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July 1, 2013
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Greetings:
I just bought my first Dan Wesson Revolver, and joined this group after reading many threads here to get educated about it. It is a Model 22 with a 6 inch VH shroud, built around 1979, judging by the S/N. The bore and chambers were dirty, but the inside of the frame was clean, with little to no wear to the finish on the internal parts. The rear of the extractor star and the area around the cylinder aligning ball on the recoil shield still had the black finish on them. I'm no gunsmith, but since I had successfully dis-assembled my S&W K frame Model 64 once, I felt confident and immediately did the "Average Joe" clean-up and polishing of the internals, and set the B/C gap at .006 inches.
Here is the issue: The cylinder turns freely when opened (as if for loading), and locks normally on each chamber when the trigger is pulled in double-action mode, or when the hammer is pulled back *quickly* in single-action mode. However, when the hammer is pulled back at a more normal (slower) speed, the cylinder fails to lock on the next chamber by about 1/8 inch of a turn, and has to be rotated manually clock-wise until it locks into position. Also, if the hammer is pulled back slightly to the point where the bolt is retracted to allow the cylinder to turn freely, I can only get 1/2 of a rotation of the cylinder, no matter how hard I spin it (I can get 4 to 5+ revolutions when I spin the cylinders of my Taurus, Ruger, and S&W revolvers in this way). The crane appears to lock correctly and fully against the frame (not sprung), and the extractor is centering on the ball bearing in the recoil shield (I can feel it "un-center" if I push the rear of the cylinder to the right while in the frame). I left the ball bearing retaining screw head flush with frame (the same as I found it), so the ball bearing spring tension should not be excessive. There is no debris between the extractor and the rear of the cylinder, and the extractor is seated fully forward into the cylinder. If I push the cylinder back and forth hard while in the frame, I can feel a slight amount of movement.
I am concerned about having to finish rotating the cylinder every time I want to fire the pistol single-action, as well as the heavier-than-necessary double-action trigger pull because of the excessive cylinder drag. I didn't notice this issue before I did the tune-up, but I doubt that my work to the trigger, hammer, bolt and internals are a factor, since this seems to be a problem with cylinder end play(?). So far, I have polished the black finish off of the rear face of the extractor star to bare metal, as well as off the contact surface on the recoil shield around the ball bearing where the extractor contacts it, to reduce the friction between those surfaces. The only other thing I can think of is to reduce the thickness of the ejector rod bushing slightly by stoning it, to gain a little more clearance. Again, I'm not a gunsmith, but I am mechanically inclined. Are there any other things I should check or do? Thanks in advance!
Cary
Dans Club
DWF Supporters
April 20, 2010
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Welcome to the forum, and congratulations on your new Dan.
Not sure about your issue, but I will touch on what I think can be the 2 most common sources of issues with Dan Wessons.
First, have you tried backing out the grip screw a couple turns? If it is screwed in too far, it will impede travel of the hammer spring and can cause many problems with hammer and trigger movement and therefore possibly cylinder movement. A grip screw should not be screwed in more than about 6 turns into the tang.
Second, Are you positive that you have the barrel properly gapped? Is it possible it is dragging on the front of the cylinder? I recommend completely removing the barrel assembly, and see if your issue remains the same.
These are 2 most common things I can think of this early in the morning, let us know how you make out, and other guys will be along here too, with input.
-Lonwolf
"The lion and the tiger may be more powerful, but the Wolf does not perform in the circus"
DWF Supporters
Dans Club
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November 17, 2008
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Welcome aboard. I second Lonwolf's suggestions just to get the easy stuff out of the way. I would also add check the hand spring as it is commonly re-installed wrong and causes issues. It should ride in a grove on the back of the hand. Keep us informed and others will be along with other suggestions soon.
LB
Wisdom is merely the realization of how little one knows, therefore I am wise.
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Range Officer
Range Officers
May 2, 2009
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Well, here's my 2 cents... I've worked on more than a normal share of DW's and have never had to remove any material to get them flawless... The cylinder rotation is probably due to a worn hand (99%), or someone messed with the star. If the cylinder is a little tight, it could also contribute to the rotation problem.
I'd bet the ejector rod has a very slight bend in it causing the cylinder to not turn freely. If it is straight, your crane might have a slight bend in it (I've owned more than a few that needed tweaked into alignment). You can't compare cylinder spin between a S&W and A DW--two different setups. Your DW probably does not have any issues with the bushing clearance--set your B/c gap with the barrel.
SHOOT
July 1, 2013
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Thanks to all who replied. I tried all of your suggestions. I removed the grip screw and the barrel, verified the hand spring installation, and checked that the ejector rod was not wobbling when the cylinder was turning, but nothing helped. It's possible the crane may have needed some alignment tweaking, but I didn't know how to check it other than "eyeballing" it, since the crane was fully against the frame in the front when latched closed, and the ball bearing was centering the ejector star in the rear. I was wrong to think that there was a removable bushing in between the cylinder and the crane on the tube that the cylinder rotates on. The tube is apparently permanently peened into place into the crane, and the "bushing" that the cylinder pushes against is actually part of the tube. I removed some metal from the front of the cylinder instead (I don't know how much, but I had re-installed and barrel and set the B/C gap before I began working on the cylinder, and when I was finished the feeler gauge was still dragging slightly when I slid it between the cylinder and barrel). Now I can get 1 1/2 - 2 turns of the cylinder instead of the 1/2 turn maximum that I was previously getting on my "spin" test with the cylinder closed, the cylinder is locking into place properly almost all the time when slowly cocking the hammer in SA, and the DA trigger pull is lighter and smoother. Now I just need to take the gun to the range, as I haven't fired it since I bought it!
Cary
Dans Club
March 2, 2008
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If these two points were already made, I apologize, but
1) Revolver cylinders are rarely square, flat, and true. It's important to check the B/C gap on all six chambers, and set the gap to the tightest one. If you cold gap to .002 on the tightest chamber B/C gap binding is rarely a problem, and never on a .22. Most revolver manufacturers generically gap to .006 because of this issue.
2) The most common function problem with any DW revolver is caused by overtightening the grip screw. I know this has been discussed, but I always look at grip screw function as one of keeping the grip in place, and not snugged up solidly. The tang extending into the grip provides plenty of control, my grip screws are always very lightly tightened at most.
And maybe it's something else entirely, but many people have shot the crap out of this same gun in .357 Magnum (including me) and they are still going strong. Unless the frame and crane are completely sprung, this should be pretty fixable.
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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