mark III rubs against hammer when pulling bolt back

[jupiter]

The smoothness of the action is lacking..

I had an opportunity to cycle a mark II and it was like silk....

It was suggested that perhaps the spring is stronger on the Mark III then on the mark II thus causing a higher resistence when pulling the bolt back manually...

ANY other ideas.. adequately lubed... but The Mark ii CERTAINLY FELT MUCH BETTER TO ME...

It was also suggested that the spring on the Mark II was more worn..... thus the smoother cycle...

 

[Rick Courtright]

The smoothness of the action is lacking..

I had an opportunity to cycle a mark II and it was like silk....

Hi,

My old boss, the gunsmith, had a way of cutting to the chase when folks asked certain questions.

One day, a fellow came into the shop complaining S&W's quality had gone to h--- because his new revolver wasn't anywhere near as smooth as specimens he'd shot that were made in the '50s and '60s.

Boss looked up from what he was doing for a second, then suggested, "Go put 10 to 20 thousand rounds thru your new one like a lot of those old ones have seen, and get back to me..."

My limited experience w/ Mk IIs mirrors my boss' comment: the more they're shot, the better they work. I'd venture a guess the Mk IIIs will follow the pattern, too!

Rick C

 

[DMN]

........"Go put 10 to 20 thousand rounds thru your new one like a lot of those old ones have seen, and get back to me..."

My first Mark III was very "stiff" when I first got it. Now that it's had about 15,000 rounds through it, it's very, very smooth. My second Mark III has about 2,000 rounds through it and it isn't as smooth as my first one. It's getting there, but it's no there yet.

 

[tomiswho]

I can tell a difference already in my MkIII 2245 after 500 rounds. 2nd disassembly was easier too.

 

[rugerguy]

and yes, you can put the upper receiver onto the grip frame and tilt it off to one side or the other and cause the hammer to "drag"..but for pulling the bolt back, for the first time, on any gun, that the hammer is in the forward (fired) position, you are actually "cocking the hammer, with the inner portion of the bolt, and yes, it will be 'hard & heavy" while doing this...with time, and practice, you will get used to it and not notice it as much.....and again, yes, with lots of time, practice and many rounds, things will tend to "lighten up, smooth out and maybe YOU will get stronger too, as well as become a better shot..... :wink:

 

[Ski]

If it has always exhibited this same "rubbing" feeling then yes, putting more rounds through the gun will have a tendency to polish things up. On the other hand, if this is something new that you just noticed, take a look at the positioning of your "hammer pivot pin". This pin holds the hammer assembly in place and also carries the bolt lock/release. The pin goes into the grip frame from the left side through the bolt lock/release, through the left side of the grip frame through the hammer assembly and then through the right side of the grip frame. The pin is held in place by the grip on the left side of the frame. I have a Mark III Target model with the thumb rest grip on the left side of the frame. This particular grip has a rather large gap to the hammer pin which I actually had to fill some to keep the hammer pivot pin from drifting out of the frame on the right side. If the pivot pin does drift to the left and out of the frame on the right side the entire hammer assembly will fall slightly in the frame and it is possible that the hammer will ride the side of the frame rather than being positioned in the middle. This can actually cause the hammer to become stuck or blocked in the frame and it can also give you that lack of smoothness and the rubbing or hard to cock action you describe.