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the Black Spot
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Tried to measure the gap at the B/C. Smallest i had was a piece of typing paper which slides in a little snug
Single action cylinder drags..... ?
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BCRider
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I'd suggest you stop by an auto parts or good tool store and invest in a set of feeler guages. You can get a cheap set for under $10.
In the meantime the printer paper I have here measures .004. So if you can't slip a bit of paper through the gap it does tend to suggest that it's a trifle tight. But no by much at all. Or it may be tapered so it's tight in one spot. That's where the feeler guage set comes in. You can use the different sizes to check for signs of taper and locate the tight spot.
If it gets to where you want to relieve a tight spot or generally open the gap up I'd suggest you obtain small knife sharpening or tool sharpening slip stones. Use them as you would a file. Just don't press as hard and use some oil with them. The slower and cleaner cutting action will work to avoid going too far.
Needless to say if you do this check your progress with the feeler guages frequently. It's easy to take more off. Not so easy to put it back on.
In the meantime the printer paper I have here measures .004. So if you can't slip a bit of paper through the gap it does tend to suggest that it's a trifle tight. But no by much at all. Or it may be tapered so it's tight in one spot. That's where the feeler guage set comes in. You can use the different sizes to check for signs of taper and locate the tight spot.
If it gets to where you want to relieve a tight spot or generally open the gap up I'd suggest you obtain small knife sharpening or tool sharpening slip stones. Use them as you would a file. Just don't press as hard and use some oil with them. The slower and cleaner cutting action will work to avoid going too far.
Needless to say if you do this check your progress with the feeler guages frequently. It's easy to take more off. Not so easy to put it back on.
Not only that, but printer paper comes in different weights, which in this instance means different thicknesses. I never met a gunsmith worthy of the title that measured anything with a piece of paper. It could be an extremely bad mistake to remove metal (which you can't put back) before you knew exactly what you were dealing with.
OP
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the Black Spot
Member
Well, i fired off some loaded rounds with a 310 gr cast bullet over 9.5 gr of 2400, and i had NO cylinder binding at all. Soooo it could be my loads are too light and i am getting primer blow back, correct?
BCRider
Member
If you are getting primer set back you'd see this as scuff lines on the recoil shield and by the primers of the empties not being fully seated.
If you are still considering your 5.5 Bullseye/200 bullet as "light" then you are mistaken. My Lyman manual puts 5.5gns of Bullseye behind a 200gn bullet as smack dab in the middle of the normal loading range. So primer setback or primer flow, provided the bushing hole in the recoil shield is not overly large, is pretty unlikely.
Again, as RC and I suggested before YOU are the "eyes on the scene". YOU are the best person to find the source of the binding. You need to fire off a few of the problem loads and then carefully inspect the empty gun.
If the binding drag feels notchy and jumps then use a flashlight to backlight the gap where the rims are and look for shadows of any high primers that are catching on the recoil shield parts. If the drag is smooth then go to half cock and while forcing the cylinder forward turn it and watch for the forcing cone scraping away any fouling buildup. If the cylinder is still dragging badly field strip the gun and check the base pin and base pin bushing for fouling buildup.
If the gun jams up in only three rounds fired then load three or four and shoot them all. That way you can then safely inspect the gun without having to upset or wear away the cause by immediately shucking out the empties.
You can perform all the inspection and manipulations I've suggested while still following typical range safety rules with the gun pointed downrange and you not putting anything of yours in front of the muzzle. Just have a helper standing by with the flashlight so you can light up the areas being checked.
Only when you find the actual cause of the drag is it worth considering what the cause is.
In the meantime have you gone out and picked up the set of feeler guages and checked for what the true cylinder gap actualy is?
If you are still considering your 5.5 Bullseye/200 bullet as "light" then you are mistaken. My Lyman manual puts 5.5gns of Bullseye behind a 200gn bullet as smack dab in the middle of the normal loading range. So primer setback or primer flow, provided the bushing hole in the recoil shield is not overly large, is pretty unlikely.
Again, as RC and I suggested before YOU are the "eyes on the scene". YOU are the best person to find the source of the binding. You need to fire off a few of the problem loads and then carefully inspect the empty gun.
If the binding drag feels notchy and jumps then use a flashlight to backlight the gap where the rims are and look for shadows of any high primers that are catching on the recoil shield parts. If the drag is smooth then go to half cock and while forcing the cylinder forward turn it and watch for the forcing cone scraping away any fouling buildup. If the cylinder is still dragging badly field strip the gun and check the base pin and base pin bushing for fouling buildup.
If the gun jams up in only three rounds fired then load three or four and shoot them all. That way you can then safely inspect the gun without having to upset or wear away the cause by immediately shucking out the empties.
You can perform all the inspection and manipulations I've suggested while still following typical range safety rules with the gun pointed downrange and you not putting anything of yours in front of the muzzle. Just have a helper standing by with the flashlight so you can light up the areas being checked.
Only when you find the actual cause of the drag is it worth considering what the cause is.
In the meantime have you gone out and picked up the set of feeler guages and checked for what the true cylinder gap actualy is?
OP
OP
the Black Spot
Member
I know i had some feeler gauges somewhere but cant seem to locate them. Have to break down and get some.
Question: what if the hand spring is not strong enough to keep the hand in position to rotate cylinder and it is binding on the gears? My hand spring is the post type with a coil behind it. The hand has a secondary pick up, the primary looks pretty rounded. Could this cause the binding as well?
Question: what if the hand spring is not strong enough to keep the hand in position to rotate cylinder and it is binding on the gears? My hand spring is the post type with a coil behind it. The hand has a secondary pick up, the primary looks pretty rounded. Could this cause the binding as well?
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the Black Spot
Member
Measured the gap between cylinder and cone. = .002 and that was a little snug on some cylinder faces.
45 Dragoon
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Could be rough chambers as well. Do your cases eject easy? They may need honing or light polishing (the chambers).
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the Black Spot
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Cases come out fine, i will put chamber polishing on the list. Thanks!
OP
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the Black Spot
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Found out the cylinder face is not square(so says gunsmith).
OP
OP
the Black Spot
Member
FYI: well ended up being both cylinder face and back end of barrel out of square.
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