Taurus snub locked up

[ErictheRed]

Hello to everyone I had a problem pop up today that I've never experienced. I know Taurus revolvers have a bad reputation but this one has been a fun little shooter in small doses. Today I put about 30 38 special rounds through it. It was the most I've shot in a short period of time. It got a little hot and had a failure. The thumb piece locked up and I can't open the cylinder. I noticed that the screw on the thumb piece was loose and therefore the thumb piece is loose as well. Tightened it again but I still can't open the cylinder. Any suggestions on what to do?

I know about their reputation and I'm not looking to start a bashing session. Just wondered if this was a problem I could fix or if this was something more serious. Could it be a precursor to other problems? I have a 686 and a GP100 for real life situations but I always wanted a little snubbie so I bought a cheap one. I appreciate any advice. Thank you.

 

[Shaq]

You have (unfortunately) experienced the pitfalls of buying a cheap gun: When it fails, a gunsmith will charge what the gun is worth (or more) to fix it & that's how "The cheap comes out expensive." And, many gunsmiths won't touch a Taurus.

You might contact Taurus & ask if they would repair it under warranty. But, from their customer-service reputation, they might keep the gun for several months....they are backlogged with non-functioning firearms as well as recalls.

 

[BSA1]

Does the gun function normally otherwise? In other words does it work normally in double and single action modes?

if so, take the grips off, cock the hammer and liberally spray the inside of the action with Gun Scrubber (some folks use brake cleaner). Do this outdoors over something you don't care if it kills.

Then well oil the inside of gun and work the action. It may be that a burr, metal shaving or grit is causing it to hang up.

Try a simple fix first.

 

[shafter]

When revolvers go bad, they go really bad. Is your ejector rod backed out?

 

[KevininPa]

Send it back

Taurus has a lifetime guarantee. I went through this with a stainless 605. Actually had to send it back twice. Sold it with a full disclaimer to someone who needed a smaller carry piece.

 

[Rex B]

I had a model 85 that would lock up when shooting +P loads. The cases would back out of the cylinder jam into the frame. The fix was to insert a thin knife blade and lever the cases back into the cylinder.
Maybe that's what is happening to yours

 

[FL-NC]

Just send it back. Are there any live rounds in it?

 

[Master Blaster]

Could be the ejector rod unscrewed a bit. If it is an exposed ejector rod screw it in counter clockwise with you fingers. If its shrouded in the lug you can screw it back in using a pencil eraser on the exposed end. Place the eraser in the ejector rod end, use a folded playing card to depress the cylinder stop enough to rotate the cylinder counter to its normal direction while holding the ejector rod end with the eraser. Now try to open the gun...

 

[entropy]

And the same thing happens to Smiths all the time. (This directed at the Taurus bashers.) Never had it happen to a Colt. Ironically, right now my Smith is down for repairs, and my two Tauruses (Tauri?) are fulfilling the SD role.

OP, by thumb piece, I assume you mean cylinder release?

Guns are mechanical devices that occasionally need maintenance. Screws shoot loose.

 

[RetiredUSNChief]

Did you fire every round?

If you have an unfired round, turn your gun sideways and look through the cylinder gap.

If you can't see through it, the tip of the unfired round is extending past the cylinder and locking up the cylinder. (The cartridge is OAL is too long.)

If this is the case, insert a wooden dowel rod down the barrel and gently push/tap the bullet until the cartridge backs fully into the cylinder.

 

[Jim NE]

Yeah, check the ejector Rod, and whatever you do, don't listen to the "cheap gun" nonsense. I've had similar things happen on two vintage Smith and Wesson revolvers (one a 681...essentially the same as a 686.) IMO, if people don't have experience based, specific advice to offer, move on to the next comment.

We need to know if there are still live rounds in the gun. We also need to know if pulling back on the hammer will rotate the cylinder. If it won't rotate the cylinder, it's possible (since this is the most you've ever fired the gun) that there is residue built up in the cylinder gap and causing it to bind, which means that the gap is probably to narrow. This could also keep the cylinder from opening, but I don't think it would make the cylinder release mechanism freeze. If it is residue, that's a straightforward fix.

 

[BIGRETIC]

Was gonna make a thread but this sounded similar.
I had a 686-6 do this very thing this weekend.I was running Perfecta and the cylinder locked up tight.Managed to get it open then fired Perfecta 38's and Federal magnums.They ran fine.Tried the Perfecta again and cylinder felt like it was dragging.Looked at the fired casings and on one there was slightly displaced metal on the primer causing it to stick when it got to the firing pin hole.
Anybody else have this happen with Perfecta or any other brand for that matter?BTW gun has less than 200rds through it.

 

[MedWheeler]

I'm figuring ejector rod, too. Use a small, firm-tipped tool to push the end of the rod back toward the cylinder and, while doing so, try to open it. If it works, tighten the ejector rod sleeve by twisting it (it's a reverse-thread pattern, so twist counter-clockwise as viewed from the muzzle end.)

