Clark
Member
I paid $150 for Colt Police Positive double action 38 S&W revolver made in 1911.
It turns out that it does not lock up in double action.
It has a problem known as late bolt drop.
The bolt is that little piece of metal that pokes up out of the frame, goes into a slot in the cylinder, and locks the cylinder in place for firing. That way the firing chamber is concentric with the barrel.
The bolt has to get out of the slot so the cylinder can rotate.
The trigger pushes on the hand, that pushes on the rebound lever, that pivots away from the bolt tang, so the bolt tang is up on the rebound lever cam, so the bolt pivots out of the way.
In the pic, the bolt is green, and the rebound lever is blue.
But pull the trigger a little further and the hand pushes a little higher, that pushes a little further on the rebound lever, that rotates a little further away from the bolt tang, so the bolt tang falls off the cam. That allows the bolt spring to push the bolt into the cylinder slot again.
My problem is that the hand pushes on the cylinder, and it rotates so far before the bolt drops, that the slot has already passed by where the bolt head is going to be.
How to get the bolt to drop sooner?
One way is to file some material off the rebound lever cam.
It is tiny and hard to see up inside the revolver frame. I had the revolver upside down and was trying to see it work, when the hammer fell and took a chunk out of my finger.
I got it working when I pull the trigger slowly. I will just put it away for a while, and keep changing the band aids.
It turns out that it does not lock up in double action.
It has a problem known as late bolt drop.
The bolt is that little piece of metal that pokes up out of the frame, goes into a slot in the cylinder, and locks the cylinder in place for firing. That way the firing chamber is concentric with the barrel.
The bolt has to get out of the slot so the cylinder can rotate.
The trigger pushes on the hand, that pushes on the rebound lever, that pivots away from the bolt tang, so the bolt tang is up on the rebound lever cam, so the bolt pivots out of the way.
In the pic, the bolt is green, and the rebound lever is blue.
But pull the trigger a little further and the hand pushes a little higher, that pushes a little further on the rebound lever, that rotates a little further away from the bolt tang, so the bolt tang falls off the cam. That allows the bolt spring to push the bolt into the cylinder slot again.
My problem is that the hand pushes on the cylinder, and it rotates so far before the bolt drops, that the slot has already passed by where the bolt head is going to be.
How to get the bolt to drop sooner?
One way is to file some material off the rebound lever cam.
It is tiny and hard to see up inside the revolver frame. I had the revolver upside down and was trying to see it work, when the hammer fell and took a chunk out of my finger.
I got it working when I pull the trigger slowly. I will just put it away for a while, and keep changing the band aids.