Revolvers and sticking rounds in chamber?

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platnumbob

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Recently bought my first double action .357 mag revolver (Taurus 669) and was testing it out at the range. Fantastic functioning and accurate pistol, but I found that with one brand of ammo (Atlanta arms factory reloaded .357) the casings would stick in the chambers so hard that the ejector rod could not pop them out - I literally had to force them out with a screwdriver pushing from the face of the cylinder. 38 Spl western metal reloads and American Eagle .357 ammo both ejected fine/ easily with good accuracy. Even the sticky Atlanta arms ammo was accurate - just would not eject and required significant effort to remove.

Is this an out of spec ammo problem or should I be lubing my cylinder chambers to better ejection? Is the ammo safe to shoot if it is sticking like that (wondering if there is too much pressure in the chambers).

New to these types of pistols, thanks guys.

*update p.3, post 26
 
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Agreed, switch the ammo, could be heavily used brass expanding too much, it could be over pressure as well, maybe they are loading +p or even magnum loads in standard brass, what does the crimp look like on the ammo?
 
On the other hand, if the previous owner used a lot of 38special cases there may be a carbon ring formed near the end of the chambers. Inspect under a good light and scrub it out if necessary otherwise, yeah might be the ammo. Lube in the chambers or on the rounds would allow the case to set back on firing and be evident in making the revolver harder to ####.
 
Glad I only bought one box.

Has anyone else used Atlanta arms .357 factory ammo with this result? I bought it from one of the CGN vendors.
 
this sounds like a job for LEE FACTORY CRIMP DIE- your heads are expanding too much and the reason your brass is sticking is that not all chambers are bored the EXACT same- the lee die will fix that
 
In my life I have decided many times that I needed some gun or another. I'm very methodical about it: I think about why I want the gun, what goals I want to achieve. And I shop around until I find just what I'm looking for, at the price I want to pay, and eventually it gets added to my collection. I virtually never suffer any buyer's regret. Except that one time I bought myself a Taurus 669 .357 revolver for my 18th birthday. It holds the dubious record of being the only firearm I ever bought after careful consideration, and then rid myself of.

Sticky extraction was one of many problems that gun had. It started with the .357s, but eventually only the lightest .38s loads could be pushed out with the extractor rod. The extractor rod would also unscrew itself every few cylinders worth of ammo. The grip panel screw would also come loose every box or two. And even with the rear sight set all the way to the left, it still shot to the right. And did I mention that .357 loads that were under book maximum created a wrinkle in the very thin metal where the extractor rod passes through the cylinder crane?

Sorry to rain on your parade, but I vote you keep the ammo, and get rid of the Taurus.
 
Interesting- I fired about 70-80 rounds and found accuracy to be superb and the sights dead on. Out of 3 types of ammo this Atlanta arms stuff was the only one that caused problems.
 
Used or new pistol? If it is a used pistol, as previously stated, there could be a ring in the chambers of the cylinder from firing .38 special. This ring could be holding the .357 cartridge cases.

Did you look at the brass afterwards? Do the primers on the .357 brass look flatter with no groove around the circumference of the primer where it meets the pocket in the cartridge case. Is the primer protruding from the primer pocket or does the indent from the firing pin seem less prominent than in the .38 special cartridge cases?

Is there any resistance loading the Atlanta Arms ammo that might indicate it is out of spec? Try a box of American Eagle .357 or some other brand and see if the problem persists.
 
The pistol is used. The American eagle .357 was fine / not sticking and easy to eject which is why I suspected the ammo. I did not look at the casings when I took them out which in hindsight would have been a good idea, they are now in a mix bag of brass and I won't be able to tell what was what. Next time I go to the range I will fire just a couple more (after also scrubbing the chambers to make sure there is no residue ring) and see if there is a difference in the brass or primers.

Between the American Eagle 357, WM .38 and Atlanta Arms .357 there was no difference in fit going in - just taking them out. Recoil might have been a hair stiffer on the Atlanta Arms stuff.
 
The stuff I got from them in .357 was mismatched brass and aluminum cases of all manufactures....so their 44 mag is obviously made up a bit differently.
 
platnumbob said:
The stuff I got from them in .357 was mismatched brass and aluminum cases of all manufactures....so their 44 mag is obviously made up a bit differently.
Click to expand...

+3 on not using their ammo but if you want to track down problem.

Cases may be out of spec. if all cases are sticking. Check diameter at neck and near head and compare to the factory stuff. Compare case lengths. Chrono the loads. If the bad ammo is giving high FPS then consider that they may be loaded too hot. If they are low then blowback into the cylinder chambers may be coating the cases with carbon. I have a S&W K22 that shoots 22WMR. Certain factory ammo will cause sticky extraction after a few cylinders. Cases are dirty and chambers carbon fouled. Other ammo is good for a full day of shooting. Dirty chambers are a possibility but, since your other loads don't stick I am dubious.
 
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