Revolver problems

[xSMOKExLESSxCRACKx]

I've got an old(70s-80s) Rossi .38 thats been taking up room in the safe for a while now. I bought it off one of my co-workers about 6-8 months ago. I've taken it out shooting a few times now and then with no trouble. However the last two times I've run a few bullets through it, every few cylinders it will "jam up". I'll go through a few rounds and then on the next trigger pull everything seizes. the trigger will pull back about 1/8" or so and thats it.

This ONLY happens when actually firing rounds through it, never when dry firing. A few tugs on the trigger or thumbing the hammer a bit and it seems to let go and work fine.

I have shot both Remington Express and WWB through it with the same problem. I've also noticed that on some of the spent cases the primers look like they've been pierced by the firing pin of the hammer. Would the pin actually be getting stuck in the primer

Any other thoughts on what may be causing this and/or how to fix it?

 

[berettaman]

Have you taken the grips off and see if there is any red/brownish gyuck lurking around the mainspring,as if it has been running down from up inside the works? Sounds like it's dirty.

 

[ldp4570]

How many rounds before this happens? Are you shooting as fast as you can between reloads?

 

[xSMOKExLESSxCRACKx]

Have you taken the grips off and see if there is any red/brownish gyuck lurking around the mainspring,as if it has been running down from up inside the works? Sounds like it's dirty.

Looks pretty clean inside.Even took the side plate off.( This is gonna end bad) But other than a small bit of powder residue inside it looks relatively clean with a bit of oil that squishes out from between pieces when I push on them.

How many rounds before this happens? Are you shooting as fast as you can between reloads?

Negative. Both times that it has started acting up I was slow firing trying to put down some evil glass bottles from about 10-15 yrds out.

 

[flatwins]

I bought a Rossi off a forum member specifically to sell to a buddy of mine who was in the market for a house gun. I put some 38 SPL snap caps in it when I got it home and it was doing the exact thing you describe, the action feeling like it was binding. The snap caps are machined aluminum and I noticed that the rims were getting torn up. I thought, wth?! - I can't sell this to a buddy and have him bet his life on it. If I took the caps out, the gun functioned fine. We took it to the range and it performed beautifully and he's happy with it.

I can't speak for the primer issue but do remember my buddy having one round at the range that just dinged the primer rather than detonating it.

 

[Shadowrider]

Can you post a pic of the fired cases?

 

[shortgrass]

Sounds like a cylinder stop problem to me. If , when you pull the hammer back or squeese the trigger (like you normally would) and the cylinder doesn't want to rotate it is because the cylinder stop is not being released (actuated, lowered by the linkage in the lockwork) so that the cylinder can rotate and the cycle can continue. Generally, what will "lock-up" a revolver. But, maybe I don't understand the problem you are having either.

 

[ldp4570]

Sounds like the rear of the cylinder wasn't cut properly. May be the hand, but usually it would do the same unloaded. I've seen this with the Rossi's and Taurus revolvers. Everything from the forcing cone cut wrong to the face of the cylinder not being cut flat. Also the cylinder gap being to tight, so that when the gun warms up it will lock up the cylinder against the forcing cone.

 

[xSMOKExLESSxCRACKx]

Sounds like the rear of the cylinder wasn't cut properly. May be the hand, but usually it would do the same unloaded. I've seen this with the Rossi's and Taurus revolvers. Everything from the forcing cone cut wrong to the face of the cylinder not being cut flat. Also the cylinder gap being to tight, so that when the gun warms up it will lock up the cylinder against the forcing cone.

I think you may be on to something there ldp4570. I latched the cylinder back into the gun with all the internals taken out. Spinning the cylinder with my finger, it gets tight then loosens as it rotates through the chambers. I'm also noticing some tiny nicks and burrs on the ratchet on the back of the cylinder where the hand slides in to rotate the cylinder.

The front end of the cylinder has plenty of room between it and the forcing cone at rest. So it looks like I may be doing a little de-burring and light sanding on the cylinder ratchet at work tomorrow and see if that makes the difference.

Thanks everyone for the advice!

 

[okgr8outdrs]

I had a Rossi revolver in 1990 that did this same thing. I sent it to Rossi and they could find nothing wrong. When I got it back, it happened again. I got rid of it, spent $100 extra on a S&W and have never looked at another Rossi again.