Taurus 85 Cylinder Fell Off!

[The_Sheriff]

Hi everyone,

I was at the range and fired 50 rounds out of my Taurus 85 and when I cleaned it later on I opened up the gun and took off the grips to get a deep cleaning done, anyways once I put the gun back together the cylinder completely fell off :banghead:. I am sending it to Taurus tomorrow and have heard that their customer service is terrible. Just wandering if anyone else had this problem or any other problem and sent their guns back to Taurus. How long does everyone think it will be until I get it back?


The_Sheriff

 

[Moonclip]

Fell off? Are any of the screws missing as well?

 

[mnrivrat]

OK - ??? Did the cylinder come of the crane, or did the cylinder and crane come off the gun ?

 

[The_Sheriff]

The whole thing came off including a screw that has a spring on it. Also it was too hard to put it back in. Is this a normal thing? How can I fix it?

 

[mnrivrat]

It appears that what happened is your crane screw loosened up - not unheard of in any revolver and they should be checked for tightness on a regular bases. Particularly when the gun has been subjected to hoter loads that tend to recoil and loosen the screws.

The crane just slides back into the frame from the front and the screw on the right front of the frame holds it in. That screw has a spring and a follower that keeps the crane from coming out - it sounds as if you lost the follower. Perhaps Taurus will just send you the follower - even if you have to pay for it this would be a lot cheaper than sending the gun in.

PS: The screw should just screw back into the frame/sideplate. If not, then there is a chance the threads are damaged on either the screw or the frame. If on the screw it can also be easily replaced, if on the frame, then it should go back to Taurus or to a smith to chase the threads with the proper metric tap.

 

[smee781]

Sounds like my trouble,

Ha Ha
I had the same problem with both of my POS Taurus 85UL's, but the dam screw did not unscrew, it stripped out the frame! They had to go with an oversize screw to fix it. I was shooting winchester range/plinking ammo, nothing hot or at max levels and when my wife opened the cylinder to reload the gun she was shooting the whole crane and cylinder fell out of the gun, another time (different gun) I pulled out my other Taurus out of the safe and I opened it to ensure it was loaded and the same thing happened again! Sold the guns and never looked back. Taurus customer service is a joke! It took seven weeks and numerous phone calls to get the first gun back and 2 months to get the other back, paying shipping both ways:banghead: I will not purchase another Taurus Revolver!

 

[MCgunner]

It appears that what happened is your crane screw loosened up - not unheard of in any revolver and they should be checked for tightness on a regular bases. Particularly when the gun has been subjected to hoter loads that tend to recoil and loosen the screws.

I normally drop a little blue loctite on that front frame screw. Never have problems. I've got 3 Taurus revolvers. The 3" 66, the front crane screw would back out a little after firing a few boxes of .357 and .38, but the loctite solved that.

I have a M85SSUL that I've never ever had a problem with. If the screw stripped, I figure someone, somewhere.....fill in the blank as to whom....overtorqued it. Being a small engine and motorcycle mechanic, I've seen all sorts of redneck screw problems, especially on ATVs. I see SAE threaded screws forced into metric threaded holes, all sorts of moronic stuff. There is no accounting for some owner's actions on such things. I take this sort of story with a grain of salt. It's quite easy to overtorque a screw in an alloy thread. Don't get so herculean with the screwdriver. Just drop a dab of blue loctite on it and run it down until taught.

But, of course, it's always easier to blame the revolver manufacturer than to look in the mirror...

 

[Old Fuff]

Had someone bring me a Taurus revolver in the same condition once. What he had done was remove the front sideplate screw and then slide off the yoke/cylinder assembly.

Then he put the screw back.

Of course after that he couldn't put the cylinder back on the frame.

Before someone pounds on Taurus I would point out that the cylinder sub-assembly is removed and reassembled in exactly the same way as a Smith & Wesson.

When working on ANY aluminum framed revolver you have to be extra careful to not cross thread screws. A Smith & Wesson frame can be stripped just as easily as a Taurus.

 

[Schmidlin]

Its a new feature Taurus is adding to its small capacity guns. Once you are out of rounds the cylinder falls out so you can throw it. One last effort to hit who/what ever you are shooting at.

