Pre-USPSA Nationals revolver maintenance

[Carmoney]

I don't tend to do much with my wheelguns after I get them set up and broken in well. I externally clean them pretty regularly (particularly now that I'm back to shooting cast lead bullets at most of the local matches), but otherwise I pretty much leave them alone. In fact, I haven't turned a screw on my "main" 625 in several years, and it's been running perfectly.

As the Nationals approaches, however, I thought it might not be a bad idea to give my gun a good once-over on the bench. The screws were all nice and tight, due to my insistence on using a dab of blue loctite on all the threads the last time I had it apart. And the innards were quite clean.

One thing I did notice is that the cylinder stop was developing a small flattened area where it engages the cylinder. So I replaced it with a new MIM stop (these almost always drop right in with no fitting work required) and new cylinder stop spring--cheap insurance, I'd say. Looking at the stop notches and ramps on the cylinder, I didn't see any meaningful advancement in the usual peening, and in fact there was no build-up on the notch ends of the ramps to worry about. While the cylinder was out I cleaned the gunk off the yoke barrel and re-lubed it using Mobil 1, my favorite lube for all guns and all seasons. I wiped out and inspected the insides (everything looked good), then put the parts back together and gave the action a shot of Teflon dry lube and a couple of drops of Mobil 1 on the critical bearing surfaces. Then I re-applied blue loctite to all the screws and tightened everything down good and hard.

I recently broke my fiber-optic rod on the SDM front sight, and took the opportunity to drill it through so I can easily replace the rod anytime I want by simply melting it front and back (a blue-flame cigar lighter works best for this) rather than dink around with glue, etc. So that was already done.

Shot a club match today with it and confirmed that everything is working well. We had a couple of small poppers set out at 35+ yards, and they went right down when I had the front sight in the right place, so I know it's sighted in well. It's a nice feeling knowing that by simply taking 15 or 20 minutes to go through my gun, I am reducing the possibility of having an equipment problem during the "big show."

Two weeks and counting!!

[cliffwalsh]

As usual, Mike and I do things the opposite way.

I decided to go out and blow my gun up today so I get to rig a gun up from scratch for the nationals.

[Sharyn]

As usual, Mike and I do things the opposite way.

I decided to go out and blow my gun up today so I get to rig a gun up from scratch for the nationals.

I thought you were just trying to get out of shooting the 40 yard standards. You need to post pictures, Cliff. It's carnage is rather impressive. Glad you get to go to Nationals with both eyes and all twelve fingers.

Thanks for sticking around and helping out. Sorry 'bout your gun.

[Carmoney]

What the hell happened?

(And Cliff, if you need help setting up a gun, just say the word. Seriously, whatever you need.)

[vrmn1]

As usual, Mike and I do things the opposite way.

I decided to go out and blow my gun up today so I get to rig a gun up from scratch for the nationals.

Dang homey what the hell happened?

Mine is here if you need it buddy.

[bigsaxdog]

aw, shucks.....i betcha a couple of tubes of JB Weld, a BFH, and a little screwing around on the lathe, and he could get at least 5 of those GAP's to go bang.........and you notice i said bang, not BANG!

[Sue and Sarah]

I decided to go out and blow my gun up today so I get to rig a gun up from scratch for the nationals.

Geez, Cliff. I can loan you a 9mm with some ammo guaranteed to go sub-minor. Or, heck, I have a .357 Taurus snubby you could make minor with.

Sue

[Sue and Sarah]

I decided to go out and blow my gun up today so I get to rig a gun up from scratch for the nationals.

Geez, Cliff. I can loan you a 9mm with some ammo guaranteed to go sub-minor. Or, heck, I have a .357 Taurus snubby you could make minor with.

Sue

[S&WIowegan]

Tell us what happened Cliff....maybe the rest of us can avoid the same fate. But seriously, Carmoney is putting the finishing touches on my back-up 625-6 5" even as I type. I would be honored to lend it to a famous GM for the Nats Let me know and we could even ship it down to you.

Bob.

A16841

[sarnburg]

That pre-match maintenance is very important.

Edited August 25, 2008 by sarnburg

[Tom Mainus]

That pre-match maintenance is very important.

Been there, done that.

