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February 18, 2010
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I recently bought a First Issue model 15 off GB. When the gun arrived is was not in quite as good cosmetic condition as I had thought, but it was okay. It seemed to function fine.
However, I took it to the range today and had a consistently repeated problem. I was shooting .357 magnum, Sellier and Bellott, and I was shooting single action. So, I would cock the hammer and fire, cock the hammer and fire, etc.
After firing two rounds, I could not cock the hammer. It would not go all the way back, only about half way. It would also be difficult to open the cylinder. The chamber would open part of the way, then I would have to push it to open it the rest of the way. 
Once I did get it open, then closed it again, it would fire two rounds, then the same thing would happen. Without rounds in the chamber, I can cock the hammer, pull the trigger cycling through an entire cylinder without a problem.
So, what would you surmise the problem to be and where might I get it fixed. I'd like to have a gunsmith give the gun a thorough going over given the situation before I take it to the range again.
"Life does not have to be perfect, just lived".
"Deserves got nothin' to do with it".
November 25, 2009
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Check -
Do your primers apepar to be seated correctly?
Do you have the proper barrel-to-cyclender gap?
Either of these would cause a bind and possibly provide symptoms like you discribe.
good luck and be careful!
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February 18, 2010
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jeff1969 said
Check -Do your primers apepar to be seated correctly?
Do you have the proper barrel-to-cyclender gap?
Either of these would cause a bind and possibly provide symptoms like you discribe.
good luck and be careful!
Well, the ammunition was commercial. I suppose it might be an issue with primers. However, if happened a number of times always on the third round. Unless the entire box was bad, I wouldn't thing that would be an issue, but perhaps.
I'll have to check the barrel to cylinder gap, it appeared fine, but I didn't really check it.
"Life does not have to be perfect, just lived".
"Deserves got nothin' to do with it".
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February 22, 2009
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I agree- adjust the B/C gap on the most proud chamber of the cylinder.
Technically, the glass is always full; half liquid, half air....
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March 2, 2008
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rwsem said
I agree- adjust the B/C gap on the most proud chamber of the cylinder.
To clarify Ron's reply:
Revolver cylinders (DW and most others) are rarely square and flat on the front surface. Since most manufacturers gap to what is pretty much an industry standard of .006", or more, this is rarely an isuue with production revolvers.
Since the DW design allows the B/C gap to be adjusted, it is possible to have a binding issue. Ron's advice to gap to the TIGHTEST chamber is sensible. If I gap to .002" on the tightest chamber on a cold gun, I never have a B/C gap binding problem. Excessively dirty ammunition (and my experience is that S&B may be in this category) can make this worse.
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.
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December 4, 2011
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+1 to what rwsem and SteveCT said. Check that BC gap, as a gun heats up, the gap can shrink. Also, with some spent cartridges at first, put some in the cylinder and cycle it while watching for binding against the recoil plate. I say spent cartridges so as to prevent any possibility of accidental discharge. Also, clean the face of the cylinder as carbon buildup can cause drag and binding between the barrel and cylinder.
Let us know what you find so we can help troubleshoot this with you.
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February 18, 2010
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Thanks to all.
So, what tool do you use to adjust the gap other than the gaping tool that might come with the revolver. I've seen references to different gaps and Steve CT mentions. .002". Is the gaping tool .006"?
Also, do you simply inspect the gap for each cylinder visually, or do you measure it.
One thing I'm not clear on is why is would be every third round irrespective of where the cylinder starts on the first round. Not doubting, just trying to understand.
I'll try it with the spent shells and see what that reveals as well.
Thanks again, and I'll let you know how things turn out.
"Life does not have to be perfect, just lived".
"Deserves got nothin' to do with it".
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February 18, 2010
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Okay, so any feeler gauge will work. I guess I'll check out the auto parts store in the morning.
"Life does not have to be perfect, just lived".
"Deserves got nothin' to do with it".
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March 2, 2008
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Any good quality automotive flat feeler gauge set works just fine. Clean the rear surface of the forcing cone and the front of the cylinder thoroughly.
When I check gap I look for the flat gauge to slide in with minimal resistance, but I want to make sure that that the gauge is slightly engaging both surfaces.
You will almost certainly discover some variances from chamber to chamber.
Always gap to the tightest chamber, and .002 will usually give you room for expansion from the heat of shooting. If you are expecting a pretty extensive session with some heavy loads, use .003-.004 as a starting point instead. In an extended session, expect to do some cleaning of the front face of the cylinder and the leading end of the forcing cone.
The responsibility to do a little cleaning and maintainence goes along with your advantage in being able to crank that B/C gap in pretty tight.
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.
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April 20, 2010
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The guys have given you good advice to check your barrel/cylinder gap. If your gun came with the feeler gauge I would start with that. It would be .006". Since you have a Norwich revolver you may not see much difference from one chamber to another when measuring.
