Broken yoke S & W M-27

[Wallyl]

My M-27 yoke broke ....the tube that the cylinder slips into broke off at the junction where it meets with the other part of the yoke. I do not shoot many heavy loads. Most .357 Mag loads are at under 1,100 FPS and with 158 SWC cast bullets. Has anyone else had this issue? I will be contacted S & W and hopefully they will repair it. My Ruger SS BHK .357 has shot many more rounds with only a few transfer bars breaking.

 

[CZ93X62]

I have shot A LOT of N-frame S&Ws in all the calibers they come in. Such a breakage is outside my experience, either first-hand or as related second-hand info.

Same story concerning Ruger BH transfer bars. Entirely outside my experience, in any caliber. And plural transfer bars?

So many questions.......

 

[Wallyl]

I've been shooting Ruger BHKs since the early 70's....with every of the five models that I've had, each and every one has had a few broken transfer bars. I shoot moderate loads in all of them, with relatively few factory level loads.

In the M-27 gas cutting cut a small hole in the tube that broke off the yoke...over time, the metal weakened at the juncture and the tube severed from the rest of the yoke.

 

[Brad]

I assume a high volume of rounds fired?
Never broke a transfer bar or yoke but also know my idea of “lots of shooting” isn’t the same as some people.
Any idea of round count on the Mod 27? Even a SWAG?

 

[Wallyl]

In the past 21 years that I started to keep track---42,000 .38 Specials/ 36,000 .357 magnums, BUT the count is by caliber, not by the firearm. IOW the count doesn't tell me how many were fired in the S & W M-27 or Ruger BHK.

What is a SWAG?????

 

[Rick]

What is a SWAG?????

Scientific Wild A$$ed Guess . . .

 

[Brad]

That is still a reasonable round count. Cumulative stress?

 

[Bret4207]

That's a lot of shooting! Good for you! As far as the breakage, I've never heard or read of either a Smith yoke or a Ruger tranfer bar breaking as described.

 

[Wallyl]

Stress on the shooter...Over the years I've replaced a dozen transfer bars on 4 different Rugers...good thing that I know how to do it (and have good screwdrivers) and that I have spares. They break in the same weak spot. On the M-27; very surprising that a yoke woudl break like it did.

That is still a reasonable round count. Cumulative stress?

 

[Wallyl]

I have never heard of a S & W yoke breaking----as for Ruger transfer bars; it is quite common. BTW none of my Ruger BHKs have Transfer bar "pinch".

That's a lot of shooting! Good for you! As far as the breakage, I've never heard or read of either a Smith yoke or a Ruger tranfer bar breaking as described.

 

[CZ93X62]

Aight--I learned something today. Thank you, Wally.

 

[Edward R Southgate]

Got two N frames and never had any issues . The .45 AR gets midrange stuff mostly but I shoot a lot of Elmer's load and Skeeter's loads in the second model .44 .

 

[Bret4207]

DOZENS?!!!! Huh. Honestly never heard of that before. Learn something new everyday.

 

[Wallyl]

I've had a no. of Ruger Blackhawks & Superblackhawks since the 70's...I have replaced a dozen transfer bars that broke on them. From my experience it is not the "power" of a load that causes breakage; it is the no. of shots that causes the transfer bar to fatigue & eventually break. The S & W design (Hammer Block) is far superior as they don't break.

 

[CZ93X62]

The idea that any part of a Ruger single-action revolver is 'delicate' is new ground for me.

Obviously, my Rugers are being neglected, and are in need of further firing to test this matter out. I will get right on this.

 

[Wallyl]

Just be cautious, unless you know how to change the transfer bar; be sure to have a spare!

The idea that any part of a Ruger single-action revolver is 'delicate' is new ground for me.

Obviously, my Rugers are being neglected, and are in need of further firing to test this matter out. I will get right on this.

 

[CZ93X62]

After the GREAT service I got from the Ruger Customer Service venue in 2013, I would send the arm back that way and get it repaired. They turned my Redhawk around in 18 days, start to finish, during the Christmas holidays--12/21 to 01/08.

 

[Wallyl]

What was wrong with the Redhawk?

After the GREAT service I got from the Ruger Customer Service venue in 2013, I would send the arm back that way and get it repaired. They turned my Redhawk around in 18 days, start to finish, during the Christmas holidays--12/21 to 01/08.

 

[CZ93X62]

The crane/cylinder got tied up and very balky after more than 50-60 rounds being fired, jacketed or cast. I tried disassembling without benefit of a manual, and things went poorly. Rather than fuss with it, I just sent it in parts to Ruger. It was back in less than 3 weeks, and runs like a rabbit now. they didn't say what was wrong, and I didn't ask. The problem had persisted since it was new (1999), and I just got tired of the annoyance it posed.

 

[Wallyl]

I've had a no. of frame/ejector housing screw heads top pop out on my SBHK..l had to be sent to Ruger to get fixed as I could not extract the stud. It is rather interesting to be shooting it and have the ejector housing let go....it scares the you know what out of you as you would assume the gun blew up. I don't shoot many heavy loads, but apparently metal fatigue can break the screw heads off.