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Cleaning S&W hammerless revolver

14K views 20 replies 15 participants last post by  jbart57 
#1 ·
How do you clean the action. I guess you can't, so on to question 2. How does it stay clean or self cleaning? Dirt has to get in via the firing pin hole.....:redface:
 
#2 ·
I think circumstances alter events ....... the amount of protection from the shrouding is IMO enough to keep the worst crud out. Mode of carry has some bearing on this.

I would tho if I had one of those, at times consider a careful removal of sideplate (I mean careful - the proper way) and at least inspect. If pocket lint might over time achieve ingress then I wanna know about it - but I think that'll be over quite a time span.

Lube is useful but not too much - ''less is more''. Minimal lube should last ages ....... and ingress of lint/crud thru FP hole will IMO be almost a non issue.
 
#3 ·
Well, when you clean it, you will find that really is a hammer in there! Actually, very little dirt gets in through the FP hole. I would think more enters through the "window" through which the hand operates, but that would be minimal. I like a lube which dries; next time I open my M430, I will probably use EEZOX. (Yes, M430; very much like a 642.) I will not advocate that anyone open their S&W revolver unless shown how to do so, by a truly knowlegeable tutor, and while in possession of a few simple but specialized tools, which minimize the chance of scarring or gouging the weapon. If nothing else, remember to NOT pry the sideplate! If done right, it will come right off, with no force. Reassembly is vitally important, too; the hammer block must be inserted just so, and kept in place, while installing the sideplate, which can be tricky. I have watched a jeweler working on watches; it is similar in the amount of care needed.
 
#4 ·
Nothing gets in through the firing pin hole. When the gun is cocked, it is possible to get a little crap into the action especially if you have a semi-shrouded revolver such as the S&W BodyGuard if you carry it in your pocket a great deal. If you have such a revolver, inspect the hammer channel area and clean as necessary.

As P95 says, you can remove the side plate every year or so if you pocket carry and check it out. There is nothing difficult about it. Just keep the gun flat and be certain that you use a proper screwdriver with a square shoulder and straight bit that is a perfect fit. But generally it is not unusual for a revolver to never have its side plate removed.
 
#5 ·
It's actually pretty easy to pop a S&W apart without doing any damage at all to the firearm. The action is not complicated.

You need to have a screwdriver that fits the screw slots exactly so that you don't bugger your screws up.

The screws cannot be mixed up and must go back into the same holes they came out of.

Do not pry off the sideplate. Once the screws are out just tap the frame with a large plastic screwdriver handle and let the sideplate fall onto a towel.

And truthfully and honestly you can greatly smooth up the trigger on your S&W at home without any major investment in fancy tools.

If you really want to be a pro then I heard that thid DVD was fantastic. You can buy it from Brownell's CLICK HERE.
 
#7 · (Edited by Moderator)
I think it to be impractical, as whatever you are blasting it with, plus any grit, needs to be able to run out, and then you need to get lube back inside and distributed. Seriously, the Centennial revolvers do not get much grit inside them. With all due respect, if you have to be asking these questions, it is probably best to have a 'smith or armorer do this cleaning for you. Once a year is the most that would be necessary, and unless the weapon is carried in a very dirty environment, less often would probably be OK. Most grit that gets into revolvers enters through the hammer slot, and Centennials do not have this.

If you really want to do this yourself, first of all, get screwdrivers specifically made to fit the S&W screws. This is VERY important. Remove the grip panels. Remove the sideplate screws. Keep the screws separate once they are out, as they are not the same. Open the cylinder, and remove the whole cylinder/crane assembly forward. Holding the weapon over a soft surface, right side down, gently tap the grip frame from below with a soft mallet. The sideplate should fall free. If it does not fall free, easily, then carefully reassemble, and let a pro do this job for you. When the sideplate does fall free, the hammer block safety will fall free also. Now, carefully "blast" the interior, then let it drain, and dry. Don't blast too forcefully, as some parts might be forced out of place, and perhaps across the room, never to be seen again. Apply a good lube; I prefer one that will dry, leaving a film of lube, such as EEZOX.

Now, hold the sideplate, interior side upward, and set the hammer block safety in place. You might need a diagram to do this, unless you already know how it all works. Note there is a tab at one edge of the sideplate, that must be tucked under the corresponding part of the frame first. Then proceed to gently press the sideplate into place. Notice I said "gently!" If gentle pressing does not work, wrap everything up, to protect the finish of the parts, and take it to a 'smith. Forcing anything can cause damage that will require an expensive, lengthy trip to the factory. Reassemble the cylinder, screws, and grips in reverse order. Sorry for the long post; if there is a way to make paragraphs, I have yet to learn how.
 
#8 ·
The difficulty level of this exceeds changing your car's oil, spark plugs, and belts. I would rank it as about equivalent to changing brake pads. Do you change your own brake pads? Plus, you must be gentler with the revolver, especially if the frame is alloy.
 
#11 ·
As someone above said this if more difficult than changing oil. Kind of like working on a clock, but I think most people can do it. They will collect some dirt even though it is a hammerless. The residue from cartrideges firing will find it's way back inside the workings. The more you shoot the more it will build up. Unless you're shooting a lot I would say a cleaning/relube once every three to five years would be ok. If the gun gets shot a lot it should probably be annual.

Make sure you've got good light at the bench. Some of the parts are very small. You can just remove the side cover or you can remove the cover and one or two assemblys. If you take it completely apart it becomes a pretty tedious job.
 
#12 ·
What exactly is so scary about removing the side plate? I have done it a couple times to clean out my shrouded 638. That sucker gets pretty dirty on the inside and the trigger gets gritty and tough if I don't do it. A spray down of CLP and with a pat dry and a few drops of oil and it goes right back together.
 
#15 ·
S&W

If you have any doubt about your ability to disassemble it, please take it to a gunsmith or armorer. It's not hard to figure out how to work on them, but you can screw stuff up and bend or break stuff if you do it wrong. There are a lot of good videos and DVDs and books out there and you might enjoy learning how to work on them, but if not, pay the 10 bucks for an annual detail strip and clean at the gunsmith's.
 
#17 ·
I have had S&W handguns with easily removeable sideplates, and also a few with sideplates that were quite difficult to remove. A couple of the easy ones would literally fall off with the first light tap of my hand on the grip frame area. Other have taken much patient tapping with a rubber mallet. Someone not knowing better might try prying, which can quickly "spring" a sideplate, or damage internal parts if the tool gets against them. FWIW, a local S&W armorer showed me how to remove a sideplate; there may be videos that show it nowadays.
 
#19 ·
I opened up my wife's 642 last week before we went shooting. Sprayed some cleaner in there and let it dry. Then put a little lube on moving parts and it smoothed it up a lot. Almost as good as having a trigger job done.

Also noticed there were tiny little bits of metal floating around in there.
 
#20 ·
It just like in most car engines, metal rubs against metal and get worn down.

That is why your trigger usually improves after your fire a gun a few hundred times.

Well and you get use to the trigger
 
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