring), correct any "hitches" in the action if there are any, and then I won't pop the side plate unless I have a specific reason to. My 617 hasn't had the side plate off in over a decade, and I have no reason to.

First I will let you know that I don't claim to be a revolver expert by any stretch.

I have learned a few things by listening and observing more experienced guys over the years, and through repairing my own guns over time.

An example is my old 442 shown here:



The only time the sideplate came off is when I broke the firing pin after many thousands of rounds were fired. A call to S&W service resulted in a return label. However I did not want to be out of my back up gun that long. I explained my background and they agreed to send me the part, and I did the repair myself.

Bob (RJM) is Spot on. Pulling the cylinder/yoke assembly for periodic cleaning and oiling is about all I do for the most part unless there is something that warrants further detail stripping. I will also say that I never clip coils. Also, I actually prefer a heavy trigger return, as it allows quicker DA shooting for me. Smoothness is more important (to me)than the weight in a trigger pull.

I was just shooting an old M19 with Ken Hackathorn on Friday at his place. He said it was an old cop gun that came off an Indian reservation. It had had some work done on it. The action had been tuned a bit, but was not particularly light. Very reliable. Dang nice gun! He is the master of finding cool guns I swear! There is also rarely a time I get together when I don't learn something from him. Same with Bob. Bob has taught me a good bit over the years about revolvers, handloading, bullet casting etc.


One thing I do on my guns I carry for serious purposes is take some dollar store nail polish hardener to the cylinder release latch screw. The hardener acts as loct-tite for the latch. If you shoot the guns enough, eventually the latch screw will back out on you, and you don't want it to back out on you at a critical moment, so a drop on the thread will prevent this.

BTW, if you note, there is a magnet in the first pic.


Magnets help a lot when fiddling with small parts and screws. Magnetize your screwdriver bit, and the screws. It will make your life easier. That and a good strong headlamp.

I was just putting a gun cleaning kit together for the oldest daughter today for Christmas. She is old enough to clean her own pistols.

In some jars/containers she is getting some 0-20 motor oil (versus buying gun store brand gun oil) and some commercial gun cleaning chemicals that I have. Plus some other items like a gunsmith screwdriver kit, and cleaning rods, bore snakes, patches, etc, that will allow her to clean her mounted cowboy action revolvers, as well as her CCW gun without my help.

Good info here. especially the headlamp. I use mine more and more as i get older. I'm so used to wearing it when working on guns and other things I've gone to the mail box with it on my head. Neighbors think I'm a little eccentric.

And, if you're working on something that has springs or small parts that might tend to rocket off into space a great big old clear plastic bag helps. Stick the gun and your hands right in the bag as deeply as you can. That will contain most of those little tiny springs, ball detents, levers, ect. that seem to want to find their own little orbit somewhere uncharted.

Mackay:

I hear you about the headlamp! I've been using one for years even for general gun cleaning. Got two in the house and one in the truck and another in the garage.

Re: the side plate. This is exactly what I'd hoped to learn. You guys not only know your revolvers but you also know guys who know their revolvers. The message I'm getting is that you haven't seen any issues arise from not taking the side plates off for years and years despite high round counts - unless something actually breaks. I also gather that the works retain sufficient lubrication even after a decade.

Taking the cylinder crane off for cleaning is something I've always done whenever I notice the cylinder slowing down when spun by hand. That's a given. Cleaning under the star - check. Scrubbing the residue off the cylinder face - check.

But it's the lock work under the side plate that was tickling my curiosity. I had reached the point where I was questioning my assumption that I didn't really need to pop the side plate off from time to time as a matter of routine for a look-see and lube. How did I come to believe that it wasn't necessary?

Better ask guys who know more than me I decided. So thank you very much.

Regarding the cutting of the rebound spring vs. a lighter replacement spring. I was taught by Bill Davis, the guy who built more winning PPC guns than anyone I'm aware of. In his shop, we cut springs and were not allowed to use replacement springs. His reason was the absolute consistency of a cut spring over a replaced spring. The replaced spring will take a set, whereas the cut spring probably took its set long years ago. So when you cut the spring, what you end up with is what you're likely to have for the rest of the guns life.

Well, that was Bill's take on it, and after 30+ years of working on S&W's I personally don't give a crap. Both work just fine, and there's really no drawbacks to either. So for ME, I just cut springs. For someone who isn't a gunsmith I think the replacement springs are THE WAY TO GO. Without experience, many will not know how far they can take things with the rebound and mainspring. So it's just WAY easier for the neophyte to just buy replacement springs.

I use STP oil treatment on cylinder parts and where the cylinder locks up. Just a small amount will prevent wear like nothing else. Seems to keep crud from entering too.