Revolvers are not perfect...Colt jammed at range.

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shafter said:
But when it did jam tap and rack didn't fix it. If he wasn't shooting paper, he would have died.
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What the OP experienced was not a jam, but a part failure. Hate to be the one to tell you, but tap and rack does not fix broken parts.

Revolvers fail, semi-autos fail, 'ell even single shot break-action handguns fail. If it has parts that move and wear, there's always a chance something will break, especially if it's 100 years old and has been shot often. For the most part, this is what has kept gunsmiths in business for years. Same reason most LEOs and folks hunting Dangerous Game have back-up guns. Even folks hunting non-dangerous game going on the hunt of a lifetime take another gun along....just in case.

Most modern firearms, used with the proper ammo, and cleaned and maintained, are quite reliable. Very few are true "jam-a-matics". Those that are generally fall into the cheap, throw away, Saturday Night Special category for obvious reasons, or have some inherent design flaw. More parts does not always relate to a bigger chance of failure, but simpler is generally more reliable than complex.

In the long run, when one's life is on the line, they need to use what they are most comfortable with, have the most confidence in and are the most proficient with. Most often, the part that fails them, is the one pulling the trigger.
 
. Anybody got one?
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Just recently I acquired a very nice Colt revolver that is a derivative of the Army Special - the Official Police. It was made in 1947, and is a very high quality gun. But yes, nice quality guns can break, too. Go on Ebay Motors and look at the older Rolls Royces for sale...many of them need repair, too. :)

The first Colt I ever owned was about 30 years ago, and it may have been an Army Special, but I can't remember. I'm pretty sure it was from around the turn of the century. It certainly was far more worn than yours, as it only cost me $50. Still, I got it to function, though not well...I wasn't exactly what you'd call a gunsmith. :) Had I been able to find or afford a good gunsmith back then, I'm sure it could've been properly repaired. Sounds like your repair is straightforward...don't give up on that cool old gun!
 
At $4.30 (plus S&H), this seems to be an available and inexpensive remedy, IMHO.
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It may seem so, but most parts for the Army Special/Official Police (different names, same revolver) are used and out of salvaged guns. Hammer pins are supposed to be a pressed fit in the frame, but once removed from one gun and shifted to another they may not remain so. As Jim K previously pointed out this is not absolutely necessary, but it is highly desirable. A loose pin can be levered in the frame by the hammer, and further enlarge the hole. This may in fact partly explain why the original pin broke in the first place.

If the remaining part of the pin is still in the frame be careful how you drive it out. If the frame isn't properly supported you can warp it.
 
Just a general comment, but does anyone make parts any more? I don't mean sitting down and making an M14 receiver out of railroad iron with a fingernail file and a dull pocket knife, but just making a small spring or a pin or a screw. As a gunsmith, I often made such small parts, either because they were not available or because I could make a simple part in less time than it would take to fill out an order blank for GPC (no Internet back in the dark ages). I made many parts like that pin; often I never even used a lathe, just a drill press and a file to make a pin of the right size, the work of a few minutes.

Jim
 
A real one, as opposed to a parts swapper. If my gunsmith can make a front sight base and basepin from my drawings or whittle a barrel from damascus steel, I'm pretty sure he could make a pivot pin.
 
The revolver malfunction that I thought was the most entertaining was at a match around a decade ago. Shooter it told to load and make ready, draws the revolver and opens it up at the same time he is fixing to throw in the moon clipped rounds and the yoke screw had backed out and cylinder, crane and all fell to the ground. The look on his face still makes me laugh.


Same range different time I witnessed the only Glock slide lock failure I have seen too, yep the entire thing in the dirt in front of the shooter.
 
Honest Qualified Gunsmiths

Re: postings # 32 & 33 were well received.
Please be so kind as to send the name, address, and /or phone # of well qualified gunsmiths. I'm having difficulty finding some. Really.
 
"...yoke screw had backed out and cylinder, crane and all fell to the ground."

That also reportedly has happened with the new S&W crane screw setup with the spring loaded cone fitting into the V groove in the crane. Tightening down the screw is supposed to prevent movement of the cone, but sometimes the fitting was not right and even with the screw tightened all the way, folks who slammed in a speed loader with enough force found themselves picking up the cylinder and crane.

Jim
 
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