walker breakin period?

[TheBigAR2003]

My walker cycles just fine for the first shot or two then the arbor fouls up some and it gets a little hard to cock and I have to help the cylinder turn because it binds up a bit. Is this normal or is there something I can do to fix it? I've only shot maybe 40 rounds through it.
Thanks

 

[Pulp]

How are you lubing it? I've seen some Walkers that can live happily with just Wonder Wads and others that just have to have some Bore Butter or other lube over the bullets.

Remove the barrel and look at the breech end. If you see machine marks you may need to file it smooth, but be careful, you don't want to remove too much.

 

[TheBigAR2003]

Not lubing the chambers just using lubed wads maybe I will try some more lube

 

[Cowboy2]

Just for clarification, are you lubricating the cylinder arbor with anything? If not, I'd start there.

 

[TheBigAR2003]

Just gun oil is all I put on it beforehand my other bp revs haven't needed anything more than that. It binds up usually after first shot or two

 

[madcratebuilder]

Binding after just one or two firings is normally from to tight of barrel gap. What is your barrel gap? Most of the Italian replicas do not have a correctly fitted arbor and allow the wedge to pull the barrel to close to the cylinder before bottoming out on the arbor.

Ideally you want about .006 barrel gap. The Walker is more prone to this type of fouling because of the flat shape of the breech end of the barrel giving such a large contact area between the breech of the barrel and the cylinder. This was addressed with the introduction of the Dragoon and it's tapered breech.

It's a good idea to lube up the arbor to help the cylinder from binding. Any good grease well do, some use wheel bearing grease, regular gun grease. I use my grease cookies that I make from bees wax, paraffin and Ballistol.

Try backing the wedge off just a bit, .005-.010. see if that helps the gap.

 

[arcticap]

question by blackpowder bob:

I have a question about the wedge. This is a ASM in stainless. How far should the wedge go in? Shouldn't the spring catch it on the other side to hold it in place. With the wedge out and looking at it thru the side, it appears the slot on the barrel and base pin aren't equal, there's more metal exposed on the base pin. When I push the wedge to were the spring does catch, it will hang up on two of the cylinders.

reply by mykeal:

Quote:Shouldn't the spring catch it on the other side to hold it in place.

No. That lip on the spring is to hold the wedge in place when it's driven out the other side. It catches against the screw head.

Quote:it appears the slot on the barrel and base pin aren't equal, there's more metal exposed on the base pin.

Yep. That's how it should be, so the wedge will 'wedge' in place and hold the barrel assy against the arbor and the frame.

Quote:When I push the wedge to were the spring does catch, it will hang up on two of the cylinders.

Which is exactly why the spring is not intended to catch on the side of the barrel assy. If it does, and the barrel interferes with the cylinder, then the wedge is driven in too far.

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?p=6284369&highlight=wedge#post6284369

Posted by dmjung:

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?p=6153536&highlight=arbor#post6153536

There's something odd with the wedge fitting/tolerances...if it's in a position where the wedge's catch is just past the frame (like I think it ought to be), it's too tight and the cylinder won't turn. So the end of the wedge is normally even with the frame...

 

[TheBigAR2003]

Now that I think about it I did give the wedge an extra tap after it locked in because it would slide in just a bit further. Oh well darn the luck now I have to go shooting today and try these suggestions

 

[TheBigAR2003]

So I tapped it out just to where the little leg locks on the side of the pistol and now when the hammer is down the cylinder slides back just barely enough to let light through but I have no calipers to check the gap and when I cock it the gap disappears and it locks up tight and the cylinder doesn't slide so I think I might be good. Does that sound right? I would go test fire it but it just started pouring so that put those plans on hold til tomorrow.

 

[fineredmist]

Try shooting it with no lube on the arbor pin. Too much lube will absorb fouling and bind the cylinder.

 

[GENTLEMAN OF THE CHARCOAL]

Tune up that Walker..period..(then learn how to load it and how to shoot it)....

 

[higene]

GOTC

I value your opinion.

Could you be a little more specific?

Higene

 

[TheBigAR2003]

Is this 'tune up' fairly easy to do or learn for someone who has never tuned a pistol up?