Taurus 608 locked up

[dashootist]

Hi,
I just bought a Taurus 608. The trigger pull is absolutely the worst in the world. It also locks up when I pull the trigger or the hammer on two of the 8 rounds. I unlock it by rotating the cylinder by hand. The cylinder gap is very tight. So, after the horrible experiance at the range, I cleaned the revolver and scrubbed the front of the cylinder and the barrel. The cleaning fixed the lock-up problem. My buddy said the cylinder gap looks to be too small. So, can I use a flat file on the barrel the increase the cylinder gap?

My S&W's gap is about 3 times larger than the Taurus. And the S&W never locks up, but it spits lead.

 

[MCgunner]

So, send it back. Lifetime warranty. Or, just throw a hissy fit on the internet.

I guess you didn't bother to look at the gun before you bought it? Best do that with the S&Ws, too.

 

[dashootist]

Gun doesn't lockup when it's clean. It started locking up after firing about 10 rounds of 38spl.

I was actually impressed by the revolver at the gunshow. I thought tight cylinder gap is a good thing, good for accuracy, no lead spitting.

I've been reading about the horrible Taurus customer service. People are waiting months to get their Tauri back. So, I rather fix this problem myself if practicable.

 

[MCgunner]

Lots of what you read is bunk. I'd send it back. When you inspect a firearm, one of the things you should look at is the gap.

 

[MCgunner]

Here, read this over the next time you look at a revolver. It's a good guide.

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=1430

 

[Smaug]

Well, I guess you can decide between sending it to Taurus and possibly waiting a while, then finding out they didn't actually do anything to it, or bring it to a local gunsmith and see what he can do with it and how much it costs.

I think I'd write it off, have Taurus fix it, then resell it. Spend your money getting the S&W and learn from your mistake. No more Taurus revolvers. To make a good revolver takes good raw materials, precision machining, good finishing, and a bit of time. Not like autos.

 

[Old Fuff]

I suspect you are shooting .38 Special's loaded with lead bullets. If not, ignore the rest of this.

When you shoot jacketed bullets exclusively out of a revolver a tight (.003") gap may be good, but not with lead bullets. There you should have a bigger gap of between .006" to .010". A lead build-up between the cylinder and barrel can cause the cylinder to freeze. Don't try to correct it yourself with a file, because you have an excellent chance of making the situation worse then better - especially if the gap turns out not to be what is causing the problem.

 

[Old Fuff]

Spend your money getting the S&W and learn from your mistake. No more Taurus revolvers. To make a good revolver takes good raw materials, precision machining, good finishing, and a bit of time.

I'd say you had a good point, except that my Taurus revolvers seem to be as well made as the more expensive ones currently offered by Smith & Wesson. Both are now making revolvers with cylinder/barrel gaps that are too tight for lead bullets. Why? Because customers say they want tight gaps, so that's what they get.

The sticking cylinder could also be caused by unburnt powder getting under the extractor star, but at this point I can't say. Someone with a feeler gauge needs to measure exactly what the gap is before any conclusions can be reached.

 

[dashootist]

Yep, I was using soft lead 159 grain bullets and 3.3 grains of Bullseye. The throat is tight also. The barrel looks like a sewerage pipe after 50 rounds. I guess I need to enlarge the throat.

Yes, there is lead build-up between the cylinder and barrel.

I took a piece of Arkansas stone and rubbed it against the back of the barrel. Now, the cylinder rotate very smoothly. But I'm afraid the lead will come back.

I checked under the extract star as I was shooting. I'm pretty sure the problem is not that.

 

[Old Fuff]

I guess I need to enlarge the throat.

I highly doubt it.

What you should do first is see if the bullets are oversized or undersized for the chamber throats. Also the bullets may be too soft. Try reducing the powder charge to 2.7 grains of Bullseye to see if the leading is or isn't reduced.

At this point put the files and stones away before you void the warrantee.

 

[788Ham]

Better listen to Old Fuff, this gentleman has forgotten more about most guns, than most people will ever know! Trust him!

