Author Topic: Empty chamber under hammer (Read 916 times)

Star1pup · « **on:** December 25, 2004, 04:26:21 AM »

I have a Colt New Frontier in .22/.22wmr. I know there is a sequence of loading for getting an empty chamber under the hammer. Can anyone help me on this? This gun has no transfer bar.

myronman3 · « **Reply #1 on:** December 25, 2004, 06:54:42 AM »

load one chamber, skip one chamber , four more, then cock the hammer and let it down carefully. you have an empty chamber under the hammer.

Robert · « **Reply #2 on:** December 25, 2004, 07:45:32 AM »

I don't know if yours has a half-cock position for the hammer which allows the cylinder to turn freely. But it is safer to half-cock it and then turn it by hand and do like Myronman says. Put one in, then pass one cylinder. 1,0,3,4,5,6. DO NOT TURN IT BY HAND AFTER #6, pull the hammer all the way back and lay it down gently until you are sure you have it right. Take a cleaning rod and insert it down the muzzle and check to see how deep it is going. If you loaded it properly...the rod will go all the way through the cylinder. You can also insert an aluminum cleaning rod in the muzzle when the gun is unloaded and mark it with a sharpie marker....then do the loading process...put the rod in and if the mark is flush with the muzzle...you have succesfully loaded a single-six 'Cowboy Style'.

Star1pup · « **Reply #3 on:** January 02, 2005, 03:43:00 AM »

Thanks for the info. This is a nice gun. I bought it new back in the early 70s for about $90 at Woolworths. Times sure have changed.

Throckmorton · « **Reply #4 on:** January 20, 2005, 05:36:52 PM »

Warning
don't get compalcent(sp) with this loading tecchnique. At a cowboy match we had a reload,and out of habit I cocked the gun and let the hammer down on the 'empty' chamber and BLAM!!!! about a foot in front of my foot.Cylinders don't always index the way we 'know' they should.
Muzzle direction,at ALL times.

44 Man · « **Reply #5 on:** January 21, 2005, 01:52:21 AM »

Throckmorton, that was a Ruger right? Because the Ruger action does not align with the loading gate, sometimes it will click just past the hand when you are loading. Then when you cock it, it goes farther than you expected. I have not seen this happen with a SAA or clone unless someone was careless and rotated the cylinder more after loading. To prevent this with the Colt, hold the cylinder backwards against the hand with your finger after you have turned it to the next hole to load. This also aligns the hole with the loading gate properly. The new Ruger mid frame will not have this tendency that the present Vaquaro has. Or you can install a half-cock hammer in your Vaquaro. Also remember with the Colt style if you pull the hammer to half-cock to check for an empty gun. ALWAYS bring it to full cock before letting the hammer down. This will prevent the marks between cylinder notches that you see on many guns. 44 Man