My J-frame Journey

[45sRfun]

I think you are right to stay away from any abrasives. And good idea with the dowel to determine the culprit.

I am sure it will run .38+P alright but you bought a .357 and it should run those too! I am rooting for you to get it worked out.

Yea, I want it to run .357s for sure. Stopped at gun shop today and they saw the expanded cases. I will test it further with some more .357s next range trip. Then back to S&W for repair. Gun shop said they would handle sending and receiving if I get the shipping label. I know the routine, call S&W, explain problem, they send label.

I have a bad track record on sending in guns. Sent a Charter Arms in for a mangled cylinder stop and they did not fix that but did some other work on it. Sent a 442 to S&W for a weak firing pin (had misfires with CCI primers) and instead they fixed the yoke that as far as I know was working fine.

Just gave it some bore cleaner in the chambers and let it soak for about 15 minutes per the instructions then cleaned the chambers out with some CLP. Also picked some tiny copper shavings out of the ejector star area, presumably from scraping the cases when I had to dislodge them while hung up on the star. With the dowel, I should avoid that.

 

[45sRfun]

A customer in the gun shop also has a 340PD and said you really don't want to even shoot 125 grain .357s. I said the gun is marked to not use less than 120 grain. He replied, that he has seen erosion even on higher than 120 grain and recommended to stick with something closer to 158 grain.

Owner's Manual says,

CAUTION: Do not use Magnum loads with bullet weights of less than 120 grains - This will reduce the possibility of premature erosion in titanium alloy cylinders.

The key phrase here seems to be "reduce the possibility" not "eliminate the possibility," so I think that customer is right. To avoid erosion, one wants to stay well above 120 grains.

 

[45sRfun]

Thought about the .38 Specials and that I had no problem ejecting any of them. Went though all the spent .38 cases, trying each one in the smaller chamber on the 340PD. Everything slipped in just fine but for 5 cases would not go all the way in easily. Turns out those were 5 Double Tap wadcutters I had been carrying that I shot to freshen up my SD load. The Norma did not distort, but the Double Tap did, apparently not as much as the .357s. They all fit fine in the other four chambers. Then I tried them in my 442 and they were tight in all 5 chambers. Conclusion is that my 340PD has 4 oversized chambers, possibly 5 oversized chambers, just that one is not as bad as the other four. I think S&W is going to have to replace the cylinder.

 

[EODFXSTI]

Thought about the .38 Specials and that I had no problem ejecting any of them. Went though all the spent .38 cases, trying each one in the smaller chamber on the 340PD. Everything slipped in just fine but for 5 cases would not go all the way in easily. Turns out those were 5 Double Tap wadcutters I had been carrying that I shot to freshen up my SD load. The Norma did not distort, but the Double Tap did, apparently not as much as the .357s. They all fit fine in the other four chambers. Then I tried them in my 442 and they were tight in all 5 chambers. Conclusion is that my 340PD has 4 oversized chambers, possibly 5 oversized chambers, just that one is not as bad as the other four. I think S&W is going to have to replace the cylinder.

That sucks you have to send it in but fingers crossed they take good care of you. Is the 442 you sent in still screwed up? I would send that back in too. And you STILL have another 442 to work with! As silly as it sounds, I would tape a little note or roll one up and stick in the cylinder exactly what the problem is. That way there is no question about what needs done.

 

[45sRfun]

At this point there is really no need to go back and shoot more .357. Time to send it in. Would be nice if I could test a used gun before buying it, or at least the shop tests it before selling it. Of course, had I known, I never would have bothered buying it, or would have offered far less than what I paid.

As for the 442s, the one that would not fire half of the ammo with hard primers was sent in with a full description and they fixed the yoke instead. Wonder if some guy with a bad yoke got a new firing pin.

The other 442 did fire that same ammo with the bad primers, including some that had already failed to fire in the lock 442. So the no-lock, even though the stick pen does not jump out the barrel very far, does work, so based on the repair I got for the lock 442, and that the no-lock 442 works, it does not seem like there is much value to sending it in. We'll let them focus on the one gun and hope to get a new cylinder in the process. Would be nice if they would contact the customer when the gun is on the smith's bench so we could discuss it together, but no, they just do their thing and send it back. Well, definitely worth a try.

So long as the gun shop will send and receive it, I am good. I had to send it in last time and don't need the trip to Fed Ex and having to wait to sign for it on the return.

 

[EODFXSTI]

At this point there is really no need to go back and shoot more .357. Time to send it in. Would be nice if I could test a used gun before buying it, or at least the shop tests it before selling it. Of course, had I known, I never would have bothered buying it, or would have offered far less than what I paid.

As for the 442s, the one that would not fire half of the ammo with hard primers was sent in with a full description and they fixed the yoke instead. Wonder if some guy with a bad yoke got a new firing pin.

The other 442 did fire that same ammo with the bad primers, including some that had already failed to fire in the lock 442. So the no-lock, even though the stick pen does not jump out the barrel very far, does work, so based on the repair I got for the lock 442, and that the no-lock 442 works, it does not seem like there is much value to sending it in. We'll let them focus on the one gun and hope to get a new cylinder in the process. Would be nice if they would contact the customer when the gun is on the smith's bench so we could discuss it together, but no, they just do their thing and send it back. Well, definitely worth a try.

So long as the gun shop will send and receive it, I am good. I had to send it in last time and don't need the trip to Fed Ex and having to wait to sign for it on the return.

It will be interesting to hear what comes of this from S&W.

 

[45sRfun]

It will be interesting to hear what comes of this from S&W.

OTOH there may be nothing wrong with the gun (per design). My cheesy calipers show the same diameter for each cylinder in both the 340PD and the 442. Another forum has this post:

But I have been having some issues. The shells fall out fine with 38's and my defensive .357 loads.. but when I shoot full .357's loads the shells are stuck in the cylinder. I push the rod and they come out 1/2 way but still are stuck and I have to pull them out with my hand. Anyone else have this issue? I am thinking possibly the heat is expanding the titanium cylinder and when it goes boom the brass is expanding and getting stuck? Or is my cylinder out of spec?

Gun Analyst site has this info:

2. Difficult Extraction:​

While using the revolver, you may well have difficult extraction. Occasionally, a strong extraction might cause the brass inside the cylinder to crack.

The cylinder may not be hitting the frame properly, or the yoke retention screw may be damaged or too tight, which is cutting the bullets.

Sometimes there is not enough pressure applied to the center extractor pin, which results in this.

The Fix:​

Check if the extractor’s central pin is in the proper position. Also, remember to examine the yoke retention pin; if it is broken, replace it as soon as you can.

I just don't see how that applies in my case.

 

[EODFXSTI]

OTOH there may be nothing wrong with the gun (per design). My cheesy calipers show the same diameter for each cylinder in both the 340PD and the 442. Another forum has this post:


Gun Analyst site has this info:

I just don't see how that applies in my case.

To that first point, this is a small gun with a small extractor rod. It pushes the shorter .38 cases out easy but is probably not quite long enough for that extra little bit of length that the .357 case has. If they expanded at all, even with the barrel pointed vertically the spent casings could have a harder time coming out. But that does not explain them being difficult to pull out. Hard to do a quick reload when you need a dowel rod to get the spent rounds out.

If you are measuring the cylinder holes from the end, it would make sense that they are right but the casings are expanding further down the hole.

To the second point, I have no idea how that applies either as the yoke screw is the bottom right screw on the sideplate.

Everything I looked up about this issue seems to be either carbon buildup in the cylinder or erosion in the cylinder bores. you could eliminate the buildup but a new cylinder seems to be the only remedy for the erosion factor.