Another thing to check, are you sure your bullets are going all the way into the chambers? Could there be residue built up from a previous owner shooting shorter .38 Special rounds? If the .357s do not properly go in all the way, maybe the case heads stick up just a bit and drag on the inside of the frame? Just a thought. I have already bought used .357 magnum revolvers with cylinders so dirty that they would not chamber a .357 cartridge before I gave them a thorough cleaning.
-Lonwolf
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February 11, 2010
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You can do a quick check if you don't have a feeler gauge handy. Just loosen barrel nut, turn
barrel out a couple threads, retighten barrel nut and visually check for larger gap. Then I
would retry rotation with live cartridges (in a safe place of course). When you do set your
barrel to cylinder gap with the feeler gauge, make sure there is just a very slight drag, if you
force the feeler gauge you will force the cylinder back against the spring loaded cylinder
alignment ball, thus getting a false reading and a tight gap because the cylinder will spring
forward when you remove feeler gauge.
-Blacktop
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December 4, 2011
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Lonwolf93 has a good point about carbon buildup in the chambers from shooting .38s. That can cause the case to not fully seat into the chamber and cause the case head to rub on the recoil shield. I'd set the gap at .006" initially and work down from there. Unless you are trying to get max velocity or hyper accuracy, running tighter than .006" won't be noticeable.
Anything worth doing is worth doing well.
My father
If a man designed it, and a man built it, then a man can fix it.
My grandfather
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February 18, 2010
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All good advice.
So, I checked and cleaned. The rounds are going into the chambers easily and slide out easily and the chambers seem clean.
I bought a gauge and decided to gap it at .006 for now and see how that works. I'm going to take it to the range and test it. If that works, I'll reduce the gap to .002 as Steve CT has recommended, or perhaps .004.
I did find that the barrel nut, when I went to remove the barrel, was not really tight. When I gaped the cylinders. I put the gauge in then cycled the cylinders and indeed, on had more resistance and would nearly bind with the gauge in. So, I gaped to that cylinder.
I then tightened the barrel nut down securely.
I'll report back after the range.
Thanks again for all the assistance.
"Life does not have to be perfect, just lived".
"Deserves got nothin' to do with it".
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July 2, 2011
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After tightening the barrel nut down, recheck your gap.
To the paranoid people who check behind shower curtains for murderers:
if you find one...what's your plan?
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February 18, 2010
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Well, I think I now know what is causing the problem.
After adjusting the gap, I took the gun to the range. I started with .357 magnum, same problem, no difference. Switched to .38 special, no problem with the cylinder, just some debris flying in my face.
Switched to .357 magnum, no debris, but the cylinder locks up. I noticed the front latch is disengaging after firing .357 magnum. Sometimes on the first shot, sometimes on the second. If I check it after each shot and push it back into position, the cylinder does not lock up.
Fire, check the latch, close it if need be, cock the hammer, fire, check the latch, close it if need be, cock the hammer and fire......etc. So, it appears that the "force" of shooting .357 magnum disengages the latch, usually on the second shot. So, it is probably partially disengaging on the first round, more on the second so that you can see it, so by the third round, the hammer will not cock.
There is a set screw which I assume holds the latch assembly in place. That was not tightened down. I doubt that that is the whole issue. I'm thinking the spring tired and the latch perhaps worn.
i find it hard to believe the seller didn't know this was an issue when selling the gun, but I"ll never know. He indicated it was functionally sound. Well, no, it isn't.
Where might I get the parts to repair it and can I do it myself?
"Life does not have to be perfect, just lived".
"Deserves got nothin' to do with it".
February 21, 2011
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Take a close look at the edges of both the cut in the frame & the "blade" of the latch. I had a problem a while back where a burr had developed that was encouraging the latch to walk free. A couple of careful passes with a stone re-shaped the butt & fixed the problem for ever.
Also check for crud in the cut in the crane preventing the spring from fully pushing the latch up into the cut & the cut for debris preventing full engagement.
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I didn't know how to use it.”
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February 22, 2009
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Latch Spring: https://www.gunpartscorp.com/Products/155590B.htm
The screw doesn't adjust tension. Good job with identifying the problem.
Technically, the glass is always full; half liquid, half air....
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February 18, 2010
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What does the screw do? Does it hold the assembly in place? Is that how I remove the latch and replace the spring?
"Life does not have to be perfect, just lived".
"Deserves got nothin' to do with it".
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February 18, 2010
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mister callan said
Take a close look at the edges of both the cut in the frame & the "blade" of the latch. I had a problem a while back where a burr had developed that was encouraging the latch to walk free. A couple of careful passes with a stone re-shaped the butt & fixed the problem for ever.
Also check for crud in the cut in the crane preventing the spring from fully pushing the latch up into the cut & the cut for debris preventing full engagement.
Thanks mister callan, I'll also do that and make sure it is clean and there is no burr.
"Life does not have to be perfect, just lived".
"Deserves got nothin' to do with it".
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February 22, 2009
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SIGWolf said
What does the screw do? Does it hold the assembly in place? Is that how I remove the latch and replace the spring?
yep and yep- it just holds things together.
Technically, the glass is always full; half liquid, half air....
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