 

[skidder]

Your better off fixing the gun yourself. I sent mine back to those Bozos and it came back worse. I doubt if they could even operate one of those Fisher Price tool benches; they would probably get the round peg stuck in the square hole.

I'm not kidding they are not qualified to chew gum and walk. If you do not have the proper tools to do it yourself, find a local gunsmith. That kind of repair should not cost that much.

Their so called warranty is about as good as a kick in the

 

[oldfool]

forget about fixing it yourself, B/C gap is not fixed with a file, and do not mess with the throat
send it back to Taurus, if they cannot fix it neither can you, nor should you try
(good luck finding a reputable gunsmith who will work on current production Taurus revolvers)
"Lifetime Warranty"" means you can keep shipping it back and forth until hell freezes over, or you die, whichever comes first, but you might get lucky and die first

"I thought tight cylinder gap is a good thing, good for accuracy, no lead spitting"
it can be good for accuracy, but it is only one attribute of many, not a magic cure-all, and is neither a primary cause nor primary cure for lead spitting

"My S&W's gap is about 3 times larger than the Taurus. And the S&W never locks up, but it spits lead"
shoot some cheapo WWB 38sp (preferably not RNL) instead of your soft lead hand loads
if doesn't stop spitting it's timing may be off (but it's probably your hand loads)
if you refuse to shoot factory ammo, at least for a trial, it is naive to suppose that all problems are automatically their fault
or just keep shooting your lead hand loads, it's your face
lead, lead everywhere is a pretty broad hint

mostly.. pay close attention to whatever Old Fuff says

Taurus makes some good revolvers, and some total crap
if you don't run some factory ammo thru 'em, you won't really know with any certainty which you have

I don't think they are deliberately making them with too tight b/c gaps because of what customers think they want, though
I don't think either one of 'em gives a hoot, and their quality control sucks

 

[MCgunner]

Once again, Fuff makes sense.

 

[BigN]

I bought a new Taurus Tracker in 44 mag a month ago and had the same problems. I sent it back and just got it back Friday. Took it to the range on Saturday. It's just as bad as it was. Same problems, same nonsense. Doesn't appear they did anything to it. It's going back to the lgs where I got it for a trade on something. Welcome to the world of Taurus...

 

[I'm3rd]

"Their so called warranty is about as good as a kick in the ###"

You got that right Skidder, at least in my experience with Taurus factory service. All of my encounters with the Taurus personnel in Miami have been frustrating and unhelpful to say the least. Rudeness and an uncalled for hostile attitude toward customers from start to finish isn't acceptable in any industry's warranty service personnel, and Taurus ranked worse in that area than any other manufacturer I have dealt with.

To be fair, I admit that my bad experiences with Taurus all took place back in the late 1980s and early 1990s time period. And in one memorable incident the bad experience was my own fault for having used my 148 grain wadcuttter handloads in the gun. The "factory ammo only" clause if strictly applied voids the warranty even though Taurus agreed that my handloaded ammo wasn't the cause of the malfunction. No other manufacturers service dept I have dealt with has ever asked me about using reloaded ammo when I asked for help. Just for the record, after almost 6 decades of owning and using a great many American and European built firearms of various types, Taurus's service dept personnel are the only ones who have dealt with me in such an arrogant and hostile manner.

On the other hand, I hear that Taurus has made major improvements in it's products since the time I was having my problems, and hopefully improvements in it's service dept personnel as well. Never the less, I'm willing to pay a little more for an American or European built gun that I'm reasonably sure will be repaired or replaced by the manufacturer if necessary. That's just my personal preference, yours may be otherwise.

 

[dashootist]

I was dry firing this revolver last night, and all of a sudden, it started locking-up again. I noticed the front of the cylinder wasn't fully closed while the back was fully closed.

Last night's episode gave me a new theory for the original problem. The problem wasn't the tight cylinder gap. The revolver was pretty dirty when I bought it at the gunshow. I didn't bother to clean it before shooting it yesterday afternoon. It had sticky lube on the frame, and some of this lube was between the yoke and the frame. This and dirt caused the yoke to not fully close and the front latch/detent to not properly engage. The back of the cylinder is engaged, but the front of the cylinder is not. The cylinder is not lined up properly on the frame, causing the cylinder gap to appear to be very tight. Also, the problem probably caused the chamber to not line up with the barrel. This would explain the serious leading problem. So this is my theory. I'm going to the range to test it.