 

[ErictheRed]

Thank you for the information gentlemen I will check on some of these things this evening. There did not appear to be any problem with the ejector rod but I will inspect it more closely. The hammer and trigger still work and the cylinder moves accordingly when fired, but the cylinder release will not move forward at all. The Taurus manual I saw online called it the thumb piece, sorry if that was confusing in the original post.

The rounds were standard .38's, Remington UMC's. I was able to fire all rounds so there is no live ammunition in the gun thankfully. I will contact Taurus about the warranty, I was not aware of this option. I did not purchase the gun new, it was from a pawn shop.

 

[Jim NE]

When the ejector rod twisted out on my Smith and Wesson Highway Patrolman, it was a bear to get the cylinder open to fix the gun. Anyway, moderate (not maximum) strength loctite fixed the ejector rod problem, even with stout rounds. Or you could use the "guntite" product.

 

[BSA1]

Aha! Another clue. Brought used from a pawn shop.

What do the sideplate screws look like? Are the slots for the screwdriver slightly deformed? Is so, someone has taken the sideplate off and may have done a "Bubba Action Tune" job on it especially if the trigger pull is light.

Pawn shops are a dumping ground for Bubba's guns.

 

[ErictheRed]

Thank you to everyone for the advice. You were right check the simple things first. I should have seen this before. I took the thumb piece completely off of the cylinder release. The internal part of the release slide? had jammed into the frame. I popped the internal piece off the frame and now it moves freely again.

 

[WestKentucky]

Pull the grips off and tap the gun gently on something wooden while gently trying to operate the release. Taurus 85s are known to have burrs, one is probably just gumming up the works and needs help getting loose.

In all fairness Taurus is known for problems in the same way Taurus gripers are known for not inspecting the gun or properly cleaning it and lubing it before using it (I'm guilty too). It could be a small number of issues, none of which are incredibly difficult to correct if you pull the sideplate off. Ejector screw is probably the worst short of an actual breakage.

 

[judgedelta]

I sent a Taurus Judge that was in pretty bad shape and sent it back for warranty work. Fixed it like new (better?) without a whimper and promptly too. Your experience may differ...

 

[Jim NE]

Was gonna make a thread but this sounded similar.
I had a 686-6 do this very thing this weekend.I was running Perfecta and the cylinder locked up tight.Managed to get it open then fired Perfecta 38's and Federal magnums.They ran fine.Tried the Perfecta again and cylinder felt like it was dragging.Looked at the fired casings and on one there was slightly displaced metal on the primer causing it to stick when it got to the firing pin hole.
Anybody else have this happen with Perfecta or any other brand for that matter?BTW gun has less than 200rds through it.

The dash 6 was made after the 1980's, but there was a big recall back then that was issued on L frames to fix that exact same problem. Your gun may be too late for this recall.

My 681 no dash (essentially the same gun as yours, but from the '80's) was never sent in and it had that very same issue you describe, but only with a specific hot load from Buffalo Bore. So it went back for the recall, but it still has that problem with that specific type of ammo. I'm going to try Grizzly brand loads (which are equally hot), and if that solves the problem, I'll take no further action and just stay with Griz ammo.

At this point, I don't know if it's the primer or the heavy loads that my gun doesn't like. I just bought some Perfecta .357 and I may try it in my gun, too, just to see what happens.

 

[BIGRETIC]

It almost looked like it was a burr on the primer after the hammer strike.Anyway,bought another box of Perfecta(different lot) to see what happens.

 

[Dr. K]

Glad to hear you took another look and didn't listen to the bashers. Mechanical devices of any sort can have flaws and hiccups, regardless of manufacturer. Calmer heads prevailed, good luck with the gun, and if that doesn't fix it, a trip back to Taurus will.

 

[just for fun]

I'd like to get aboard the Taurus "bashing train", but I can't! Got one model 85SS that I've shot +P reloads though that I would never subject my Smith 36 to. Nothing but praise from this corner for Taurus. How's about a 158 grain LHPSWC pushed to 924 (ten shot average) with 2400.

 

[TimSr]

I carry a Taurus 85 daily, with full confidence that it will fire when I pull the trigger.

 

[Old Fuff]

Before this thread moves on the Old Fuff would like to point out that the proposed solution offered by some - namely that the cylinder was jammed because the ejector rod had become unscrewed - does not apply to Taurus revolver manufactured during the last few years. This is because unlike Smith & Wesson they do not latch the cylinder at the rear, and at the end of the ejector rod at the front. Since 1999 they have used a friction lock in the yoke instead.

This is a perfect example where someone who is familiar with one brand (Smith & Wesson in this case) posts a "fix" that doesn't apply to the gun in question (Taurus) without first determining when it was made. If the answer is pre-1999 they would be correct. If it was made later to current day they would be wrong.

While this forum has a number of well-versed revolver authorities, it also has some that offer questionable opinions.

Therefore it is wise to call or e-mail the manufacturer for their thoughts before doing something that may be regretted later.