Looking for a revolver gunsmith

J

Jonny_Cannon

BANNED
BANNED
BANNED
EE Expired
Rating - 100%
7   0   0
Well. I have a Taurus 608 revolver in 357 Magnum. It is the 8-shot version. I have the cylinder lock-up problem that sometimes happens with some of these models. I'm kind of between a rock and a hard place. I really like it. I find it is nicely balanced, and shoots really well. Just the damned thing jams up from time to time.

I obviously can't trade it in or sell it in good conscience knowing it has this problem. I'm not that kind of person. I don't want to spend a grand on a new smith and then end up with the Taurus just sitting in my safe.

I'm in southwestern Ontario, so there's lots of gun shops around. I was wondering if anyone had a line on a gunsmith who may be familiar with this or is good with revolvers that may be able to fix it for me. I'm not going to send it back to Taurus because of the horror stories I have heard. If I have to spend a hundred or two bucks on fixing this then that's what I have to do. I don't really have any other options.

If anyone can recommend a good gunsmith I can contact it would be appreciated. Thank-you.

Cannon
 
Jonny_Cannon said:
I'm kind of between a rock and a hard place. I really like it. I find it is nicely balanced, and shoots really well. Just the damned thing jams up from time to time.
I obviously can't trade it in or sell it in good conscience knowing it has this problem. I'm not that kind of person. I don't want to spend a grand on a new smith and then end up with the Taurus just sitting in my safe.
Cannon
Click to expand...

Honestly, a revolver should be the most trouble free gun you will ever own. When a wheel gun jams, that is a big problem IMO. You may not want to spend a grand on a S&W and have your Taurus sitting in the safe, but if you went that route I can pretty much guarantee you won't regret it in the long run. If you absolutely need a good gunsmith for it I don't know anyone in ON, but if you don't mind shipping Murray Charlton is tops for quality and service.

But I'd still strongly suggest finding a nice old (pre lock) Smith, frame size to fit you, and enjoy trouble free, accurate shooting forever. I've got two or three in my safe that would fit the bill for you that I would actually consider selling (and a dozen that I never will). And use the Taurus for something useful where jamming isn't an issue.....pounding nails? Sorry, I'm just not a fan of that gun.
 
Wortners used to be the S&W guys in Ontario - but since it's a Taurus have you tried asking Freedom Ventures who they recommend? They are an authorized importer and may be able to provide advice - they have a great reputation for service.
 
Twisted Canuck said:
Honestly, a revolver should be the most trouble free gun you will ever own. When a wheel gun jams, that is a big problem IMO.
Click to expand...

Revolvers jam! The Smith & Wesson brand has jammed for me more than any other handgun.

Smiths jam when the extractor rod unscrews itself. This has happened on half a dozen of my Smith revolvers over the years. Easily fixed, but definitely a problem.

All revolvers with cylinder extractor stars will jam if enough dirt and grime and unburned powder gets under that star. They need to be cleaned, especially under the extractor. For some, "enough" is a very little bit indeed.

Several of my Smiths have conical chambers. Even midrange match wadcutter ammo will lock up my little Centennial model 42 as it backs out of the chambers when it's fired. Some later models have a groove machined into the chamber for the brass to swell into, to prevent it from backing out. Why didn't they just cut the cylinder wall straight? Ejection issues. Complex problems.

Hot loads can cause the primers to back out of the cases and ... lock up your revolver.

And of course there are SO MANY moving parts that ... well ... some little thing can also fail. I have one example Smith revolver that won't cycle because the cylinder stop won't drop to let the cylinder start turning. Everything is just locked up solid. That model has no parts available, sorry. I now own a second revolver of the same model, which works, and which will hopefully let me diagnose the problem. Please don't talk to me about the "warranty".

I do have and have had a LOT of Smiths. They are still my favorite revolver brand, and I would never tell someone not to buy them. But I would also never say they should be absolutely reliable ... nothing mechanical is! Smith & Wesson revolvers are usually simple to work on and quite user-serviceable, as long as you have had some basic training in what to do.

