PhotoRecon Posted April 24, 2009 Share Posted April 24, 2009 I have a Smith & Wesson Model 66-5 4" revolver. Upon doing a reload the other day the yoke, cylinder and rounds all came out of the frame when I pushed the speedloader into the cylinder. I took out the sideplate screw that holds the side plate on as well as keeps the yoke in the frame. It seems to be spring loaded with a fine point. The other screws I've seen have always been fixed. Why does this screw have a spring loaded head? Should I simply replace it or try cleaning and lubing it? Should I return the revolver to the factory for inspection and/or repair? Regards... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vrmn1 Posted April 24, 2009 Share Posted April 24, 2009 They are cheap so replace it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
astephenson Posted April 24, 2009 Share Posted April 24, 2009 The same thing happened the other day with my 686SSR. I cut a piece of paperclip to length to fit inside the spring to keep it from compressing any more than it needs to to function. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carmoney Posted April 24, 2009 Share Posted April 24, 2009 No need to send it back in. In all likelihood, the yoke screw simply loosened up. A little blue loc-tite should always be placed on the threads to prevent this from happening. Replace the yoke screw, tighten it all the way down, and try to replicate the problem. If it seems OK, loctite it in place and you should be fine. If a tightened yoke screw still allows the yoke to slip out, replace the yoke screw. On the older S&W revolvers, the yoke screws did not employ the spring-loaded tips, but had to be hand-fit to the gun. They changed the design to eliminate another hand-fitting step. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bubber Posted April 24, 2009 Share Posted April 24, 2009 PhotoRecon, In all liklihood the screw may have come loose. I am very agressive (spelled Gorilla hands) when it comes t speedloading. I have pushed the yoke and cylinder out of my 627 often when I do the speedload. I had changed screws and springs and still it happens with the N Frame. I had used WellArmedSheep's method of placing a piece of metal into the screw spring area to keep the tip from compressing far enugh to allow the yoke to dislodge. As Carmoney stated it was added to take out the step of fitting the screw to the yoke. As time permits and my skill level on the lathe raises I plan on cutting the bevel out of the yoke so I can go back to the old style and I will "fit" the screw to the yoke myself. A few others have had the same problem and have remedied it in much the same way. One other method is to take shot from a shotgun shell and use it to take up the space. Hope it works for you. Later rd Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CJDOUBLETAP Posted April 24, 2009 Share Posted April 24, 2009 I've seen this happen to a 617 before. I would get a new screw and tighten it as hard as you can with a little bit of green loctite. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhotoRecon Posted April 24, 2009 Author Share Posted April 24, 2009 I sure appreciate the fast responses to my questions. When this happened it was the first time I ever used a Comp 3 speedloader and at first I thought, man, these things really push those rounds in there..LOL... I didn't notice the screw being loose when I removed it but I've reinstalled it and will see if I can get the yoke to come out again. So far its staying put but I'm going to try it after firing a bunch of rounds and see if the screw is coming loose. Then I'll try the various remedies suggested here. Thanks everyone... Regards... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gregg K Posted April 24, 2009 Share Posted April 24, 2009 The same thing happened the other day with my 686SSR. I cut a piece of paperclip to length to fit inside the spring to keep it from compressing any more than it needs to to function. I do the same thing except I use a piece of small piano wire. It doesn't really matter what you put behind it so long as it can't retract and let you push out the yoke. It takes a little while to properly size the wire that you insert so that it is just right but once you do it you won't have to worry about it anymore. The new style detent cuts a groove in the yoke each time you push it out of the frame, if you fix the screw before it happens to you the first time you will prevent the yoke from having any damage. Preventive maintenance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhotoRecon Posted April 26, 2009 Author Share Posted April 26, 2009 I took the Model 66 out to the range to see if simply making sure the screw is tight will solve the problem. Unfortunately, it still comes loose and more so when the gun gets heated up a little bit. I've decided to try the wire method first and see how that goes. Next time I need some parts from S&W I might buy an extra screw to have on backup. Regards... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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