Thank Fuff for telling me to put the file and stone away before I did too much damage.

 

[skidder]

dashootist-- Don't count your chickens before they hatch. Take it to the range with a box of full powered loads before you trust your life to this gun. YOU DO NOT WANT THIS TO HAPPEN WHEN YOU NEED IT!!!!

 

[Cearbhall]

Having burnt powder and lead built up under the ejector star will create the same symptoms described by the OP. Happened to me with a S&W.

 

[MCgunner]

Damn, all my Taurus revolvers have been fantastic for a decade and a half. Why can't I have something to gripe about? I could gripe about the time my M10 split the forcing cone or I guess the time my Ruger P90 busted its mag release spring.....oh, well...

Funny thing, too, in this thread... http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=589980 ...people are touting the virtues of the RG. The biggest and only TRUE POS I ever owned was a RG. The one good thing about it was that it was so cheap, it didn't bother me to toss it in the trash, finally. Taurus? I like my 3.

 

[Action_Can_Do]

MCgunner
I know exactly how you feel. I've had to send brand new S&Ws back for repair work the first time they saw a range. I've never had a problem with my Taurus's.

 

[dashootist]

Just got back from the range. Looks like all my theories are wrong.

I loaded some 159 grain hard-cast bullet with 6 grain of Bluedot. This is standard 38spl pressure, according to Lyman. I fired one shot, and then on the second shot, the cylinder locks up. The gun was still clean.

I fired about 50 more rounds by single action, and each time I had to manually turn the cylinder when I cock the hammer. One or two round spit lead at my left cheek. I wiped the whole revolver with a cloth in between each cylinder of firing.

I went home and cleaned the revolver thoroughly. The barrel looks like a sewage pipe again. The revolver is now clean, and the action works fine when I dry fire.

 

[oldfool]

"all my Taurus revolvers have been fantastic for a decade and a half
Taurus? I like my 3"

don't feel all alone, McGunner
for a guy who only owns 40 firearms, I do own 17 different brand flavors, not a bad spread all things considered
I like my 3 Taurus handguns also (a 9mm autoloader, a model 96 revolver, and a model 66 revolver), and rate them amongst the best in my gun safe, and that has been true for over two decades now for two of the three, with the 3rd being bought used, but of same vintage.

But I for one, have ceased to believe in brand loyalties
They all have had their up and downs over time, sometimes because of management changes, sometimes "just because"
and that includes S&W, Dan Wesson, Ruger, Taurus, and (most obviously) Charter Arms
Colt doesn't ever get much criticism, simply because they are so long out of production and so valued for "collector/investment value"; but they had problems too, before they essentially closed up shop in the consumer marketplace.

Yeah, I am a big fan of older model S&Ws, but they never were perfect
A couple of mine, excellent revolvers, are from the "dreaded Bangor Punta era"; luck of the draw, go figure. I sure don't like a lot of what I am hearing about current S&W manufacture, and that's not about politics or "on principle", it's about fitness for function

It is terribly naive to suppose that quality complaints are just internet hearsay BS. For every genuine complaint you hear, there are ten you never hear about, that's pretty much a given fact for any/all manufactured goods.

In the desperate race to the bottom line via cost cutting, I fear they are all going to hell in a hand basket myself.

If wanting guaranteed absolute perfection in a handgun, seek out glocksters, I guess; but be careful to avoid the term "kaboom", lest ye be labeled heretic and burned on the stake.

 

[dashootist]

I just found out something. I loosened slightly the cylinder crane screw, and the trigger drastically improved. Before it was so stiff. After it's actually a decent trigger pull.

 

[oldfool]

well maybe it's just me, but deliberately loosening up screws (any screws) to make a gun function "correctly" strikes me as the worst notion I ever heard yet

don't go hurting yourself, friend !