Can revolver timing fix itself?

[MCgunner]

All I can figure is the thorough cleaning did something. I took my new-to-me Taurus 66 that had a little timing issue on one cylinder out and shot it a couple of times and I've cleaned it a couple of times, scrubbed it up. Haven't taken the plate off it, though. I need to do that and make sure all's fine inside.

Anyway, it had a slight timing issue on one cylinder that didn't affect function, but allowed me to bargain on it. Well, it's gone. Messing with it after I cleaned it up yesterday and it times perfect. Only thing I can think is maybe the works was a little dry inside and some of the gun oil has loosened up the cylinder pawl to work properly or something. I'm going to pull it apart today.

 

[The Real Hawkeye]

I was wondering the same thing myself the other day. I purchased two Colt Detective Specials, both with timing issues, a few years ago. Shot them, cleaned them, a little oil into the cocked hammer gap, and in the years since I bought them, not a single timing issue has popped up again. I am looking forward to some of the expert answers we will see to this question in this thread. Unfortunately, I am not an expert, so we will have to wait.

 

[MCgunner]

Fuff'll know. I haven't bought too many older revolvers, some used in great shape and an old 1917 Smith in .45ACP once that was pretty ragged and I had to drop and a gunsmith to get shootable. This is the first time I've ever seen this in a revolver. But, Ol' Fuff seems to survive on 40 year old plus Smiths.

 

[Jim K]

I am not Old Fuff, but I expect that fine gentleman would tell you that revolvers are subject to problems with dirt and old grease in the mechanisms like every other gun. I recently bought a Merwin, Hulbert & Co. .32 revolver that would not stay cocked. The seller and I both thought that the sear or the hammer notches might be gone, and the price was reasonable. In fact, old grease had gummed up the sear spring; with that cleaned out, the gun works perfectly.

Jim

 

[MCgunner]

Hmm, well, I'm taking that plate off today. My cleaning hasn't been THAT thorough. I'll see what's in there and clean it out. Bet it's just a little gummed up in there.

 

[Starter52]

Last summer I was able to get a S&W Model 28 at a good price because one chamber was not aligning smoothly. I cleaned & lubed it and replaced the after-market grips. It now locks up perfectly. Don't ask my why.

 

[The Real Hawkeye]

It would seem that perhaps a lot of "timing issues" are not mechanical problems at all, but just maintenance problems that can be fixed by cleaning and lubing.

 

[MCgunner]

BY DANGED I FIXED IT!!!! I should hang a gunsmith shingle out! Well, don't get too carried away, I guess. I took the side plate off looking for goo that could be causing problems, but found the actual problem. There is a spring/plunger that presses against the pawl holding it in toward the cylinder. The spring was tweaked on the end such that it was binding things. I just trimmed off the bent part, got the plunger to plunge all the way in its little hole, stuck the pawl in and put it back together and it's perfect! It's timed like it just came off the assembly line! It's as good as my newer 4" gun. In the process, I found that some numb nut had put the wrong screw in the front plate that holds the crane, so I put the right one in it and eliminated some crane play. I think someone took the plate off that shouldn't have, probably why they got rid of it.

Wow, this thing WORKS now. That binding spring apparently broke loose with my shooting hot stuff yesterday and with the lube I'd sprayed on it and was working better, but not really right. It clicks into battery on every cylinder well before the sear sets, now.

 

[Tbu61]

I never heard of a mechanical device that could "fix" itself. More than likely a combination of close tolerances and some dirt in the action caused a particular chamber (position) malfunction. A good cleaning usually goes a long way.

Guns don't inherently fix themselves, Wear leads to more wear. Kinda like a flat tire.... the leak never gets "better".

tbu

 

[jad0110]

I never heard of a mechanical device that could "fix" itself.

You sure about that? Everyone has had that car that made a horrid sound for weeks until the day they take it to the shop :banghead:!

MC: Glad everything worked out great for you! Enjoy your Tauri!