Register
Log In
Home
April 7, 2009
Offline
I've recently purchased a used Model 14 (service - 4 inch) at a gun show here in St. Louis, and I think that there's something wrong with it...
The handgun, when shooting .357 Magnum shells (not .38's) you feel hot powder come back and strike your left cheek. Sometimes afterwards, the cylinder locks up and the gun won't fire, and you have to rotate the cylinder by hand to get it back into line. Tuning problem? Gap between cylinder and barrel? I'm not revolver saavy (this is my first) so I don't know what I'm looking at here.
Thoughts?
February 2, 2009
Offline
First thing to check is; if the primers are getting struck in the center, will tell if barrel/cylinder alignment is true, can also get bore size dowel and run down barrel on each cylinder to base, if there's any catch at the cylinder face, there's an alignment problem. Usually blowback is too large a gap; but you say the cylinder binds after some firing, which usually means a too tight gap. Gap should be .006 at the widest gap, as the faces of the cylinders can vary as much as .002 on the 357mag. Check for play in the cylinder when the hammer is held back and the trigger is pulled, there should be no to very little play, as this is the lock-up position, more than minute movement means endshake or play between cylinder and ejector. Good news is that's all fixable and DW does still do repair on the older guns. After 15+ years of heavy shooting I'm sending in my 357supermag for endshake repair. Let us know what you find with the above checks.
February 15, 2009
Offline
Be sure to check each cylinders lock up. You just pull the trigger all the way back and let the hammer fall while keeping the trigger pulled back. Then check the cylinder for forward and back play as well as side to side while the trigger is held back. There can be a tiny bit of play. Also notice if you move the cylinder and then it catches which means the cylinder was out of line with the barrel. Check in each cylinder. Blow back can also be caused by the cylinder not being lined up with the barrel.
Be sure to check the barrel cylinder gap with a feeler guage. I like to have a max of .004 myself. Check it in a few places.
The cylinder may lock up if there's grit underneath the extractor star, at least on my .357 this happens occasionally. Clean with a cotton swab and it's smooth from then on. I may be weird for keeping cotton swabs in my shooting bag but when I need a cotton swab I have one.
April 7, 2009
Offline
I kept the brass from the shooting trip - it appears that every single punch in the primers is dead center in every one, perfectly dead center.
It seemed like every once in a while, when trying to pull the hammer back manually (or with trigger) it would just freeze, then a good twist of the cylinder to get it back into a notch and it'd be okay, like it just didn't wanna stop in the notch.
DWF Supporters
Dans Club
Moderators
November 17, 2008
Offline
You may also want to pull the side plate and check for crud. I have seen the works fill up with crud and mess up the action of the hand. A Dan Wesson 15 or 14 is probably the easiest revolver to clean the inner workings there is. The other suggestions are more likely but a good cleaning is always in order when there are problems. Good luck and let us know what you find.
Wisdom is merely the realization of how little one knows, therefore I am wise.
1 Guest(s)