 

[The_Shootist]

Bad....

Bad Schmidlin......bad...bad....bad!

Thats why I miss carrying my Makarov - superior ComBloc small arms design meant you didn't have to detach anything to use it as a heavy object to throw at an opponent.

However, I wish I hadn't read this article before heading to the range this morning. I'll be wincing with every pull of the trigger on my M85. unless I take my SP 101 with me instead.

 

[ashtxsniper]

Its a new feature Taurus is adding to its small capacity guns. Once you are out of rounds the cylinder falls out so you can throw it. One last effort to hit who/what ever you are shooting at.

LMAO.

 

[The_Sheriff]

I can't fix it! The screw does not screw into the frame. How Should I repair it?

 

[Schmidlin]

i wouldnt touch it. send it back to taurus and hope they can fix it. Either that sell it as is and hope someone else can

 

[.38 Special]

I think it would be a very good idea to find someone that knows a little bit about revolvers. If you have a decent local gunshop -- not a Turner's Outdoorsman, Big 5, Wal-Mart, etc. -- they will probably be able to straighten this out in a few minutes.

I strongly doubt this is something that needs to be fixed by the manufacturer, and shipping the gun back and forth will be expensive.

 

[MCgunner]

I'm quite sure you've stripped the threads or they stripped at any rate. Likely somewhere, somehow, the screw was over-torqued or cross threaded. I don't know if there are miniature helicoil kits, but I'm sure a good gunsmith could repair it post haste and for not that much money. Heck, if he's worth his shingle, he could tig the hole up and drill/retap it, maybe? Maybe he could tap a larger hole and go with a larger screw. I've done all of the above on larger holes. There's bound to be a way. Or, send it to Taurus if not. It's lifetime warrantied and they'll put a new frame on it if need be.

I've got a stripped exhaust stud in a 150cc four stroke flat track engine I need to helicoil. I'll have to pull the motor to get at it, but think I can do it with the head in place. Just another aluminum thread that gave up, in this case because vibration broke the back exhaust mount bracket...and I was running right behind the lead bike planning my pass at the time... :banghead:

 

[Old Fuff]

I can't fix it! The screw does not screw into the frame. How Should I repair it?

Stop trying, because you could make the situation worse. I suspect that you got the screw cross threaded, which is easy to do when you're dealing with a steel screw going into relatively soft aluminum. You are now at the point where you need professional help that an Internet forum can't give you.

 

[Trebor]

You are now at the point where you need professional help that an Internet forum can't give you.

I think I found my new sig line!

Btw, listen to Old Fuff. He knows of which he speaks.

 

[nicholst55]

Like Old Fuff said, it's time to seek professional help. That's not an admission that you are somehow lacking in magical skills or abilities, it's just fact. I've been working on guns professionally and semi-professionally for 35 years. Sometimes I encounter something that's beyond my skill level or ability - be it for lack of tools or equipment, or just lack of knowledge. When that happens, I send it to someone else who is equipped to handle the situation.

Being notoriously hard headed, it took me a while to reach this decision. I won't tell you how many things I mucked up pretty thoroughly in the interim!

 

[Virginian]

Man, if that had been a Smith, the cylinder and crane would have jumped up and back in the gun before anyone could even notice.

 

[Matt-J2]

If it had been a Ruger, the cylinder and crane would have jumped out, slapped you and your grandma, then jumped back into place hard enough to bruise your hand. All fast enough to leave you sore and confused as to what took place.

 

[wheelgunslinger]

This reminds me of the scene in silverado where the guy runs out into the street in his union suit with a revolver, cylinder falling out and all, and shoots the man what done stole his saddle. All the while hoping the cylinder stayed in the frame.


But seriously, get it fixed or make it a paperweight.

 

[DrLaw]

Smith's will do it, too.

I had the cylinder screw on my Model 27 start to back out on me once. Surprised me, to say the least. Now I firmly tighten it if I take the whole cylinder out to clean it. Has not happened since. However, I would not be adverse to putting a little locktite onto a gun where it has happened twice.

The Doc is out now.

 

[AZAndy]

Sheriff, since you're in Prescott, drop by J&G and have their smith look at it before you go sending it off to Taurus. Might be a cheap and easy thing!