Baer45 Posted February 26, 2011 Share Posted February 26, 2011 I bought a revolver in a moment of weakness. All i shoot are 1911s. This is a S&W in 45acp which I thought was great because I could shoot my 1911 practice ammo in it. The first time I loaded it only two rounds fired and each had a heavy hammer strike. The others that did not go off had very light hammer strikes. What am I doing wrong? Do I need to load the primers higher? I'm sure it is something to do with me not knowing anything about revolvers.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
okshootist Posted February 26, 2011 Share Posted February 26, 2011 You can't really judge the strength of the firing pin strike on fired rounds. They all look heavy after firing. The problem could be borderline firing pin strikes or excessive cylinder endshake. With the cylinder closed it shouldn't have more than about .002" fore and aft movement. Check the mainspring strain screw to make certain it is tight and has not been excessively shortened. Also check the mainspring to see if it has been excessively bent or thinned. Make certain your moonclips are not bent. If the clip holds the round too high it absorbs firing pin energy. Primers should be seated with the anvil legs in contact with the bottom of the primer pocket. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baer45 Posted February 26, 2011 Author Share Posted February 26, 2011 This is a new gun. I thought revolvers were for people that wanted it to fire everytime you pulled the trigger!! Couldn't resist that comment being a 1911 lover. Seriously though, the only 2 rounds that fired had a heavy hammer strike and the 4 (?) that did not fire showed just a fine hit.. Tell me more about the moon clips...I don't mind being stupid because I have not shot a revolver since I was a kid. I thought the clip that came with the gun was for reloads?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Youngeyes Posted February 26, 2011 Share Posted February 26, 2011 1. What primers are you using? 2. Did the misfires fire the second time? 3. High primers are most likely the cause if they fire the second time. The first strike seats the primer deeper( the light looking strike), the second fires the load. No proof but consensus seems to be that cci primers are harder and therfore need a stronger strike to fire. Federal are the touchier of the primers. Winchester in the middle. Good luck. Revolvers rule. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevinj308 Posted February 26, 2011 Share Posted February 26, 2011 Welcome to round gun world! Those rounds that did go off have a lighter appearing strike because they had a lot of pressure pushing back on them when they went off. The primer of a fired round is not a good indication of how hard they got hit. The light strikes typically come from a loose strain screw or a primer not seated fully. When the primer is not seated fully it absorbs a significant amount of hammer energy. The hammer has to push the primer the rest of the way down and then when it finally meets resistance may not have enough energy left to ignite. The Federal primer recommendation is a good one, but I think the most important is to make sure all primers are fully seated. They should be conspicuously below the case head. By a few thousandths at least. Just for comparison in my 625 with tuned action I can only use Federal primers that I have seated with a hand tool. The tool allows me to feel when the primer has fully seated in the pocket of the case. In my case I use a Lee hand press, RCBS also makes a priming tool. Owners of presses that have adjustable primer seating depth don't have to worry about this. The extra work is the price I pay for a lighter and smoother action. If you check out the revolver section of this thread you'll find that this is the norm for competition guns. Maybe change primer brands if you can, definitely seat them all the way, and then go get some rounds through it and see what happens. If you continue to have problems there is a wealth of revo knowledge on this forum. Kevin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
calishootr Posted February 26, 2011 Share Posted February 26, 2011 assuming you bought a 625 revo??? they need to be used with moonclips, the moonclips will hold the round in the proper position for a primer strike, otherwise as you found out, more often than not the round will sink down to the chamber mouth, and the firing pin will not be able to get at it to put a proper amount of force to set off the round, use the moonclips i think you will find out your enjoyment of your new pistol will improve greatly Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevinj308 Posted February 26, 2011 Share Posted February 26, 2011 assuming you bought a 625 revo??? they need to be used with moonclips, the moonclips will hold the round in the proper position for a primer strike, otherwise as you found out, more often than not the round will sink down to the chamber mouth, and the firing pin will not be able to get at it to put a proper amount of force to set off the round, use the moonclips i think you will find out your enjoyment of your new pistol will improve greatly Wow I missed that from the OP. Absolutely follow Cali's advice and use the clips. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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