Problems with Model 36 no Dash

[loadedone]

I have been given a problem Model 36, this great revolver will fire the first 5 rounds and when you reload the pistol will not fire on at least two of the chambers. I asked my gunsmith to look at it and after careful study he said send it back to the Factory as it has a bad cylinder! I sent it to the Factory and my customer was charged $160 to replace the firing pin and nose, when it was returned we went out side and it had the same problem as before fire 5 rounds reload and it would not fire the new rounds. I called the Factory and was told to return it again, which we did, again after being told it was fixed, it was returned and it still did the same thing, we have sent it back for the 3rd time, my question is has anyone else encountered this type problem, and what should i do next?
I failed to mention this revolver was purchased by my Pastor new, and it had been fired maybe 20 times, it has spent it's life in a night stand until he tried to shoot at a local range in order to get a CWP, and it would not fire after 5 rounds, that's when i got involved.

 

[OldChief]

Can you provide more information? When you try to fire the second 5 rounds are you getting light hits? Are you firing single or double action or trying both? Does the cylinder turn as it should with the second 5 rounds? Did they fire your revolver at the factory before returning it? You'll know if they did because they charge a $45 range fee when they do. Regardless of the model, I was a Small Arms Tech in the AF when we had the model 10s and 15s and worked with thousands of revolvers and never experienced anything like this. I was also a LE Armorer with a department armed with smith revolvers and again worked with thousands of revolvers and nothing like you describe. I went through the Trouble-Shooting charts in my Armorers' Manual and I can't find any malfunction like you describe. The fact that it shoots 5 and then stops, doesn't make sense. Sure has me baffled.

 

[chief38]

The only time I encountered a problem like that was with an inherited my Dad's 1951 Baby Chief's Special - his BUG when he was a Federal LEO). It would misfire on most of the 5 chambers due to the fact that the firing pin was not hitting the primers any longer. The gun had been shot tens of thousands of times and simply worn out. Thankfully, I did (thanks to my Dad) have ALL the exact period correct parts and I rebuilt the entire guts. I guess he knew one day it would need a rebuild but never got to it due to his health. The only original parts left are the Frame, Barrel, Grips and Cylinder although the Cylinder has all new parts in it. It now works like new and I would use it to protect my life anytime!

Can't diagnose yours over the internet and without actually seeing it - sorry.

 

[Targets Guy]

I had a very similar problem with a Detective Special. Sent it back to Colt and they replaced the mainspring and removed burrs from the ratchet and ratchet seat.

No problems since.

 

[iPac]

The problem described almost doesn't make sense. How can it shoot a cylinder full just fine, but when you load a new cylinder up it won't function right. Really sounds like something that can't be pinpointed online without gun in hand.

Much more information is needed, like step by step issue description.

 

[H Richard]

Has anyone looked at the depth of the chamber's? Is there possibly a build up of carbon that is keeping the rounds from being fully seated? Try pushing the 2nd (etc) cylinder rounds firmly in place and see if it misfires. A fix could be re-cutting the chambers with a finishing reamer just a little bit deeper.

 

[OldChief]

More questions come to mind, is your cylinder binding on the second 5 rounds? Does the cylinder open easily after the first 5 rounds? Any end shake? Did you gauge the distance between the front of the cylinder and the forcing cone? Did you also gauge for headspace?

 

[loadedone]

I was told that they had fired it 50 times and no problem, the last time I tried to fire it on the second cylinder it would take two fingers on the trigger and about 30 pounds of pull! We were not billed for the firing, makes me wounder if it was actually done.

 

[loadedone]

My gunsmith told me the cylinder had two bad chambers and it needed replacement, I have repeated this information to the Shop but it hasn't helped

 

[Old cop]

This might sound overly simplistic but has anyone checked under the extractor star for crud after the first five rounds? When someone said the trigger seemed like 30 + pounds upon reload it made me wonder.

 

[loadedone]

Thanks for the input, after firing the first 5 rounds the cylinder opens correctly, the empty cases eject properly, reload and lock-up is tight, i could not pull the trigger or pull back on the hammer to manually cock the pistol, I just hope the factory fixes the problem this time (my gunsmith said two chambers in the cylinder expanded with the heat of firing the first 5 rounds and binds the revolver to a stop) I guess if we would wait till the next day the pistol would fire the five rounds??

 

[OldChief]

Model 36 Mystery Problem

Thanks for the input, after firing the first 5 rounds the cylinder opens correctly, the empty cases eject properly, reload and lock-up is tight, i could not pull the trigger or pull back on the hammer to manually cock the pistol, I just hope the factory fixes the problem this time (my gunsmith said two chambers in the cylinder expanded with the heat of firing the first 5 rounds and binds the revolver to a stop) I guess if we would wait till the next day the pistol would fire the five rounds??

Again, I've never experienced this but try waiting a day and let us know what happens. If the cylinder opens normally after the first 5 rounds, it sounds like there's no binding there. It could be a problem with the hand or the ratchets on the extractor but again, why does it fire the first 5 rounds without a problem? If the heat from the first 5 rounds causes the cylinder to expand enough to cause this, again, why does it open normally? I'm not a gunsmith but I just can't understand how firing 5 rounds can create that much heat.