revolver sideplate removal

Question
Kyle,

You have answered my question on whether to purchase a revolver or not.  I was concerned about the durability.  I purchased a new taurus .357 and also a use rossi .38.  I love both of them.  The rossi is in perfect condition and was a great deal from a friend so I couldn't pass it up.  I have a problem, I can't stand to own a gun that i haven't taken completely apart.  My knowledge is completely limited to auto pistols.  I have decided to disassemble the Rossi, because if i mess it up it won't be that big of a deal and I don't want to void the warranty on the Taurus.  I removed all of the screws but could not remove the sideplate.  I didn't try too hard because i didn't think it would be worth damaging the sideplate at all.  Is there any specific way to remove the sideplate without leaving any marks on the gun?  Maybe there is a certain technique that i am unaware of?  Thanks for your help.

Answer
Jason,

I'm actually kinda in the same boat as you. I've got a blued S&W K-22 Masterpiece that I haven't gotten the sideplate off of yet. Same thing, I take out all the screws but can't pry the plate off and I don't wanna scratch up the bluing so it just stays on.

With my other S&W wheelgun, which is stainless, I just take off the grip, slide a flathead screwdriver under the plate up against the grip frame and with a little twist it pops off pretty easy, I don't know why the same isn't true of the K-22, my only guess being that it was just built to really tight tolerances.

With your Rossi I'd do the same as I do with my stainless S&W, especially if your Rossi is stainless since you really can't hurt the finish too bad. After you get the screws out and the grip off, slide a flat head screwdriver under the plate from underneath, along the grip frame, and see if you can just twist the screwdriver and pop off the plate. If that doesn't work, you can take it to a gunsmith and they should be able to get it apart.

I've talked to a buddy of mine who is a real serious expert on guns and he says he never takes his sideplates off to clean the lockwork. What he does instead is just take a spray gun cleaner (G-96 Complete Gun Treatment is my favorite) with a tube, jams the tube up into the lockwork along the mainspring and just gives it a few quick sprays. Then he'll take and spray it into the lockwork from the slot in the cylinder gap on the frame where the hand comes through to rotate the cylinder. After he does that he says he just gives the gun a few shakes and then leaves it sit with the barrel facing up so the cleaner can drain back down along the mainspring.

I've tried it with the K-22 I couldn't get apart and after thousands of rounds I've yet to have a problem with it; so I can only assume it's working.

Eventually, I probably will end up taking the K-22 to a 'smith and seeing if he can get it apart and you may consider doing the same with your Rossi.

Thing is, with wheelguns, since it's the shooter that supplies all the energy to make the gun work, a little bit of grit on the lockwork isn't as detrimental to a revolver as it would be to an auto. Basically, if you keep the crane and the front of the cylinder where the crane fits into it around the extractor rod nice and clean you won't get much resistance on the trigger as the hand rotates the cylinder (I learned that after shooting some FILTHY handloads I bought at a gun show).

Well, I wish I could have been more helpful but I hope what I told you is a help. Congrats on your purchases and have fun shooting 'em.

Kyle