Welcome to the club

Tom

[pskys2]

I broke the Trigger Stud on mine, so I trust S&W put it back together right!

I did mine a month ago before the last 2 club matches. All that's left is load match ammo, can't seem to get to it, and just leave everything alone!!!!

Mike, I had trouble with the FO's on FS's and I now,

Melt 1 end, so it's a nice round pix, the add a drop of Crazy Glue to the forward portion of the shaft of the FO, then melt the muzzle end of the FO.

Since doing this I've not had one come loose, or fall out. Knock, Knock on Wood, why am I dizzy?

Now we know why Cliff is a GM, he can count to six on his off hand.

Hope the blow up doesn't scar your psyche Cliff.

[Cherryriver]

That YouTube clip is classic 625. All of the guns I've seen or heard of doing that were 625s.

I used to have one, too. The Chesterton, IN, club I belong to has a non-sanctioned revo match once a year (it's this Sunday, this year) and a couple of years ago, a Glock-guy clubmember friend was intrigued enough by the round-gun thing to edge close to joining the "fun".

It wasn't in the cards for him to go out and buy a gun, so I loaned him my four-inch 625 to run the match with.

I hadn't really been shooting it much; it wasn't a reliable ignitor and I didn't shoot it that well anyway, so it was no loss to me. I gave Ted a couple of boxes of good Rainier loads and a jar of moonclips and waved as he left registration.

I was having a perfectly good time with my Webley two bays over when Ted, accompanied by his friend Bob (in hysteria), came storming over to show me the now-two-piece 625.

I guess he was miffed I cracked up into uselessness, too, and he had to screw the thing back together himself.

I sold it to a cowboy shooter after that, and since he was still speaking to me as of yesterday, I guess it's all good.

Ted never did buy a sixgun.

The Webley continues to astound ROs with empty moonclips flying towards their faces. I always try to hit the timer if I can.

As for maintenance, I did clean it this year before the Central States Revo ICORE match at Bend of the River. Usually, though, all it really needs is to be opened smartly enough to throw off any mud that might be caught in it.

Bill

Edited August 25, 2008 by Cherryriver

[Carmoney]

That YouTube clip is classic 625. All of the guns I've seen or heard of doing that were 625s.

They will all do that if the yoke screw loosens up. With the new-style yoke screw with the spring-loaded plunger, you can't just stick the yoke back in to finish the stage, either. The plunger will pop inward far enough to block the re-introduction of the yoke into the frame. I've actually seen Cliff resort to using his thumbnail as a screwdriver to get the yoke screw out far enough to allow the cylinder to go back into place in order to finish out a stage.

A good tight fastening, with a little blue loctite on the threads, takes care of the problem before it happens.

[snertley]

As usual, Mike and I do things the opposite way.

I decided to go out and blow my gun up today so I get to rig a gun up from scratch for the nationals.

I think Cliff might have been trying to reload those aluminum "Silver Bullets" by Coors, and we all know they can't be reloaded. Let alone into a GAP!

Post some pictures and tell us what the heck happened.

Jon

[Bwana Six-Gun]

As usual, Mike and I do things the opposite way.

I decided to go out and blow my gun up today so I get to rig a gun up from scratch for the nationals.

Cliff, I will have a spare 625 at Tulsa. It is not as slick as a "Randy Lee", but it is close. If you can't get anything working before then, let me know and it is yours to use.

PAT

By the by, just what did you do to your gun?

Edited August 26, 2008 by Bwana Six-Gun

[cliffwalsh]

Thanks all for the offers to borrow guns. I have another it is just not match ready. I never even bring a backup gun to a match.

The gun blew up at our Monthly Match Sunday. I guess it was a double charge or some form of over charge. I tried to double my load last night and the powder overflows the case and the bullet will not seat then it gets stuck in the crimp die. I don't think it was a double but I cannot see any other way. Can you get a charge and a half charge out of a Dillon 550??

The cylinder split from end to end along the top and the top strap bent up slightly. The rear sight was gone but the front screw was still in place. The tip of the center pin was sheared off. Everything else was ok. When it went off, it didn't feel hot or sound really loud. It just sounded different. I knew something was wrong because I felt the blast on my face. I got a little cut on the first knuckle of my trigger finger. I guess that was from pieces of the brass case. It was split along the top and the back was pealed back to either side from the case head about 1/4 of the way up the case.

