What on earth? Cylinder does not want to rotate

[Doug M.]

I went to the range to make empty brass a couple weekends back. I put about 80 rounds though my 25-7. It all went well. I had some work and other obligations and did not start cleaning right away. I did a little cleaning on this and a couple of other guns, swabbing them out with Slip 2000 and leaving them on a platform.

No problems with anything else, but now the 25-7's cylinder does not want to rotate. If I close the action, it is actually too stiff for the double action trigger to cycle it. I have been under the ejector star, etc., and see no crud, powder, etc. that appears to explain what has happened.

Ideas? Paths forward?

 

[chief38]

See if the Ejector Rod or Yoke is bent.

 

[Protocall_Design]

I would clean under the extractor again. It only takes one small piece of anything to bind it up like that. If it rotates freely when open, that's the most likely culprit. If it doesn't rotate when open, pull the cylinder and crane and clean the part of the crane the cylinder rotates on. Or just do both.

 

[steelslaver]

Don't forget the lug under the barrel. If it gets sticky it can cause problems, make sure that the underside of ejector is clean as well as the recess for it in cylinder. If that don't do itt maybe crud inside the cylinder center bore and on yoke tube.

 

[pantannojack]

Disassembly and Cleaning?

 

[Dennis2149]

Make sure the extractor rod has not turned loose. Also inspect/clean the barrel/cylinder gap.

 

[Sevens]

I would clean under the extractor again. It only takes one small piece of anything to bind it up like that. If it rotates freely when open, that's the most likely culprit. If it doesn't rotate when open, pull the cylinder and crane and clean the part of the crane the cylinder rotates on. Or just do both.

What is written here is so much EXACTLY what I experienced with a Model 19-4 once that it almost sounds like he was spying on me and detailing what I saw! I found basically one whole flake of unburnt Hodgdon Universal Clays under the extractor but until I found the flake I was panicked, horrified and nearly freaking out. This was more than a decade ago and with the way things felt I was almost dead sure certain this revolver was WRECKED.

It sounds crazy... until you have experienced it. The tolerances are extremely close.

 

[H Richard]

Coarse powder, such as Unique, especially in target type loads, can easily leave unburnt kernels of powder under the star. doesn't take much to hang it up.

 

[4K2022]

I went to the range to make empty brass a couple weekends back. I put about 80 rounds though my 25-7. It all went well. I had some work and other obligations and did not start cleaning right away. I did a little cleaning on this and a couple of other guns, swabbing them out with Slip 2000 and leaving them on a platform.

No problems with anything else, but now the 25-7's cylinder does not want to rotate. If I close the action, it is actually too stiff for the double action trigger to cycle it. I have been under the ejector star, etc., and see no crud, powder, etc. that appears to explain what has happened.

Ideas? Paths forward?

I’m trying to follow along; Sounds like you shot 80 rounds thru her came home swabbed some Slip 2000 on her ,,, then let her sit on a shelf (“platform”) for a couple weeks and now the cylinder doesn’t “rotate.” And you can’t “see” anything,, (visual inspection).

So are you saying that when the cylinder and yoke are tilted open as if you’re going to load it,, the rotation of the cylinder is stiff or hard to turn? Furthermore, knowing this is NOT okay you close the cylinder and the trigger cannot cycle the gun?

Sounds like what ever you swabbed the revolver with loosened and penetrated the carbon, lead and copper and then made its way into the gas seal and extractor rod collar, then set up (stiffened up, gummed up) while it sat for a couple weeks. If you haven’t had the extractor spring and center pin springs out for visual inspection that would be the direction THIS Monday morning quarterbacking gunsmith would take!
Good luck

 

[toad67]

I would clean under the extractor again. It only takes one small piece of anything to bind it up like that. If it rotates freely when open, that's the most likely culprit. If it doesn't rotate when open, pull the cylinder and crane and clean the part of the crane the cylinder rotates on. Or just do both.

I had a 25-7 that had the same problem after 2 cylinders. Always had to pull the cylinder off of the crane to make it function correctly. Wonder if there was an issue with the gas block on those models?