But, if I could only have one handgun, it wouldn't be a revolver. Sorry. They are cool, versatile, accurate, and I really like them, but absolutely reliable? That's a myth.
 
I appreciate the advice. As for cleaning, well, it's done it since day 1. I've only put around 300 rounds through it, and it's been pretty decent ammo - American Eagle FMJ. The manual stated it needed to "wear in" but this isn't a "new too tight" issue. I've read elsewhere that it's a forcing cone issue, or clearances are too tight. I don't know what to do. If I have to spend more than, say two hundred bucks it's not worth it for a $600 gun. Then I'm already up to $800 for the gun and repairs.

It should be interesting to note that I can't get the problem to repeat itself when I use an empty cartridge. However, I notice that with live rounds or otherwise, if I operate the pistol in SA on some chambers it's easier to #### the hammer back. Hard to describe, but to me, it feels like, say out of the 8 chambers (it's the 8-shot), 4 feel "normal", it locks up on 2, and on 2 it's like it's too easy to #### the hammer - almost as if I can #### it "too far", or the hammer goes back further than it should. This must be impossible, but it's the only way I can describe it. To my naked eye the cylinder appears to rotate straight, and for stripping down and cleaning the thing seems to be mechanically sound. It shoots straight and the sights are good. Actually, it's quite an accurate pistol, and another reason I'm so p***ed off. I like the damned thing.

Cannon
 
I have owned a bunch of revolvers, Colt and S&W, and all of them function absolutely perfectly with good ammo when clean, or I get them fixed by someone who can do the job. The only stoppages I have ever experienced was crud under the extractor, and that takes a lot of shooting for it to get that built up.
There are many well intentioned novices that attempt to "repair" guns, and when unsuccessful, trade it off. I have run across more than a few of those.
 
Can I advance the cylinder manually when it jams? Yes I can. I grab the cylinder, and rock it one way and the other, and then it will advance.
 
I'm no smith, but it sounds like one of three possibilities. Either the internals are gummed up with crud slowing down/providing additional resistance to the pawl that advances the star on the back of the cylinder...the fix is to completely strip, clean and lubricate.

Two: some of the parts are worn (the mating surfaces of the star and pawl)...fix is replace with new, or somehow build up missing material and resurface.

Three: timing. As the hammer comes back, the piece that locks the outside of the cylinder (stop) and the piece that advances the cylinder via the star must work in conjunction with one another. There are ways to adjust this timing of "unlocking the cylinder and advancing it"...but like I said, I'm not a smith.
 
gunzik said:
Revolvers jam! The Smith & Wesson brand has jammed for me more than any other handgun.

Smiths jam when the extractor rod unscrews itself. This has happened on half a dozen of my Smith revolvers over the years. Easily fixed, but definitely a problem.

All revolvers with cylinder extractor stars will jam if enough dirt and grime and unburned powder gets under that star. They need to be cleaned, especially under the extractor. For some, "enough" is a very little bit indeed.

Several of my Smiths have conical chambers. Even midrange match wadcutter ammo will lock up my little Centennial model 42 as it backs out of the chambers when it's fired. Some later models have a groove machined into the chamber for the brass to swell into, to prevent it from backing out. Why didn't they just cut the cylinder wall straight? Ejection issues. Complex problems.

Hot loads can cause the primers to back out of the cases and ... lock up your revolver.

And of course there are SO MANY moving parts that ... well ... some little thing can also fail. I have one example Smith revolver that won't cycle because the cylinder stop won't drop to let the cylinder start turning. Everything is just locked up solid. That model has no parts available, sorry. I now own a second revolver of the same model, which works, and which will hopefully let me diagnose the problem. Please don't talk to me about the "warranty".

I do have and have had a LOT of Smiths. They are still my favorite revolver brand, and I would never tell someone not to buy them. But I would also never say they should be absolutely reliable ... nothing mechanical is! Smith & Wesson revolvers are usually simple to work on and quite user-serviceable, as long as you have had some basic training in what to do.

