possible walking plunger pin

General Firearms Handguns - Revolvers
1

I read a post on page 34 of the Project Break My J-Frame thread (a great thread, by the way), where Chameleox talks about seeing the retainer pin that holds the locking bolt and locking bolt spring that locks the extractor rod walking out of his 642, and both the locking bolt and locking bolt spring then falling out of the frame housing.

I have noticed on my new 642 that this pin is sticking out of the right side far enough to allow for some extra “space” in the pin hole on the left side. It’s not a lot, but it’s enough for me to see that there is room for the pin to move left and still be flush with the housing.

My 642 has under 100 rounds through it, and none of it +p. The pin may not even be lose - it may have come this way from the factory and it may not ever move unless I move it. Still, after reading the post in the other thread, I began to wonder. I am not OCD enough to care that one side is out farther than the other, but is this normal or a problem waiting to happen?

I could send it off to S&W, but I really don’t want to do this unless I have to. I could take a punch and mallet to the pin and try and move it a little, but could that cause unforseen problems? I know how to detail strip a Glock. A S&W revolver - not so much.

Can I cause damage to something if I take a punch and mallet to the pin, especially if it is in tight? Does the barrel need to be supported? Does X need to be done first before I start on Y?

If I understand correctly what happened to the other 642, the pin didn’t actually come out, it just came out enough for the locking bolt and locking bolt spring to fall out. How far does the pin need to extend out the side for this to occur?

I don’t want to overreact and start playing whac-a-mole on my retaining pin, or go through the hassel and expense of sending it off to S&W, especally if I don’t really need to. On the other hand, I don’t want to ignore a potential problem in the making.

Any advise will be appreciated.

2

Are you concerned that the locking bolt pin is not flush with the right side of the frame? It will protrude a little bit. You may want to fire a few hundred more rounds and keep an eye on it to see if it walks out any farther before breaking out the tools.

3

On the side with the protruding pin, tap the pin with the bottom of a plastic screw driver handle. That’ll fix it.

4

T2C, I couldn’t care less that it’s not flush. I just don’t want it to be lose. Until I read that post in the other thread, I had not even considered this as a possible issue. As I stated in my OP, it may not be an issue now. The pin in my 642 may be in good and tight, just not evenly spaced left and right. Again, no big deal as long as it stays put. I just don’t want to look down one day after shooting and realize my locking bolt and locking bolt spring are somewhere in the grass.

Williejc, I would try that if I knew the pin had walked, but I don’t know this, and I am reluctant to start tapping until I know what effect that will have. I am erring on the side of extreme caution. Revolvers are simple to use, not simple in their mechanical structure. I understand tapping this pin is not like trying to fix an out of time cylinder, but until I know more I am going to go slow. For all I know, tapping a tight pin might make it lose, creating the very issue I am trying to avoid.

5

Walk through your LGS and look at new J Frames to get an idea what the pin looks like on a new wheel gun. If it looks the same, you should be good to go.

6

http://www.brownells.com/schematics/Smith-Wesson-/J-Frame-642-sid517.aspx
Look at parts 31, 32, and 33, just under the barrel. This should help you see what you’re dealing with -not too complicated. Mine sits flush; I’m going to try a very small dab of Loctite to keep it in place.

7

Originally posted by T2C

Walk through your LGS and look at new J Frames to get an idea what the pin looks like on a new wheel gun. If it looks the same, you should be good to go.

Good idea. I looked at somewhere around 8 different J’s. About half looked just like mine, the other half were evenly spaced left and right. Interestingly enough, none of the J’s with the pin sticking out farther on one side were sticking out farther on the left. They were either even, or sticking out a little more on the right.

As these were new J’s, I am guessing that they came from the factory this way - not enough opportunity to start walking from recoil.

Originally posted by Chameleox

http://www.brownells.com/schematics/...42-sid517.aspx
Look at parts 31, 32, and 33, just under the barrel. This should help you see what you’re dealing with -not too complicated. Mine sits flush; I’m going to try a very small dab of Loctite to keep it in place.

Thanks. This will help if I decide I need to re-position the pin. For now I’ll wait and see if it moves (see above).

8

Moonshot

I too had this concern in regards to a newly purchased 638. The pin is proud on the right of the barrel. The side of the gun opposite the cylinder latch. I noticed it from the start when I brought it home and I am just keeping an eye on it. I have watched it through 310 rounds now and it hasn’t moved. It’s funny, because I went though the same thoughts as you have. Initially, my first thought was to get a punch and just tap it gently back, but decided, just like you, that it may loosen it and REALLY make it walk out.

Were kind of in the same boat. I wasn’t as concerned due to the fact that I had shot the gun 310 times in the span of 4 days. However, it’s something to be aware and vigilant of no doubt. I’ll let you know if mine ends up walking in the months and round count to come.

Now on a brand new 442 I just bought, the pin is essentially the same on both sides. 370 rounds on it and nothing has budged so far.