Own a 329 44 Magnum that spends a lot of time in an El Paso tanker holster when out riding (horse) in Grizzly country. Probably seen 400 rounds almost all "cowboy action" level cast bullets.
Recently it has started misfiring 1 to 3 out of 6. The primer strikes look light, and if I reset the cylinder 9 of 10 fire on the second strike.
Tried different primers and cases, no difference.
Spent a lit of time with tooth picks and Q Tips cleaning out around the transfer bar, hammer and firing pin and everything is squeeky clean but .... still happens. HATE transfer bars NEVER had a "pin in the hammer" gun fail to fire.
You can't use "gun blaster" type products on the Scandium framed/cylinder guns as it reacts with it and the steel to form a compound that locks them up solid.
(Don't ask how I know !)
Before I ship it back to S&W, any experience, thoughts etc. would be most appreciated.

I would check the cylender end play and make sure there is no movement when the cylender is locked as the hammer falls.
Are These reloads that your having an issue with?
When I load for the pistol ammo make sure the primer pockets are free of carbon and the primers are seated as deep as possible.
I did have some minor issues with wolf primers and some winchester primers and it may have been hard cup material.
also, a thought is if the firing pin is worn.
Most misfires can be fixed by giving the gun a tear down and cleaning. make sure there are no burs or worn parts.
Dave

I'd check the main spring.

HV, yes there is a tad of endplay and cylinder rotational movement. But there always has been as these guns are not built to the same standards as my 1926 New Sevice Match or my early (pre Dirty Harry) M 29. Yes they are handloads but as I have been loading for almost 60 years and these loads have never failed before, still work 100% in my M 29, I tend to look first at the gun. IME cleaning primer pockets is a waste of time for any gun unless you are shooting Bench Rest. I use the RCBS hand primer seater and it does a perfect job.

Lemar, at the risk of an admission of being dense, what should I check it for ? It's not broken, is it adjustable ?

Thanks to you both.

Check hammer spring tension screw and make sure it hasn't backed off. I am sitting here looking at my 625 (which uses the transfer bar) and firing pin protrusion on it is about .041.
C.G.B.

Thanks, on tomorrow's to do list.

quote:

primers are seated as deep as possible.

I agree with hivelosity. If this is not true, then the first strike just moves the primer deeper into the pocket. The hand primer may be part of the problem. Just my 2 cents (if all else fails).
Peter.

Pull the stocks off it. The spring runs from the bottem of the frame to the hammer. You can adjust the tension by backing out ( lightens up) the screw, or tighten it up (heavyer hammer fall). If its backd out to far if will cause miss fires. The screw head is external, at the bottem of the frame. Easy to adjust !!

Spring was a max setting. Talked to S&W (45 minute hold) and they think cylinder end play. Sending me a free FEDEX call tag to get it back and corrected. Gun is 9 years old and certainly not as rugged as my 44 mag "mountain gun" but at 26 ounces a joy to carry even at 10,900' at age 70 with no horse along.

Man, What a climb beautiful country. You are doin at 70 what I wished I could do at 60. Good luck with the 629

When I was a kid we had friends with a ranch outside of Pinedale, spend a couple weeks up there fishing and it was fantastic. See the ranch still exists but the family that owned it is long gone.
C.G.B.

Thanks, it was fun until a 20 something blond girl RAN by me on her way up and an hour later came back still running. I asked her where she started: "at the trailhead." That was close to a 40 mile round trip. Shorter than short shorts, a halter top and a figure to even get my heart started. Where we these women when I was that age ?

45, Sure the air hant gettin a little thin?
That sure would top off the hike.
Dave

That looks a lot like the trail to bomber mt in the big horns.

If it is I walked several times.

HV, as my home is at 7200' it's not like some flatlander trying the trip. A few of them get hauled off the mountains every year by Search & Rescue and a few even die.

PD, Pinedale is a long way from the Bighorns.
It actually in "The Winds" (Bridger Wilderness) at the Cirque of the Towers, a major hiking/climbing destination for folks across the globe. Climbing to the Cirque was on my "bucket list" and it was well worth it....... especially the blond! Even Brandy had fun !

quote:

PD, Pinedale is a long way from the Bighorns

A lot of Mt trails look alike when one only has a short picture of them.

Wis if farther I travel all over the country to hike.

Boy did we get diverted. Have you been to waterdog lake? Fished it when I was a kid and it was super.
C.G.B.

Nope, been to the Waterdog(S) Lake(S) which are East of 191 above the rim. Nice ride on my horse (no ATVs allowed) but Grizzly are moving in.

Really don't like hiking that much as most of what you see is your feet whereas up on Jordan you get a great view from 16 hands up. But the Winds is not horse friendly in the rocky high country like the Cirque.

Jordan and the old man:

And with horses one gets to carry real food.

It could well be a cylinder end shake problem, but also many, many of the new made S&W revolvers have firing pins that are too short, so that they cn pass the Kalif. drop tests. There are some companies, such as Cyllinder and Slide that sell longer firing pins for the S&W's because of this.

So if you gun worked when you first got it, I think it is a combination of the two.

Well it's back @ S&W and I'm sure they will fix it,

First thing I would try is cleaning your primer pockets real good and make sure your primers are seated to the bottom of the primer pocket but not crushed. I've had the same experience with a 38 spec. clean pockets and properly seated primers cured it.

WEll maybe, but I have been shooting various Colt and S&W big bore handguns for 50+ years, reloaded 1000s of rounds, never cleaned a primer pocket, used at least 5 brands of powder, 4 brands of primer, every tool from a Lyman 310 on up and NEVER had a misfire until this ONE gun. Hundreds of rounds through it, loaded as were all the others and suddenly it misfires ? If it were the ammo, this would not be the first time with this gun alone. I think FEDEX is bringing it back tomorrow from S&W so Sunday it goes back to the range and we'll see.

Looking forward to your up date and range report.

Gun is back. S&W replaced the mainspring, hammer, firing pin and retimed the action. (Everything incl. shipping for free)

Reinstalled laser grips, off to range tomorrow.

Back from range, put 24 of my "cowboy action" reloads through it w/o a hitch. No problem holding 4" @ 25 yards, offhand with Crimson Trace laser grips. I'd saw S&W did well by me!