S&W needing worn frame to be repaired - suggestions requested for who can do this?

A friend of mine at our range, Hollywood Rifle and Pistol Club, has a S&W Model 19 revolver with a major problem.  It is very worn, and one hole in the rear of the frame is clearly shown to be elongated in my photos below.

He took it to our local gunsmith, who doesn't have the tools to correct it.

He sent it to the head of S&W Technical Support, but they wrote back that they can't fix it.

Any suggestions as to where he might be able to get it repaired?  

If the thumb lock releases the cylinder, it’s fine.
Manufacturing tolerances. The hole appears to be true. If the cylinder isn’t floating in back it’s good.

But, if your intent on spending $$
Joe Leinenger in Michigan is the revolver guy

It's not my gun, and Alan tells me it is no longer as accurate as it used to be.  The gunsmith and S&W recognized what is wrong, but can't fix it.

Joe Leinenger?  Do you have any contact information?

The thumb lock does release the cylinder.

Because of this problem, the strikes on the primer are now off-center.  I think he told me it was "shaving lead", but I might not have understood him correctly.

Well pictures don’t always tell the story

Try

(248) 867-8685

Micro weld up the hole and redrill the hole

Mark Hartshorne @ Pinnacle High Performance has done great work for me.
610-285-4392

In my estimation, the hole is not oblong.
The cylinder catch at the rear is bent or displaced slightly after years of use, firing,  and being slammed shut giving the illusion of being oblong.
The gun probably still functions to its capacity because the hole itself is built to S#W specs.
Simply drilling another hole will most likely not resolve the problem and in theory incapacitate the firearm altogether.

But if he wants to leave it in tact and refinish it , see below. After Smith and Wessons recent sloppy build quality, I'd be leary of taking the advice of anyone just answering the phones over there.
The gun will probably fire and function for many years to come.




Doug Turnbull - Turnbull restoration

It will likely be expensive but it will be down right gorgeous.

The gun functions now, but doesn't shoot as well as it used to.  My photos probably don't show the problem properly.  Our local gunsmith understood what is needed, but he doesn't have the tools to do the job.

The senior technical advisor for customer support sent if off to the S&W ProShop, who eventually said they can't fix it.

I can try to take a better photo - maybe looking down the bore would help?


What is the proper name for the hole that I am referring to?  That hole, along with the cylinder stop, is what positions the cylinder when the gun fires.

The hole is worn.  About .035 out of round is my guess.   There are several ways to fix this.  I’d start with enlarging the hole and then freezing a plug in liquid N2 then inserting a plug.  Then remachining to hole to spec.

Wobbley wrote:The hole is worn.  About .035 out of round is my guess.   There are several ways to fix this.  I’d start with enlarging the hole and then freezing a plug in liquid N2 then inserting a plug.  Then remachining to hole to spec.

Likely a non issue.
Below is a 50 year old( or more)  Hi Standard  r-101 Sentinel revolver. It was my grandfathers.
Look.........the hole looks oblong. But the gun fires and is reliable as all get out. It's also pretty accurate.
Tapping your gunsmithing prowess, " Do you think I need to stick an expanding plug in it and re-machine?

My thoughts are, I would never do that unless the gun lost all functionality,  or the cylinder locked up.
It appears to be standard wear to me.
There is no way you can tell by looking at the op's photo that the hole is .035 out of round.
The Op's hole looks more concentric than mine. At risk of sayiing such a thing. lol

mikemyers wrote:The gun functions now, but doesn't shoot as well as it used to. 
The senior technical advisor for customer support sent if off to the S&W ProShop, who eventually said they can't fix it.

I can try to take a better photo - maybe looking down the bore would help?


What is the proper name for the hole that I am referring to? 

The hole is there as part of the crane lock system. The round protruding rod is the crane lock. So the hole is the crane lock carrier or crane lock hole.. Without it, there is no support for the rear of the  cylinder.
It is operated by a push button on the left side of the revolver.
Some crane locks are different as they are incorporated into the extractor rod that goes through the cylinder and locks into the hole. Actually pinned into the hole by spring pressure.
They have a rod under the barrel that you pull to release and flip the cylinder out. Your gun up there unlocks and flips open simply by using the thumb.
It also has an extractor rod to push out spent casings. But it does not transverse through the cylinder to lock into that hole.

Thank you - once you gave me a name to search for, I did find the information I was looking for.

https://www.shootersforum.com/threads/discussion-with-s-w-service-dept.5249/

Which led to "Cylinder and Slide":

"The correct fix for your wallowed out center pin hole is a soldered in bushing. As a matter of fact, that is how the S&W factory used to take care of it. You'll notice, on their new alloy frame revolvers, they are using the same technique. You can find that and all the rest of our pistolsmithing options on our web site, www.cylinder-slide.com

SR035 Bush Center Pin Hole in Frame 89.25

Welding is not a good option.

As far as the other needed parts and work to repair all the wear, no problem. We'll need to inspect the pistol first so we can find exactly what needs to be done.

Ralph"




I will pass this on to Alan, and I'm pretty sure he will contact them:  www.cylinder-slide.com