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November 15, 2009
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The ejector rod on my .44 came loose, and I (think I) bent it slightly closing the cylinder - it fouled on the barrel shroud. Regardless, the rod is slightly bent and the threads are damaged. I ordered a new rod and star from DW.
My question is this: The original star appears to be one machined piece, however the new star came as two parts, a tube like piece that goes into the cylinder and into which the ejector rod screws, and the actual star piece. However the "tube" and the star do not fit together, it looks like they are press fit or maybe I need to heat the start and chill the tube to press them together. How do assemble this and how do I do that and retain the correct alignment between the "tube" and the star so that the cylinder advances properly and the chambers correctly line up?
Worse, the star piece is thicker than the original. If I place the star in the cylinder it won't close. Looking at the diagrams I don't see any shimming or adjustment here. Do I even have the correct parts?
I know pics would help. I'll try and take some.
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Range Officer
Range Officers
May 2, 2009
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The Star is a fitted part, they are not just a "drop-in" part. I'm surprised they sold it to you without telling you that. And it is serious fitting--you basically are working on 6 guns at the same time. Each hand of the star requires fitting.
Will your Star even drop into the face of the cylinder? If it does drop in, can you put 6 rounds in the chamber?
SHOOT
November 15, 2009
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Oh great.
It does drop into the cylinder and yes, I can get 6 rounds in fine.
Well I guess I'll run a tap into the old star assembly and see if I can salvage the threads. Maybe I'll be lucky on it. If not, any recommendations for DW pistol smiths?
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Range Officer
Range Officers
May 2, 2009
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you're already ahead of the game if the star dropped in properly--now you need to face off the star so you can close the cylinder, then it is a matter of fitting the hand to get a smooth rotation.
SHOOT
November 15, 2009
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Well the old star is toast. If it wasn't before it is now 🙁
Fit it with what? Swiss files? I still need to figure out how the two pieces fit together. I think at this point, not being a gun smith, and not having a decent work space at the moment, I'd rather just find someone who knew what they were doing.
Dans Club
March 2, 2008
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3 options that I can suggest:
1) DW/CZ will fit the parts, as SHOOT said, kind of surprising they sold them
2) http://heffronfirearmclassics.com/default.aspx presents himself as a DW gunsmith
3) PM DWF Member "hotbluer" he might be able to help
I went to a bookstore and asked the saleswoman "Were is the Self Help Section?" She said if she told me, it would defeat the purpose.
George Carlin
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Range Officer
Range Officers
May 2, 2009
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Just out of curiosity... what size do you think the threads are on the rod? I have a 15-2 extractor apart and I can't tell if they are 5-40 or 6-40. I'm thinking 6-40. Of course I have every tap on the planet except for that one. The pitch is definately 40 tpi. Diameter mics at .118
SHOOT
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Range Officer
Range Officers
May 2, 2009
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Well, I was in a mood 
… so I kept working on it. Here's some trivia to file away–the star half is harder than the rod. After repeated attempts I finally got the rod to screw all the way into the star. I now have what appears to be "rolled threads" instead of nice cut threads.
I don't know the history on this crane/cylinder assy, but I can tell you it came apart with no noticeable problems until I had the rod out and saw the end of the threads. It almost appears it was damaged when it was originally put in. Imagine running a bolt into a blind hole that is threaded too short–the ends of the threads will get messed up.
SHOOT
November 15, 2009
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SHOOTIST357 said:
Just out of curiosity... what size do you think the threads are on the rod? I have a 15-2 extractor apart and I can't tell if they are 5-40 or 6-40. I'm thinking 6-40. Of course I have every tap on the planet except for that one. The pitch is definately 40 tpi. Diameter mics at .118
SHOOT
I think you are correct. It is definitely 40 tpi, but I didn't have a tap or die of the correct dia. IIt is definitely larger than 4. I didn't get any further as I stupidly tried to thread the new rod into the old star. I think I bottomed it out. As you mention in your other post, I don't think the star is threaded enough to let the rod thread in all the way. Anyway, it jammed in there and snapped off when I tried to remove it 🙁
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