Timing Problem with Colt revolver

M

McCoy

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I have 2 Colt Detective Special, One a 1933 and the other a 1967, both seems to have been shot very little, and both have the same problem, I noticed that when the hammer is pulled back, the cylinder is not quite in full locked position. You have to move it a smidge to get it to lock.
Been told that it is often the result of a worn hand and a new one would need to be fitted to the gun.

Anyone know a gunsmith who knows how to do this?

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I have had 2 Colt Detective Specials, both went out of time. My buddy's Detective Special also had timing problems. My uncle's Detective Special still times OK because he never shoots it. I basically have given up on Colt revolvers.

It could be harder to find a competent gunsmith who can replace and/or fit the hand if thats the problem (probably is). If it was a S&W there are lots of folks who can deal with it gunsmiths and former police armorers who are factory trained. If it was a Ruger, we would not have this problem.

Dan is correct that peening the hand may stretch it a bit and might solve the problem.
 
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Does this issue happen on every chamber?and also ,when you actually pull the trigger,does the cylinder then lock up fully?Also,does this happen just when you cycle the action very slowly or does it dissapear with normal cocking?

I have a colt python that does this on 2 of the 6 chambers when cycled very slowly,but this dissapears when you #### the hammer normaly,as if you are shooting on the range.The cylinder always locks up fully when the trigger is pulled,and the "secondary" hand moves the cylinder ever so slightly so the bolt drops into the cylinder slot.This really bugged me a lot initially,but after doing alot of reading on the subject,I came to the conclusion that it is quite common on colts and is usually a non-issue.As long as your gun isnt spitting lead and is accurate,it should be fine

Colt revolversmiths are few and far between(even in the US)and few smiths understand Colt timing etc.I found a great book to get is Jerry Kunhausens book on Colt revolvers,theres alot of info there on how Colts work.

Another thing you may want to read is the Colt forum,there is some good posts there on checking colt timing

I really like my colts,but without a doubt,they wont stand up to the same amount of shooting as say a ruger.I tend to baby them,shooting only light loads and avoiding being hard on the action(eg really rapid fire DA)
 
I thought revolvers could go for many thousands of rounds before failure? Aren't revolvers more reliable than autos? :stirthepot2:


I'll run away now...

TDC
 
I have contacted Gunnar at Armco and he told me that right now he' s working on 1911 pistol exclusively.

Sevoman
Yes it's happenning on 2 chambers only, on both guns. when i pull the trigger the cylinder does lock up fully.
It happening only when i #### the hammer, not on DA pull.

I will definitively get Kunhausen's book on Colt revolver, thanks for the tip.

I've been to the Colt forum but theres not much more info tho find, found a few gunsmiths who specialised in this kind of repair but theyre all south of the border, don't want to send my prohibs down there, too complicated, risky and pricey.

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