I think it is pretty obvious that Mike has more minions than I suspected

[Gregg K]

I once had a tiny piece of that seal from the top of a jug of powder work its way down my powder measure and get stuck half way down the drop tube. It would turn on edge and let all the powder pass and sometimes it would bridge over and stop some of the powder and then add that to the next load when the little piece would flap around like a valve. My powder check would beep because the powder was high and then it would beep that it was low. Other times it would be dead on. It drove me nuts until I pulled the powder measure off and the drop tube out and saw the little piece wedged in there. I ran all the powder through a strainer and found another little piece. I'm very careful with those seals now. I'm glad that I was using a powder check that alerted me to a problem.

Edited August 26, 2008 by Gregg K

[Carmoney]

It's amazing the lengths to which some people will go in order to concoct an excuse for poor shooting.

(Email sent regarding gun work offer....)

[pskys2]

Didn't have a previous round lodge a bullet in the barrel? If it did there would be a bulge in the barrel at that point.

It could have been an undercharge. Depending on powder type, Bullseye comes to mind, there have been many similar reports and the theory has always been with light loads (2.3 grains etc...of Bullseye) an lighter charge would/could lead to an issue called spontaneous combustion. Where the powder was laying flat along the case (always seemed to be a .38 special) and the primer would ignite over the top and light off all the powder at once increasing pressures and resulting in a blow up.

I don't think it was ever recreated in a lab but the number of Bullseye and PPC shooters who had it happen are pretty large.

Glad you're not hurt.

Buck up, all that extra trigger time getting the newbie ready may even help!

[Vericio_Brazil]

Glad you're not hurt.

+1

I told him the same.

[cliffwalsh]

Didn't have a previous round lodge a bullet in the barrel? If it did there would be a bulge in the barrel at that point.

It could have been an undercharge. Depending on powder type, Bullseye comes to mind, there have been many similar reports and the theory has always been with light loads (2.3 grains etc...of Bullseye) an lighter charge would/could lead to an issue called spontaneous combustion. Where the powder was laying flat along the case (always seemed to be a .38 special) and the primer would ignite over the top and light off all the powder at once increasing pressures and resulting in a blow up.

I don't think it was ever recreated in a lab but the number of Bullseye and PPC shooters who had it happen are pretty large.

Glad you're not hurt.

Buck up, all that extra trigger time getting the newbie ready may even help!

It was 3.2g of Clays with a 230 LRN and there is no empty space in the case.

I will check my powder drop thought, that sounds possible.

[Carmoney]

It was 3.2g of Clays with a 230 LRN and there is no empty space in the case.

For the benefit of others just tuning in who may find this confusing, Cliff's talking about his load using .45 GAP brass. In a standard .45 ACP case, with the overall cartridge length set to factory ball spec, it normally takes 3.9 to 4.2 grains of Clays to make major. And in ACP brass (even my ratty old pile of mixed stuff), that is a perfectly safe range.

You have to wonder if perhaps Cliff has been riding the razor's edge of unsafe pressure with that GAP brass all along. Maybe Clays, with it's well-known tendency toward spikiness, is not the best powder for GAP brass considering the much smaller internal volume.....

[Greg Q]

Cliff,

I am no expert, but I have done a lot of tests on the Gap and clays loads. I shoot a Zero 230 FMJ and 3.4 of clays for my gun at 171 PF. I have tried up to 4.0 and have had significant pressure signs at 3.8 and 4.0. I do not think it would take a double charge to do what yours did. I would think even a full grain or so would probably do it. Just my $.02. I think I will try N310 for the next load.

Greg

Edited August 26, 2008 by Greg Q

[whizz]

Glad you are all right Cliff a revo ka-boom is no fun experience. Have seen a Ruger Vaquero in .45 Colt go the same way. The top strap was significantly bent on that revolver.

Greg, are you sure N310 is good for .45 GAP? I suspect it will be difficult to reach major PF safely with N310 and 230 gr bullet. Most shooters here that has turned to the GAP-way use N320 to reach around 175 PF which is a healthy margin to 170. Does major PF differ in USPSA vs IPSC?

Conny