But, if I could only have one handgun, it wouldn't be a revolver. Sorry. They are cool, versatile, accurate, and I really like them, but absolutely reliable? That's a myth.
Click to expand...

I suppose you make valid points about the revolver not being reliable when it is not maintained and cleaned, but that could be said for pretty much any mechanical device. So, to rephrase, if a revolver is kept clean and maintained (no loose extractor rods) they should be absolutely reliable...
 
Twisted Canuck said:
I suppose you make valid points about the revolver not being reliable when it is not maintained and cleaned, but that could be said for pretty much any mechanical device. So, to rephrase, if a revolver is kept clean and maintained (no loose extractor rods) they should be absolutely reliable...
Click to expand...

The US military replaced revolvers with the 1911 because the revolvers weren't reliable enough.

Just sayin'...
 
Leg said:
The US military replaced revolvers with the 1911 because the revolvers weren't reliable enough.

Just sayin'...
Click to expand...

Actually, that's a load of hoey....they replaced them because they found the 38 colt round was ineffective. They wanted a 45, ideally with a larger capacity as it's primary function was as a cavalry side arm. Reliability was never the issue. In fact many US soldiers in WW1 prefered revolvers over the 1911 as they where more tolerant of trench conditions and more accurate.
 
Leg said:
The US military replaced revolvers with the 1911 because the revolvers weren't reliable enough.

Just sayin'...
Click to expand...

As pointed out above, that's a load of Hooey. But, I will say that at no point have I attacked the reliability of the automatic handguns....though some of them are junk too. I shoot Sigs exclusively, and find them every bit as reliable as my revolvers. I also keep them squeaky clean and serviced, just like my revolvers. In a lousy dirty environment, if I had to choose one over the other, I'd probably go with one of my Sig P226s, or P220s, or P229s...you get the point. I like autos fine. And revolvers too. Now, not to derail the thread, but the OP was having trouble with a Taurus. My answer to trouble with any pistol is, buy quality every time, and you will have fewer (notice I didn't say No) issues. I love my Sigs, Colts, Smiths, and Rugers, had great luck with all of them. I've heard of people having issues with all these brands. There is no perfect brand, but as with anything mechanical, service and maintenance go a long way. Try not changing the oil on your car for 50,000 km and see if you have problems.
 
Well said. Taurus has a questionable history, the 8 shot models were known to have timing issues shortly out of the gate. (other makers have had timing issues with 10 shot .22's as well)

Good news though, Smith and Wesson seem to have worked out the bugs with their new 8 shot combat magnum (.357/38)
 
Jonny_Cannon said:
Well. I have a Taurus 608 revolver in 357 Magnum. It is the 8-shot version. I have the cylinder lock-up problem that sometimes happens with some of these models. I'm kind of between a rock and a hard place. I really like it. I find it is nicely balanced, and shoots really well. Just the damned thing jams up from time to time.

I obviously can't trade it in or sell it in good conscience knowing it has this problem. I'm not that kind of person. I don't want to spend a grand on a new smith and then end up with the Taurus just sitting in my safe.

I'm in southwestern Ontario, so there's lots of gun shops around. I was wondering if anyone had a line on a gunsmith who may be familiar with this or is good with revolvers that may be able to fix it for me. I'm not going to send it back to Taurus because of the horror stories I have heard. If I have to spend a hundred or two bucks on fixing this then that's what I have to do. I don't really have any other options.

If anyone can recommend a good gunsmith I can contact it would be appreciated. Thank-you.

Cannon
Click to expand...


Is your revolver under the warranty?

Snapshot in Quebec is warranty centre for Taurus.
 
I'd have to check. I can't remember how long ago I purchased it. But thank-you. Good to know I don't have to ship it to Brazil or something.

Cannon
 
In USA, Taurus offers lifetime warranty on their firearms.

Call Freedom Ventures to verify how long is the warranty for Taurus in Canada, before contacting Snapshot.

Good luck!


Cheers,
Dan
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom