Colt Cobra lockup - Help!

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lanternlad1

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Hey all,
I just came back from shooting my Colt Cobra (1975 with shroud) and I experienced some cylinder lock ups. I was shooting 158gr Rem target loads, no +p or anything, and the cylinder kept locking up. I had to continually swing out (open) the cylinder to "reset" it. Anyone have any ideas?
 
You mean the cylinder wouldn't rotate if you pulled the trigger or cocked the hammer? Would the trigger move back with normal resistance and the cylinder just didn't move?
 
When I pulled the trigger, the hammer would move back a little, then stop. The cylinder would move a little, then stop. They would go back to "normal" when I released the trigger, but would only move back a little when I pulled it again. I had to swing the cylinder all the way out to reset it. It doesn't do this with snap caps, just live rounds.
 
It sounds like the cylinder latch may not be moving fully forward when you load the chambers with cartridges. May be a case of some fouling in the wrong place, such as under the extractor star. Give it a toothbrush & solvent treatment to start with and see what happens.
 
Mineral spirits or Coleman lantern fuel won’t hurt the plating. Avoid anything with ammonia in it. Use it sparingly, and wipe out any excess with a Q-Tip or a paper towel. Clean both sides of the extractor star and the cylinder under it.
 
As the Fuff said, avoid ammonia-containing cleaners. This includes Hoppes #9. Kerosene or mineral spirits will work in a pinch. I use CLP and M-Pro7 on my nickel Cobra. My local Wal-Mart carries CLP.
 
If it only happens when firing live ammo, it is possible that the fired primer is hanging up some way, or something is being jarred by recoil. Without seeing the gun or having more info, it will be tough to know what is wrong.

Jim
 
Did you test your load by spinning your cylinder? When you load/reload, snap the cylinder back in and pull the hammer back to half-cock. The cylinder should spin freely clockwise and if it doesn't, something is wrong with the ammo or the gun. I've had a few problems lately with my well worn Peacekeeper and the ejector star coming loose. It comes loose just enough to push the shoulder of one or more shells slightly out which then catches, jamming the cylinder.

If you're firing handloads, then the shells may not be sized right or the primers not seated deeply enough.

Also, try locking up the Colt and see what sort of cylinder movement you have. It may be time for the Colt to return to the factory for repairs--which is where mine is going!
 
What a crappy gun. Will give you a hundred bucks for it. Cash.
Click to expand...

You Colt guys...

You only offered 40.00 for my Detective Special and that was only because Fuff was in for 20.00, if memory serves. 'Course mine wasn't nickel, or a Cobra, or ...

;)

Sounds like what I was getting when I lit off some "primer only" loads in a model 57 - the primer would back out and tie up the works. But he's shooting 158 Remington target loads which I presume are factory normal. So I'm hanging around to see how this shakes out.
 
One of the most common causes of this is grit, burned powder particles, or dirt caught between the ejector and it's seat in the rear of the cylinder.
A common symptom is a cylinder that only seems to stick on two or three chambers.

Use a toothbrush and some solvent to thoroughly scrub the underside of the ejector and it's seat in the cylinder.
Often the trapped dirt is almost impossible to see, and it can get embedded into the metal and be very difficult to remove.

To help prevent this from happening, always point the muzzle upward while ejecting empties.
This heps prevent the dirt from falling into the ejector and cylinder gap and getting trapped.
 
I'm sure it does need a good cleaning, I got it at a pawnshop about a month ago. It. Was. Filthy. I cleaned the outer areas, but there could be a lot of dirt/crud trapped inside the works. It looked as though it had never been cleaned when I got it. I'm considering taking it to a gunsmith for a good internal cleaning or getting an armorers manual and doing it myself.

"What a crappy gun. Will give you a hundred bucks for it. Cash."

Nice try. :) I'd consider trading it for a Detective Special, (since that's what I really wanted anyway) but otherwise, I'm keeping it.
 
Hawk,
Please accept my apologies. It occured to me that an old revolver should be worth the same as a tank of gas.

I raised my bid for these crappy old guns to a Benny.

Just trying to be fair

:evil:
 
On Colt double-action / hand ejector revolvers the cylinder is locked in the closed position by an assembly, consisting of (1) cylinder latch (thumbpiece) (2) latch pin (goes into the ratchet star and locks the cylinder) (3) latch spring, and (4) latch spring guide (plunger).

All of these are nested in the sideplate except the latch pin, which fits in the frame. If these parts are not free to move because of an accumulation of gunk and fouling the latch pin will not fully seat, and the back of it can prevent the safety lever (hammer block) from moving downward so that the hammer can travel forward far enough to allow the firing pin to hit the primer.

When the safety lever is blocked, the hammer can be moved slightly backwards, and thereafter everything freezes up. This seems to be what is happening in this instance, and it is known that the lockwork in this revolver is indeed coated with gunk.

There are two possible solutions. One it to take the revolver to a QUALIFIED gunsmith (and they don’t grow on trees) and have the internals thoroughly cleaned and lubricated. The other is to return it to the Colt factory for a cleaning and tune-up. The later is much more expensive, but a guarantee that when you get the gun back it will work, and not be messed up.
 
Hawk:

Don't listen to Guillermo. There is no reason to let him take you to the cleaners while I'm around. :scrutiny:

I'll only charge you a small fee to take the gun off of your hands, and save you any more emotional distress that comes from owning these cranky old Colts. Once I have your Detective Special you won't have to worry anymore and can relax. I bet you feel better already... :D
 
this, that and everything else that needs checking

Sure sounds the relationship between the extractor star and the hand (which is height sensitive on Colts). The proper term is "cylinder cramp". Sounds like a problem with the two parts or could be a slight alignment problem with the cylinder yoke which could be bent or out of alignment. You really need someone that knows a wheelgun to look at it and inspect out several of the parts using protocol and special alignment checking tools. Wish I was your neighbor. I am Ruger and S&W Qualified Armorer. But with proper technical data, I could figure out a Colt. TOGGLELOCK
 
you will notice that Old Fuff will charge YOU to take this recalcitrant revolver off your hands. On the other hand I will offer you salvage prices since I will have to “part it out” for other unfortunate folks like you.

Not that I am trying to profit, just break even. I am a humanitarian.

Btw
I will even pick up the super expensive shipping.

:eek:
 
Oh, and if anybody needs it, I have the manual for the Det.Special/Cobra/Diamondback/Agent/Viper/Police Positive/Commando Special in pdf form. PM me if interested
 
No, everything is tight. Tight lockup, no wiggle, no endshake, perfect cylinder alignment, cylinder spins freely when swung out... In short, everything seems to be the way it should be. Thats what makes it so perplexing.
 
Swing out the cylinder and then see if you can fully cock the hammer and release it. However do not try to swing the cylinder back in while the hammer is cocked, (If in fact it is).
 
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