[jhnpeterman]

I have a blue .357 snub with less than 150 rounds through. It will "lock up" on me on nearly every cylinder. I can't pull the trigger or manually cock the hammer. I have to wiggle the cylinder back and forth while pushing on the cylinder release lever. When it finally comes open, I close it back and so far it has then fired the remaining rounds.

Any ideas? So far I have only shot .38 specials and .38 +p. I hate to send it back unnecessarily because of the cost of shipping and not knowing how long I'll be without it.

Thanks

 

[Qwiks draw]

There can be a number of reasons for this.
One particular problem does come to mind. Was or has the revolver been cleaned and lubed? 150 rounds would do this to. Tight fit of parts can cause this as well as be a small framed revolver problem. Fouling can build up around the cylinder, the ejector star,ejector rod, or get into the firing pin channel, and a host of other places.

Cleaning these places out and around these areas should help clear the problem up is that is it.

Using toothpicks or cotton ear swabs with solvent and then running dry patches pieces into those areas will get the gunk out of those areas. The cylinder itself can have a lot of debris and grime on the outside as well. Even the surfaces of the cylinder back and front need attention. Under and around the cylinder ejector star need attention as well.
Never lube the firing pin channel.

So the above should be the first place to go to on this.

Tight tolerances of revolvers made today cause more than their share of problems, minor though they may be. If the tolerances were less then there would be lead sptting and other function problems.

 

[jhnpeterman]

Thanks, Qwiks draw! I have cleaned and lubed it, but I'm new to the process, so I'll check out those areas you mentioned!

 

[Qwiks draw]

It doesn't take much in the way of dirt and debris to tie up a cylinder or cause trouble. It could be mechanical, but starting with the basics is what is needed. If that doesn't clear things up let us know and we go to phase two.

Could have put the other causes up here, but this would have been long winded.

 

[smooth1]

My 461 did the same thing when it was new. I fired a couple of rounds & it bound up. Turns out the forcing cone was too close to the cylinder. My gunsmith fixed it for less than the shipping cost to Rossi. He shaved a veryt small amount off the forcing cone. It took him all of 10 minutes.

 

[jhnpeterman]

I'll keep that in mind if it continues to do it.

Thanks!

 

[Dave]

If you can get a free estemit from a gunsmith, he will probobly tell you if he can fix it or you should ship it. Shipping is beetween $20 and $50 depending how you send it.

 

[smooth1]

My guy charged me $10 or $20. I can't remeber, but what was happening was that the cylinder would turn freely before firing & when a few rounds were put thru it it would bind up. The heat from shooting the rounds was enough to expand the metal & the forcing cone would jam against the cylinder.

 

[jhnpeterman]

Thanks for all the suggestions!

jhn

 

[smooth1]

I put 75 rounds thru mine tonight-no problem. 50 rounds 38 & 25 357.

 

[michaelfm]

I've found the .38 special rounds through a .357 will gunk up the gun a lot faster than shooting just .357. I shoot .38 for practice in my revolver, and make a point to clean it after a half a box of .38. I know it takes some time to do, but I avoid potential problems by taking an extra 10 to15 minutes to do the cleaning, then continue shooting.

 

[jhnpeterman]

It's been awhile since I posted so I want to let you know what's going on with my 2" 357blue. It got to where it would lock up 2 or 3 times on each cylinder so I decided I needed to send in for service. I sent it FedEx; it went out on 3/4/08. I got lucky - the weekend FedEx clerk didn't know their rules so he let me ship it standard; it only cost me about $9 and the importer got it in 2 days. Anyway I got a letter from Rossi a couple of weeks later saying they had received it and I should expect repairs to take 6 to 7 weeks.

I got it back today. There was a letter enclosed saying they had adjusted the cylinder, the cylinder yoke and the trigger. It cost them almost $24 to ship it back to me. It'll be several days before I can get to range and see if they really fixed it. I hope it's right now because I really like the gun.

 

[Robby]

I am going to add to this thread. I did have the cylinder stop it rotation two or three times today while shooting. Of course, I have been carrying it in my pocket for about 4 weeks without cleaning it. It would not rotate the next round in on DA or SA until I manually locked the cylinder in the slot. I finished my practice, thoroughly cleaned everything, Star, the little pin that engages the star, and little lock up button. We will see If I have time to fire another round tomorrow, If it happens again I may have the same problem you had.

 

[jhnpeterman]

I finally got to the range today to try out my snubbie after repairs. No cylinder lock-up this time! I fired about 50 rounds without any problems.

 

[Qwiks draw]

Glad to hear things are working out for you. And thanks to everyone for participating. Good stuff.

There are varied reasons why this kind of thing can happen and no one person can probably sum up all the possibilites and how to's to get things back in working order.

 

[paulrabe78]

Glad to hear you gun is back in working order.

 

[shinerjohn]

Never lube the firing pin channel.

Qwiks draw, why is that?

 

[Qwiks draw]

That will cause the dirt,debris, and coating layer will form that will stop or impede the firing pin's function. Will or can cause the pin to freeze in position.

Having to clean out that area after the firing pin freezes means the gun is either going to need a detail strip,clean, or maintenance being done by a gunsmith or you. Or... a lot of time consuming and possible losing of a small part on the part of us who are amateur gunsmiths.LOL

Good reason for leaving the firing pin channel unlubed.

 

[shinerjohn]

Yep, that's a plenty good reason to leave it alone. Thanks!

 

[darrellkansas]

That will cause the dirt,debris, and coating layer will form that will stop or impede the firing pin's function. Will or can cause the pin to freeze in position.

Having to clean out that area after the firing pin freezes means the gun is either going to need a detail strip,clean, or maintenance being done by a gunsmith or you. Or... a lot of time consuming and possible losing of a small part on the part of us who are amateur gunsmiths.LOL

Good reason for leaving the firing pin channel unlubed.

What is your suggestion to clean the firing pin channel?Is it just a hole where the hammer mounted pin goes thru to hit the primer?