stuck plunger

[docwharden1881]

The plunger/loading lever on my Colt's Dragoon reproduction sticks. After wrestling with it I got frustrated and gave up. Must have cussed a blue streak too. Lol.
Tried graphite, WD-40, etc to no avail. I have other cap-n-ball revolvers so I wasn't out of luck when it came to shooting percussion. (I wasn't in the mood for cartridges at the time)
No problem with the Walker or Navy just the Dragoon. I'm not a gunsmith so tinkering with it is out of the question. Any suggestions from those of you who may have had similar issues?

 

[hawg]

Take the lever assembly apart and see if you can tell what's going on.

 

[Captain*kirk]

I've had this happen on a few guns before. First thing is to make sure nothing is bent. If not, you most likely need to polish the bore and OD of the plunger and barrel. If you're not up to that task, plenty of gunsmiths here that could fix you up.

 

[J-Bar]

Remove the plunger. Then stroke the loading lever. Does it bind? If so, figure out where it's binding. If the loading lever operates smoothly without the plunger, then dress down the plunger's diameter with sandpaper until operation is easy. The plunger just pushes the ball into the chamber; the diameter is not as critical as some other dimensions.

 

[4v50 Gary]

If the plunger goes into each cylinder, then check the alignment. How the slot is milled in the plunger to the lever is important. Concentric? If not, that could be causing the binding. Sloppy machining? Needle file time. If the plunger is good, next examine the lever for imperfection.

 

[Jackrabbit1957]

Is the pivot bolt too tight? Some of them pinch the the frame and can make it hard to move the lever.

 

[docwharden1881]

I let it soak over night. Appeared to have been gummed up or jammed. I was able to get some movement but still tight. Didn't see any signs of rust or obvious blemish. I'll keep working on it. In the meantime there is the Navy Colt, the Walker-Colt, and the Wells-Fargo pocket/vest if I am in the mood for percussion.

 

[Gbro]

Have you loaded this revolver without any issues prior to this issue?
With gun separated, can you slide the cylinder onto the plunger in all chambers??

 

[Jackrabbit1957]

Just out of curiosity has the arbor been corrected on the Walker?

 

[J-Bar]

Just curious if you ever determined what the problem was?

 

[woodnbow]

The plunger/loading lever on my Colt's Dragoon reproduction sticks. After wrestling with it I got frustrated and gave up. Must have cussed a blue streak too. Lol.
Tried graphite, WD-40, etc to no avail. I have other cap-n-ball revolvers so I wasn't out of luck when it came to shooting percussion. (I wasn't in the mood for cartridges at the time)
No problem with the Walker or Navy just the Dragoon. I'm not a gunsmith so tinkering with it is out of the question. Any suggestions from those of you who may have had similar issues?

You may need either a bigger hammer or a cheater bar.