Longer ejector rod in a 1-7/8" snubby?

[Irelander]

I was reading this article on snubtraining.com and I read this which piqued my interest since I sit here with a 642 in my pocket:

My final carry gun option would be to have the gunsmith, Mike LaRocca for Worcester, MA or Karl Sokol in West Rutlant VT remove the locking bolt currently holding the short ejector rod in place, add a full length ejector rod and then add a detent to the crane to keep the cylinder locked in place.

The J-frame’s much too short ejector rod is the bane of fast, positive reloading and a personal bug-a-boo of mine. On a self-defense gun it has to go.

Just wondering if anyone here has done this, what it looks like, and how much it costs? Is it worth the cost of modifying a 642 for the added benefit of better round ejection?

[BehindBlueI's]

Is it worth the cost of modifying a 642 for the added benefit of better round ejection?

Personally, I think it's sort of like lawn mower drag racing. Money to improve an aspect of a machine that it's not really designed for and that's not particularly relevant to it's routine use.

[Stephanie B]

A second gun (NY reload) probably would be cheaper.


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[Irelander]

Personally, I think it's sort of like lawn mower drag racing. Money to improve an aspect of a machine that it's not really designed for and that's not particularly relevant to it's routine use.

We take lawn mower racing pretty serious around here. Finding a mower nicely outfitted with a V8 is not uncommon.



Sorry just had to derail for a minute there.

[Duelist]

Old school Detective Specials, like the 1970 example I had, have no locking lug. The ejector rod goes to the muzzle and just hangs there. In fact, it can be argued that not having the lug leaves the ejector rod vulnerable to external impact damage.

[41magfan]

To be quite honest, I've not experienced too many issues with ejecting the empties on any revolver.

I hedge my bets by ensuring the chambers are absolutely clean, dry and I utilize ammo with nickel plated cases whenever possible. I use the reloading technique that involves pointing the barrel straight up (gun is in the off-hand) and engaging the ejector rod smartly with the meaty part of the outer palm of the strong hand. This method is a tad slower than some other techniques but my priority is on reliability - not speed.

On occasion, I've encountered some rough chambers that needed some polishing but I generally address that with all of my revolvers anyway.

[Irelander]

Polishing the chambers sounds like a good idea.

What is the preferred method of polishing the chambers in say a 642?

[41magfan]

Unless you an see visible tool marks, you can avoid power tools and specialized polishing brushes like a Flex-Hone.

The first thing to do is make sure the cylinders really are clean by using an oversized bore brush and a good solvent. Most folks don't really get the chambers clean when doing routine maintenance.

Since I always have JB Bore Compound on-hand, I use that to lap the cylinder walls with cotton patches wrapped around an old bore brush. Any X-fine non-embedding polishing compound should work, as well. Remember, we're just polishing here - not removing any metal. Doing damage should be relatively difficult with hand tools since the cylinder metal is pretty hard in most guns. Make sure all the polishing compound is flushed away when you're done.

Don't overthink or overdo this simple procedure.

ETA: This does not apply to cylinders made of specialty/exotic metals unless you have some personal knowledge of how to do it safely.

[Malamute]

I was reading this article on snubtraining.com and I read this which piqued my interest since I sit here with a 642 in my pocket:



Just wondering if anyone here has done this, what it looks like, and how much it costs? Is it worth the cost of modifying a 642 for the added benefit of better round ejection?

The parts for the longer extractor rod are pretty cheap, about $8-$9 each for the extractor rod and center pin. One could simply grind/file off the locking bolt lug from the barrel. The ball detent on the yoke is the only part thats not fairly simple for do it yourself types, but one could buy the tools from Brownells and give it a go if the cost was beyond perceived benefit for having a gunsmith do it. The ball detent sounds like a good idea, I dont know how much it actually helps in keeping the yoke and cylinder in place.

I kick empties out as 41 Mag describes. I'm more interested in being sure they come out and not getting crud under the extractor star than the exact speed of the reload. I never had the idea that it was hopeless to reload a j frame in a timely manner, and so why even try. Yes, they are a bit slower than K frame guns, but it happens if one stays at it. Carrying spare loads seems easier than carrying another gun simply as a reload, but I may not understand how fast reloads need to happen.

Nobody is loading them for sale that I know of, but many have been using 38 Short Colt brass for their gamer loads, I believe its largely influenced by extraction speed and reliability. The shells end up looking like rimmed 9mms. Ive messed with them a little bit for extra-light loads, but the extraction works well with such short cases.

To approach the improved J extraction idea from a different angle, you could get a 3" barrel with its longer extractor rod, and have the barrel trimmed to the end of the locking bolt lug, you could get about 2 3/8"-2 1/2" of barrel.

Regarding the Colts, they turn the cylinder in the opposite direction, effectively pushing the cylinder tighter into the frame with the hand, rather than trying to push it out of the frame as S&Ws do, hence, no locking bolt on the extractor rod is really needed.

[jandbj]

642 powerport guns had 2.something" barrels with a longer ejector rod.

Also seems you could gain that by using the 2 1/2(?)" barrel and ejector rod of the magnum 640's. Didn't S&W do this semi recently with some 637,638,642's? Someone here has to own every gun I just listed in this post.