smoother cylinder rotation

[equalizer]

Just trying to get the cylinder to spin freely on my colt .357. It should spin easier than it does. Should I polish the hole or ??

 

[1911Tuner]

Could be that it just needs cleaning and oiling around the yoke barrel. Requires crane removal by backing out the forwardmost screw in the sideplate...sliding the crane and cylinder assembly forward and out...slip the cylinder off the crane assembly. clean and oil and replace.

Careful with that screw. You need a hollow-ground screwdriver to prevent buggering up the slot...and if you lose the screw, you'll need one that goes in that particular hole. It's shaped differently on the nose than the others.

 

[rcmodel]

Are we talking about a SAA Colt, or a DA Colt?

At any rate, it seems unlikely either one is in need of polishing the hole!!

Follow Tuners advice and clean & lube it properly and see what you got.

rc

 

[dfariswheel]

Don't polish anything.

The Colt DA cylinders don't rotate like S&W and Ruger cylinders do.
The Colt cylinders seem to be sluggish but that's how they work. S&W and Ruger freewheel much easier.

If you think it needs cleaning, remove the cylinder and crane assembly from the frame and pull the crane forward so you can get to the crane shaft.
Clean it off and apply some lube.

DO NOT attempt to disassemble the older Colt cylinder assemblies. That requires two special wrenches, and attempting it without them often damages the assembly.
That means an expensive trip back to Colt for repair, and just hope they have the parts.

 

[Joe Demko]

This sounds like an excellent candidate for a bath in an ultrasonic cleaner full of appropriate solvent, given the possible need for specialized tools and the angst that losing the screw would generate.