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Why Do Revolvers Become Hard to Shoot after Long Sessions?

2K views 7 replies 4 participants last post by  Snake45 
#1 ·
I have not seen this problem addressed, but with different makes of revolvers, most recently with my S&W J34, the cylinder becomes very difficult to turn after shooting as few as 100 rounds. As far as I could tell, the cylinder wasn't binding against the forcing cone or the recoil shield. Does fouling get into the cylinder/crane assembly and simply gum things up, or are there other reasons? Having to frequently remove the crane to get to the cylinder spindle for cleaning is not an attractive choice (especially since the practice invites damage to the sideplate screw that holds the crane in place).

How many rounds should one be able to shoot through a revolver before it starts binding up?
 
#3 ·
This is an extremely common problem with .22 revolvers, less so with centerfires, although not unheard of.

What's most likely happening is that burned and unburned powder is getting under the extractor star--between the star and the cylinder itself. Only takes a little for the star to not fully seat, and now it's tight in the frame. When this happens, NEVER "drive on" and cock the gun SA--you can damage the nose of the hand or the ratchets on the star.

The problem is easy to fix. Take an old toothbrush to the range with you. When you feel this start to happen--or if you want to head it off, every 50 or 100 rounds--just brush out the rear face of the cylinder, under the star, and the underside of the star itself. If this doesn't keep things smooth, a more thorough cleaning of this area might be called for.

I've ceased having any binding problems with my .22 revolvers since I adopted the practice of doing this every 100-120 rounds whether they show any signs of needing it or not. Some ammos might require even more frequent brushing.

Hope this helps.
 
#4 ·
Thanks! :thumbsup: That's along the lines of what I was thinking; it's good to get confirmation. I have also wondered if expansion of various parts from the heat of firing aggravated the fouling problem. It seems that once the gun cooled off, the cylinder turned more easily. As you have suggested, I have tried to clean under the star and wherever I could get to. I also need to get a proper screwdriver so I can clean the spindle; I learned a long time ago that "regular" screwdrivers are a quick ticket to damage.
 
#6 ·
Al Thompson said:
Are you shooting lead or jacketed bullets? I have had issues with lead bullets in wheel guns before.
Remington Thunderbolts--the ones with lubed lead bullets. After cleaning out around the cylinder spindle, the problem has disappeared.

Thanks for everyone's help!
 
#8 ·
Good for you. And stop using that Remmy T-Bolt, considered even by fans of cheap .22 ammo (such as myself) to be the very bottom of the barrel. (I see that the cheap Federals are up to $13 and change at Walmart now, OUCH! I warned y'all that the days of 2c .22 ammo were over, and now it looks like the days of THREE centers might not last long!)
 
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