I have a model 64 S&W; the yoke has some lateral play with the cylinder, respectively, moving right to left. In the "leftmost" position you can clearly see a gap opening up in the front between the yoke and the frame. The alignment in the normal cylinder position is ok, but in the left position it might be slightly off.

Now, my question is: can this be fixed by replacing the locking bolt with spring? I do not see any other parts responsible for securing (or not) the front of the yoke assembly. I have seen this problem being discussed on other forums, without any conclusive results. Advice like "if it ain't broke don't fix it" does not apply here, since I do seem to have some lead shaving (I don't know about lead going sideways, but I do end up with debris inside the barrel). Anyway, I would appreciate some input on the locking bolt as a possible solution.

Debris in barrel is likely partially burned powder. Ther shouldn't be any lateral play in the yoke, but fixing it - i dunno.

 

I have a model 64 S&W; the yoke has some lateral play with the cylinder, respectively, moving right to left. In the "leftmost" position you can clearly see a gap opening up in the front between the yoke and the frame. The alignment in the normal cylinder position is ok, but in the left position it might be slightly off.

Now, my question is: can this be fixed by replacing the locking bolt with spring? I do not see any other parts responsible for securing (or not) the front of the yoke assembly. I have seen this problem being discussed on other forums, without any conclusive results. Advice like "if it ain't broke don't fix it" does not apply here, since I do seem to have some lead shaving (I don't know about lead going sideways, but I do end up with debris inside the barrel). Anyway, I would appreciate some input on the locking bolt as a possible solution.

Is this a new development? Have you owned this a long time? In the past I have seen revolvers damaged by "flipping" them open or shut, but I'm pretty sure you are smarter than that. Perhaps a previous owner?

 

I bought it online just recently and only took it to the range once. It was sold as police surplus. I sure wasn't the one flipping it, but someone else may have. However, I've also read online that some brand new S&Ws have the same problem.

Clyde - could very well be burnt powder; I can't tell for sure. But strictly from the engineering perspective having the chambers move sideways relative to the bore can't be a good thing, even if it's not too bad . By the way, I have seen three well-used police surplus Model 10s at a gun show, and I think at least two of them had the same issue. My question is - what do you do about it?

 

Definitely sounds like a well worn gun.
I wouldn't necessarily attribute the described problem to 'playing around' so much as the likelihood of extended service use. From the days when the revolver was still a mainstream L/E sidearm, a lot of rapid fire sequences involved comparably rapid reloading. Over time, such revolvers took a beating and yours sounds typical of such use. That could likely account for the referenced problem. Cylinder end play and indexing issues are also often reflective of such demanding use.
I would suggest a full inspection and analysis before investing any substantial funds into the gun.
Just my take