.357 not seating in Service Six Chamber

[ewrski]

Hi,

On my GF's Service Six, we are able to seat .38s fine but .357s are going into the chamber sort of like a .357 would go into a .38 chamber (a few millimeters sticking out) and we are not able to cycle a round at all. I checked the ammo (Federal JSP) in another .357 (an older Taurus 66) and no problems. We did a real thorough clean and the ejection star is sitting properly and there is no dirt underneath it. If we try to force them in a bit, they are hard to eject out. Pretty odd.. She shoot's 99% 38s anyway but still, a surprise .357 once is a while is a good thing.

Any help appreciated.

 

[ghitch75]

clean the chambers more.....gummed up from shootin' 38's....my 2 cents..

 

[R.W.Dale]

Have you brushed the cylinder bores thoroughly to remove the lead/carbon ring that builds up from firing all those 38's?

 

[jeepnik]

You know, they did make some Service Sixes in .38 spl. Does it say .357 on the barrel? And, it's possible someone substituted a .38 spl cylinder for a .357 one at some point. Still, it is most likely dirty chambers.

 

[Black Knight]

Is this a previously owned gun? If so it sounds like whoever had before your girl friend fired lead 38 Specials in it most of the time. This can cause a lead build up in the cylinder. You may need to take the cylinder off the gun and soak it in solvent then clean as normal. You may also try a tornado brush or a Lewis Lead Remover. I have heard that some have taken a 357 Magnum or 357 Maximum casing and sharpened the mouth edges and inserted them into the chamber to cut the lead deposits. This is not a rare condition. Many people buy the 357 Magnum revolvers and shoot 38 Specials in it. Good luck with the Service Six. Also check to make sure the Service Six actually is a 357 Magnum. There were many made in 38 Special. I understand that even the Virginia State Police issued the Service Six in 38 Special to some Troopers at one time.

 

[ewrski]

Its a .357 for certain. Bicentennial model bought used about 2 months ago...

And the bore brush is bringing tons out of crap..... You can even see the ring in there. I really appreciate the quick responses.

I did see a nice stainless speed six (2.5 inch) today at a gun show here in SW Pennsylvania. Some holster wear but looked good with original grips and a good price at $365 I believe. Heart vs. mind discussion there..... Mind won out..

 

[Deltaboy1984]

Good to hear you got it fixed.

 

[roaddog28]

Agree with all responses. Make sure the cylinders are clean of lead built up. Also Ruger did make a lot of 38 special Service Sixes for contracts.
Good luck,
Howard

 

[bikerdoc]

Chuck a brush with solvent in a varible speed electric drill and clean the hecck out of it

 

[MedWheeler]

Guess it's resolved. I was only going to chime in and say that the only two 4-inch service revolvers I have are these same two. My Taurus M66 was purchased new in 1987, and my Ruger Service Six, circa 1975-ish, was my dad's until he died in 2010.

 

[Drail]

Buy a Lewis lead remover and USE it on the chambers if you run .38 Spls. They WILL leave a ring in the chamber and you have to be vigilant about removing it. Another tip that will help is to soak the chambers with some solvent before you attack the ring. If you can mop some solvent into the chambers while the gun is still warm at the range and throw the gun in a plastic bag it is MUCH easier to get out when you get it home. If it sits in there for a couple of days it gets very hard to remove. Those old Rugers are very nice revolvers.

 

[Confederate]

Once you've got it cleaned out, make sure you use BreakFree CLP in your chambers. It will keep the lead from sticking to the chambers.

 

[rcmodel]

The fastest and easiest way to clean revolver chambers is to chuck a bronze bore brush in a cordless drill and using solvent, GOfer It.

I can clean 6 chambers down to bare steel in less time then it took to type this.

rc

 

[Jaymo]

I like the stainless steel tornado brushes for this purpose, too.

 

[Walkalong]

a nice stainless speed six (2.5 inch) today at a gun show here in SW Pennsylvania. Some holster wear but looked good with original grips and a good price at $365 I believe. Heart vs. mind discussion there..... Mind won out..

Must have been difficult.