Colt Not Locking up

[Ida Noski]

Greetings,
The other day I pulled a Colt Detective Special out of the safe that I had bought for the wife several years ago.
The gun was brand new and now has very few rounds through it. I noticed that when I manually cocked the hammer, the cylinder did not lock into place
When the trigger is pulled for double action it locks into place at the right time. Just so no one freaks, yes, the gun was empty when I tried this
Has anyone else experienced this? It's been a long time since it has been fired and there were no issues when it was used last. Jusr tried it again. When the hammer is pulled back very quickly it locks into place "most" of the time. If the hammer is pulled back leisurely, you can still move the cylinder until it locks up.
Just doesn't seem right
Thanks,

Jim

[Jim Keenan]

I have read several comments about how that is awful and needs to be corrected immediately, etc. In fact, it is very common, even normal, for a Colt. In SA fire, the cylinder will lock up when the trigger is pulled. Fire it normally, SA and DA, without trying to hold the cylinder back, and it should be fine. If you find off center strikes on the primers, you have a problem, otherwise, don't sweat it.

Jim

[1911Tuner]

+1 On Jim's post.

Colt revolver timing is a bit more...delicate...than the pre-time cylinder lockup of Smith & Wessons. They literally time the cylinder as the hammer breaks. As the old saying goes: "When ya pull the trigger, it'll be there."

Your indication of a real problem will be when it starts to spit pieces of the bullet from the barrel/cylinder gap.

[Gbro]

On the "off center primer hit's"
I have seen on the range several off center hit with the berdan primer ammo(blazer) and they have all been misfires.
I found lint in the cylinder stop notches.
I have therefore recommended Boxer primer ammunition for personal protection, as i would prefer some spitting of lead to a misfire.

[GrantCunningham]

While I do not want to appear to be disagreeing with the esteemed members who have already posted, there seems to be a bit of confusion with regards to Colt timing.

On a properly timed Colt, the cylinder bolt (which is the piece in the bottom of the frame window) will drop into the cylinder's locking notch just before, or just as, the hammer reaches full cock (in single action) and just as the sear releases (in double action.)

Failure to do either indicates that the gun is out of time. Generally, the DA timing will fail before the SA timing, and is of slightly less concern. However, if slowing cocking the gun in SA results in the cylinder not being locked, it is out of time - regardless of any subsequent effects of trigger movement.

It is not unusual to find factory Colts that are out of time, as the quality of their assembly personnel has varied wildly over the last 20 years. However, this should not be construed as factory validation of a bad condition nor should it be assumed that the factory always did things correctly. Sadly, they often didn't.

[Ida Noski]

Grant,
Sorry for the delay, but after reading your post I pulled it back out and you are right on the money about the way it locks into place right before the hammer drops.
That's why I like this place, so many knowledgable people willing to share information so that those of us not knowing may learn.

Many thanks
Best to you and yours!

Hold hard

Jim

[Jim Keenan]

Hi, Grant,

That may be all very well in theory, but if you want to work on every DA Colt that is out of time by your definition, you will have a lot of work to do.

The fact is that it is nearly impossible to set the hand such that the second step locks up the cylinder perfectly before sear engagement, yet also allows room to pull the trigger. It is a very fine adjustment.

In practice, as long as the cylinder locks up when the hammer drops, the firing pin strike is on center, and the cylinder ranges correctly, I see no problem if the timing is not "perfect."

Gbro, I have no idea what the connection would be between off-center firing pin strike and the type of primer used. Off center is off center, whether the primer is Berdan or Boxer, and the gun needs work.

Jim

[jibjab]

I have a well used Trooper .357 when the hammer was cocked slowly or if I would slow the cylinder with my finger while self cocking the the bolt would not engage with the cylinder notch until the hammer was dropped. The hand was a little slow, the cylinder would lock up if the hammer was pulled back faster letting momentum carry the cylinder a little further, there was no problem in DA.
I did replace the hand and the gun will lock up if cocked slowly, correct me if I'm wrong but I don't think the gun can fire until the bolt is engaged.

[Magnumite]

Not sure of the Colt DA's, but most DA revolvers don't allow action operation until the cylinder is closed, the safety block being in the cylinder catch release.

[Gbro]

The out of center strike on a berdan primer is more likley to produce a misfire due to the size of the anvil. Granted the revolver needs work, but i have seen some that just need cleaning.

[PotatoJudge]

Magnumite, the action can be worked with the cylinder out.

[Magnumite]

"Magnumite, the action can be worked with the cylinder out."

That's odd, may be the vintage of the gun. One learns something new everyday. I'll have to investigate my Python for that.