Revolver Repair

Revolvers enjoy a deserved reputation for reliable function with minimal maintenance. Perhaps this reputation leads to a complete lack of maintenance among some shooters. When a revolver comes into the shop there are usually two problems that precipitated the visit. The revolver is either at the high end of a high round count or has been subjected to shooter error, even abuse. There are also many second-quality revolvers that weren’t particularly good even when new.

With sloppy tolerances there is nowhere to go but down when practice sessions are attempted with these handguns. The problems covered in this report have been observed in various revolvers over several decades. While operating a training company, practically every problem cropped up within less than a year, usually with second quality revolvers. We’ll start with failures to close and rotate. On two occasions revolvers used during a class failed to operate due to ammunition related problems.

One bullet stuck in the forcing cone due to a failure to fully ignite the powder. Another fired but the cartridge case split and part of the case stuck in the forcing cone. A common failure to rotate is caused by a high primer or improperly resized cartridge case. When a revolver fails to rotate, I clean it and examine for accumulated powder ash, grime, and lead deposits. Check under the ejector star.

I recently found a .38 caliber revolver with enough powder residue to raise the extractor and cause rotation problems. Thorough cleaning fixed this. Light loads without a good crimp also cause dirty shooting. The chamber may bleed powder into the extractor star but probably the cartridge cases leak powder when the revolver isn’t properly unloaded muzzle up. A loose ejector rod can cause a failure to close and simply screwing the ejector rod back in place is one cure.

A warped crane isn’t common but should be looked for. The extra effort needed to operate a dirty gun can bend the ejector rod. I’ve observed the firing of quality +P loads in a two hundred dollar .38 revolver. With the high pressure the shooter ended up beating the ejector rod against the barricade to eject the stuck cases. This happens with cheap revolvers shooting .32 H&R Magnums. Top end, high pressure This is an IMBEL, from the same company that manufactures Springfield frames.

Below center: This .32 caliber revolver shows adequate headspace and a tight fit, despite the fact that it isn’t well finished and is about 30 years old. ammunition should not be fired in second rate revolvers. The center pin and extractor can become beat up from recoil and have seen this problem in ultra-light .357 Magnum revolvers. Since few shooters are able to withstand the recoil of these revolvers for very long, I can surmise the damage occurred with a modest round count.

A scandiumframe revolver suffered an ejector rod underlug lockup so battered I had to polish out burrs to restore the revolver to operation. I was certain the problem would repeat if the firearm were fired with Magnum loads. These handguns are truly designed to be carried much and fired little. Elongated forcing cones are sometimes encountered. I have seen this in early revolvers that apparently did not have the heat treating we enjoy today.

A quick fix is to file and polish the elongated portion of the forcing cone. The proper fix is another barrel. This year, I worked with a .22 revolver that gave trouble even after a good cleaning. The cylinder seemed clean and free of excess powder build

Above center: The crane-to-frame fit is still OK but this revolver has seen hard use. up and the owner told me he thought the revolver chambers had been cleaned well. The revolver would fire perhaps twenty rounds and then extraction became very difficult. A rubber mallet was used to bump the ejector rod on occasion. The ejector rod was not bent and the crane, ejector rod, and extractor seemed fine. The revolver was cleaned, revealing signs of honest wear but not abuse.

After cleaning, the revolver worked fine but within twenty rounds the hard extraction began again. I have had previously experienced this problem with Russian cartridges in several .22 revolves but this revolver exhibited hard extraction with a variety of loads from top makers. I examined the chambers for powder residue, powder ash, and lead deposits. The chambers appeared normal but the problem had to be there. Since the revolver had once operated normally it wasn’t a factory defect.

I discounted the possibility of a short chamber based on past performance. I took a .223/5.56mm cleaning brush (slightly longer than .22 Long Rifle brushes) to thoroughly clean the chambers and it proved effective. It turned out there was a type of ring that was removed by this cleaning. The owner admitted to firing perhaps one thousand .22 Short cartridges the previous summer and the shorter cartridge had left a powder and lead residue in the chamber that Below center: The ejector rod sometimes becomes loose.

It is simple to disassemble the cylinder’s ejector rod components. Clean them and check the ejector spring. The extra effort will pay off. was finally dislodged. The owner’s efforts had reduced but not eliminated the ring. This problem was solved with a longer brush, though I think a chamber reamer might be needed if the combination was both lead and corrosion. Another concern is the center pin of the cylinder and the end of the ejector star as it locks into the recoil shield.

You can use a spent cartridge case to check headspace by loading the chambers and then checking rotation. The allowable distance is about 0.008 between the cartridge case and recoil shield with 0.010 at typical maximum. If the gap is greater than 0.012 misfires are almost guaranteed. When the cylinder is opened the yoke should be straight and the motion free of binding. Press the ejector rod and be certain that the rod is tight. The cylinder should freely rotate whether the barrel is vertical or horizontal. AG