You learn something new every day.

[Scott Tschirhart]

I was shooting my Smith & Wesson 640 yesterday and it shoots well. But I noticed that the cylinder was not turning freely.

Normally S&W cylinders rotate with no effort. I put a little oil on the joint between the crane and the cylinder and rotated it until
It rotated easier.

When I got home I took the crane assembly out of the frame. But it took me over an hour to get the cylinder off the crane. Usually they slip on and off without any effort, but I had to use a vice and quite a bit of rotational force!!!

Once I got it off, and wiped the crane down, it slipped back into the cylinder again with no effort. I didn’t find enough fouling on the crane to tie up anything but everything seems to work fine now.

[EdinCT]

My dad had a Police Positive Special that he oiled up and left for 20 years or so, it wouldn't rotate well. It took me about a hour to loosen it up. I think some oils just gum up. Which tells me they should be shot more !

[1894cfan]

Safe queens ought to be taken out and shot!

[GunnyMack]

One of the reasons I use powdered graphite! It doesn't dry out, leave a varnish or get hard.

[LeverGunner]

Maybe a speck of lead got up in there? It is weird that it was so hard to get out but then didn't have much carbon and went right back together.

[Scott Tschirhart]

Maybe a speck of lead got up in there? It is weird that it was so hard to get out but then didn't have much carbon and went right back together.

You might be right!

[gcs]

I had a security six that would bind up with just a little leading, the armorer said they had tighter tolerances than Smiths...bad when it happens during qualification, had to take a time out to sort it out.

[2ndovc]

My dad had a Police Positive Special that he oiled up and left for 20 years or so, it wouldn't rotate well. It took me about a hour to loosen it up. I think some oils just gum up. Which tells me they should be shot more !

They sure do. My grandfather didn't shoot much in his later years due to heart issues, but he would open up his cabinet at least once a month and spray them all down with WD-40. When my dad got them, the autos would hardly function. Especially the .22s. They were really gummed up and we had do take them apart and clean them multiple times. I have his Winchester 63 now and I remember it took years to get all the gunk out of it. It was really fun when it had a few full auto bursts.

jb