S&W 340PD Cylinder Issue...

MP-In-The-Wind · 12-31-2009, 07:34

Hi All...I have a Smith 340PD that I bought new a couple of years ago...it's been carried alot and shot about 300 times... The trouble is that the cylinder does not rotate easily... I've lubed it up, but it still doesn't want to move that easily. Any thoughts?

Rick from Kali · 12-31-2009, 13:21

Quote:

Originally Posted by MP-In-The-Wind

Hi All...I have a Smith 340PD that I bought new a couple of years ago...it's been carried alot and shot about 300 times... The trouble is that the cylinder does not rotate easily... I've lubed it up, but it still doesn't want to move that easily. Any thoughts?

when you say does not rotate easily is that with the cylinder in the closed or open position? if it's in the open position more than likely the crane might be bent and will be hard to rotate in both the open and closed position. look under the extractor and see if there is any powder residue under it. this will cause the extractor to not seat all the way and the case heads will rub on the recoil shield causing drag.HTH
Rick

JohnKSa · 12-31-2009, 17:24

If it won't rotate easily when closed a couple of other possibilities are a loose ejector rod, fouling buildup on the cylinder face and/or the forcing cone.

Fast Copperhead · 01-01-2010, 21:46

Hello,
I am new here and this is my first post but I feel that I may be able to shed some light on this problem. I found several photos posted on various gun sites that showed a cracked frame on the model 340 revolvers. At first I wrote it off
as a coinsidence but after seeing several photos I decided to check my carry 340. Lo and behold I found a cracked frame after only 25 rounds of full house .357 and about 50 rounds of +p 38. The crack was below the forcing cone where the crane locks up under the barrel. Revolver was returned to S&W and repaired under warranty. The sales rep stated that there was a problem of overtightening the barrels that caused the crack. I would advise that you check closely before firing this revolver again. Open the cylinder and look closely at the bottom of the barrel in the area of the forcing cone. May be hard to see. You may want to have a gunsmith look also. Hope this helps!
Gary

01G8R · 01-02-2010, 18:40

Have you completely disassembled the cylinder and crane? Lots of junk gets caught in there. I take mine apart every few hundred rounds and completely clean and lube it. I think the sleeve in there is aluminum and it gets scratched pretty easily. Don't over tighten the screw that retains the crane. Lubing it from the outside won't get it completely cleaned up.

sourdough44 · 01-04-2010, 07:13

+1 on the crane removal & clean-up. All it takes is the one screw & it would be fairly hard to goof it up.

MP-In-The-Wind · 01-06-2010, 05:50

The problem was the cylinder (when OPEN) wouldn't rotate freely...and of course while closed didn't help things either.. I generously lubed it up and it will rotate OK..but still doesn't just spin.. How do I take they cylinder off to clean it? I've tried turning the knurled ejector rod...but it's on REAL tight!! Any advice?

Fast Copperhead · 01-06-2010, 18:25

Remove the screw on the right side of the frame under the mid point of the cylinder, swing out the cylinder and remove towards the front of revolver. Be sure to use a good fitting screwdriver so you dont screw up the screw! Also as I posted, I have seen several of these with cracked frames, check closely! I will attempt to find and post some photos of the crack.
Gary

Fast Copperhead · 01-06-2010, 18:41

I this works this is a link to some information and photos of a PD340 with the same crack as I have seen on several including mine.
www.thegunzone.com/sw340pd.html

MP-In-The-Wind · 01-07-2010, 06:08

Fast Copperhead...scary article indeed!! I did check out my 340PD closely..there are no cracks... The cylinder is now rotating freely..as I lubed it up with Kroil..
Is there a way to remove the ejector rod to clean inside there? I think something gummed up the works in there..

1006 · 01-07-2010, 17:48

A police intructor once told me to always eject my empties straight down to allow gravity to keep the unburned junk from getting under the ejector star and into the rod area.

fastbolt · 01-07-2010, 21:47

I can't know what's involved with your 340PD, but I recently had someone bring a 340PD to my attention because the cylinder wouldn't easily turn. I checked it and immediately agreed.

I removed the cylinder & yoke from the frame, cleaned & wiped off the yoke and added a couple of drops of oil to the yoke's 2 bearings and the stud, reassembled the gun and found that it spun freely and easily.

The alloy yoke used in the Airlite Ti/Sc guns seems to really benefit from the recommended lubrication, but the cylinder and yoke have to be removed in order to expose the yoke's bearing surfaces and stud. A local armorer or gunsmith ought to be able to show you how it's done.

Be forewarned that trying to do this without some knowledge and experience can easily result in scratching the frame and wallowing the yoke screw, and even worse, it can potentially result in someone over tightening the yoke screw and damaging the alloy frame.

Believe or not, S&W suggests in its armorer manual that revolvers be disassembled and checked by a qualified armorer once a year.

I like the last line in the suggested maintenance program section which states,
"A revolver that is well maintained will be practically trouble free and have a much longer service time than one that is not."

Got an armorer or gunsmith locally? Might be a good place to learn what's involved.

MP-In-The-Wind · 01-08-2010, 06:21

Fastbolt.. Thanks for the info... I'll take the cylinder out and make sure it's lubed up..and I'll be careful about that screw!!! Do you advise the use of blue loc-tite for this? ..that way it wouldn't have to be REALLY torqued down..