Gambit88 Revolver Troubleshooting

[mykeal]

Hey guys Im another noob when it comes to black powder and recently picked up a colt navy replica in 44. I dont know who made it but I assume it was a kit. Ive noticed it was just slapped togeather, without anything being fitted too well. Anyways when I have the revolver level, the cylander will not rotate when the hammer is pulled, but will when the gun is pointed on an upwards angle. I think it has something to do with the bolt, or maybe te cylander isnt sitting back far enough. Any ideas on how I can fix it?

The most likely cause of that symptom is a broken or weak hand spring. It's also possible the trigger/bolt spring leg that controls the bolt position is bent/broken.

Ok I dont know the names of all the parts(this is my first black powder and non longarm weapon). Ill post a pic if you guys can tell me what to look at. I currently have the grips off becuase Im staining them.(again it was a kit not an acutal 1851.) I have a feeling i know what it is but I dont really know how to adjust it. I think its that bar or spring that sits under the cylander. I dunno if theres a way I can raise it up or not.

I'll assume by now that you've had a chance to look over the picture in Post #28 in the Colt Type Revolver Disassembly thread and read the descriptions of how to disassemble the gun.

The hand spring that I believe is the cause of your problem is the spring attached to the hand assembly shown in the picture in Post #28; have you been able to remove the hand assembly from the gun yet, and if so, is the spring intact? Please also review the picture in Post #41 of that thread; it shows a closeup of the part. Read the posts leading up to #41; they may lead to an answer to your problem. Then come back here and tell me where you stand.

 

[Gambit88]

Yes I have looked at the picture and pulled the whoe assembly out. My hand looks like the picture with the sharp cut at the top, not the rounded one. After I pulled the assembly out, I oiled everything and now the cylander doesnt rotate at all, so maybe I put something in wrong, As the tooth(if thats the right word) doesnt extend as far. Im thinking the bolt maybe, because it doesnt stick out very far from the frame. Again I dont know if this is normal or not, but I only paid 40 dollars for it so If it only fires blanks for reinacting I guess Ill be ok. Thanks for your help though.

Gambit

 

[mykeal]

"the cylinder doesn't rotate at all..."

Is it stuck completely, so that you can't move it by hand, or does it just fail to move when you pull back the hammer?

 

[Gambit88]

When I pull back the hammer. I figured out its becacue theres no pressure on the spring on the back of the hand. It was a pain to get out and now I cant seem to get it back with the same pressure.

 

[mykeal]

The hand spring assembly slides up and down in a channel next to the hammer; the spring is on the back side of the assembly (towards the grip). The spring should be in constant contact with the back side of the channel so that as the hammer rotates back and the hand assembly raises up in the channel the tip of the hand is forced towards the cylinder when it emerges from the channel at the top.

If you slide the hand assembly up into the channel without the hammer in place it should be necessary to pinch the spring towards the front of the hammer in order to get it to fit, and it should be possible to determine that it continues to force the tip of the hand towards the front of the frame. If that's not happening then the spring needs to be adjusted or the hand/spring assembly replaced. It is possible to bend the spring away from the hand to provide the necessary tension. However, this weakens the spring (or it may even break) so a spare hand/spring assembly should be purchased soon.

 

[Gambit88]

Ok ill try bending the spring a bit. Maybe I messed it up pulling it out. I can push the hand all the way up inside the frame without any tension on the spring, but when I took it out, the had and spring was really tight inside the frame, so maybe the spring bent like you said.

edit: ok beinding the spring worked, but now the bolt is a bit too tight, actually it doesnt move now. Maybe the main spring over the trigger is too tight. When I have more time tonight Ill look it over again. I think once that piece is working as it should, then all the problems will be fixed.

 

[Gambit88]

Ok I ordered the part from dixie gun works(along with a front sight that was missing) and that fixes the revolving problem I think(sometimes spins sometimes doesnt) Could the spring need to be broken in maybe? and on that matter now with the new part, The gun doesnt want to go into full cock, almost like its sticking on the hammer spring. any ideas?

 

[BHP FAN]

Sounds like either the full cock notch on the hammer itself,or the 'sear',which in this case means the top of the trigger,where it engages the notches in the hammer.

 

[Gambit88]

Thanks. I should have looked harder before posting, but I took it back apart, and it seems the new hand was a bit wide for the gap it was supposed to go though so 10 minutes with a dremmal, and All is pretty well. It snags a bit sometimes but is overall much better. The cylander is rotating a bit better as well. not every hammer pull when level like it should, but most of them.

 

[BHP FAN]

Sounds like you're getting somewhere,and Mykeal's diagnosis was spot on.Cool!

 

[Gambit88]

Yup. I dont know why it doesnt rotate right everytime when level. I think the spring just needs to be broken in a bit. The part didnt really fit in the hammer at all, but again with a bit of dremel work all was good. Now I just have to find somewhere thatll sell me all the stuff to shoot becuase it seems gander mtn(the only place around that sells black powder stuff) wont sell me balls cuz theyre in the computer as reloading componants(same as flask and black powder).