[rick_in_lb]

Well I picked up my 627 4" today, now for the 10 day California wait. Before the locked it up I shot some factory 38's and it shot great. Shot some of my reloads for 38 in her and it shot sweet but now the problem. I went to swing out the cylinder and it was hard to open, finally got it though. MMMM I said, I loaded another 7 rounds (I like this part) and I could not get the cylinder to close all the way, it seemed like it was bound up at the end of stroke. Any ideas? I can take it home in 10 days and I plan on opening it up before I have to send it back. I figure it is my gun and I should know the inside workings of it. Another Question, the red ramp front sight is nice, unless you shoot at targets with a red/orange center, can I change this out. Thanks for reading my novel.
Rick

 

[Qwiks draw]

Rick. Please state a few facts for us to know.

What does your reload consist of? How many rounds total were sent down range? Was the gun cleaned and lubed per instructions of the manual? How fast between reloadings did you shoot. Were the rounds fired slow or rapid fire for the most part?

It's hard to start with what could have taken place without knowing some more of the details.

Grit,grime, and residue can build up under the ejector star, near the cylinder face or back, in the firing pin channel,and other places that can cause binding. Tolerances on the revolver could be that tight.
Some powders leave heavy residue in just a few shots. Even good ones that have been around for awhile.

Fast shooting for long periods or a lot of rounds downrange without a cool down period can cause this problem too.
Mechanical problems at this stage can only be guessed at without further specifics.

If parts are rubbing or binding, there should be evidence of it when the gun is cocked.
I'll let others at this stage chime in. Other wise this is going to get more lengthy than it is. ;D

Over all length of the reloads could be a factor. Some loads, even in .38 Special may be to long and rub the inside of the revolver.

Crimping of the bullets needs to be looked at too. Little ,none,or type of crimp can cause bullet setback or movement forward under the stresses of firing.

Cylinders on many makes and models on modern revolvers may be too short to take some loads.

For instance. There are Garrett loads in .44 magnum that will fit Ruger revolvers, but should not be used in Taurus, Smith& Wessons due to this. Loaded cartridges of this type as long as they are will not go in all the way into the shorter cylinders.

 

[rick_in_lb]

The reloads were 5.5gr of VV3N37 pushing a 158gr LSWC. These shot fine in my sons Ruger GP100.
7 Rounds of WWB with no problems that is why I went to my Reloads.
Nope the gun was not cleaned :, I know what you are thinking.
I was firing both single action, just thought I would add this.
I showed the gun to the RO and he took it to the back and when he brought it back, it could close, tight and the trigger was tight to pull back for single action and verrrry tight when pulling the trigger double action.
I had my son look at my crimp, I saved one bullet, and he said it looked ok to him.
The OAL was 1.420
I am very impressed with the tight tolerance compared to my sons Ruger.

Thanks Rick

 

[Qwiks draw]

The crimp may be fine. The overall cartridge length may not be. Measure the inside cylinder chambers if you can and as exact a reading measurement as possible.Then check the length of the rounds. Compare the measurements for differences. Over sized rounds would cause rubbing. Either way, shorter overall cartridge length would be called for. That sounds awful close to being the problem.

As posted before, Taurus, S&W, and several other companies put shortened cylinders on some models. Since the guns are aimed at the defense or hunting market and most companies frown on anything but factory ammo, that extra few tenths of an inch of possible needed length doesn't show up on radar screens of gun makers. Shortened cylinders also help cut costs.

Check the other possible problem areas that were posted earlier in the thread. Might be one of those instead. Have to consider all the areas.

 

[Qwiks draw]

Residue sounds like the other possible candiate. Powders like 2400 and slower burning ones will cause buildup that has to be removed. Around the ejector rod,ejector star, and cylinder face might all need a thorough cleaning using toothpicks, solvent, and Qtips. Don't for get to clean the area where the cylinder locks into the frame and its attendant surfaces.

Cylinder notches may need to be cleaned as well.