HELP!!!!! Stuck at Half-Cock!!!

[flabbydan]

Well, after waiting my entire adult life, I finally brought home a Freedom Arms revolver (252 with 7.5" bbl) thanks to the generosity of GBO member HANK08  .  Unfortunately, after only a few minutes of handling the gun, I somehow managed to get the cylinder bound up.  The hammer is stuck at half-cock.  I mean it's like the thing is welded in the half-cock position.  I can't even remove the cylinder, but I'm certainly not about to force anything.  Is there an easy way to remedy this situation, or do I need the services of a gunsmith?  What did I do to have caused this, and how do I prevent this from happening again?  I don't know if I'm more embarrassed or ticked off at myself.     
Any help would be much appreciated!
Dan

[hillbill]

i wouldnt be embarassed, there is obviously something messed up with the gun.id just start takeing it apart until yu possibly find the problem.yu might have to pull the cylinder pin with a piece of leather wrapped around pliers jaws.let us know what yu find?

[Hank08]

hillbill, there is nothing wrong with that gun, it is as perfect as any gun FA ever built.  Everything is super tight on it. I'd had it for yrs. never had any problem.  I removed the cylinder and checked that it was clean just before sending it. Everything was normal.  It was like new only been shot a few times.  I've taken my other .22 and tried to make it lock up to see what he may have done but can't do it.  I wonder if he, for whatever reason, held the cylinder while pulling back on the hammer until something jammed.  I don't know if that would do it but it's the only thing I can think of.
Dan, best idea would be call Freedom Arms, tell them exactly what you did and they can probably tell you what to do.
H08

[flabbydan]

Don't worry Hank!
I'm not blaming you for anything.  There is nothing wrong with the gun! I've never handled a single action with all the different hammer positions.  It's just something I'll have to get used to.

[MarkH]

On some guns - my experience has been with a 97 ... or maybe an 83 - the hand is either a little short or a little long (don't remember which) and if you let the hammer down from full cock and stop at half cock, it will lock up there tight as a wedge.  To resolve temporarily, I removed the gripframe.  Relieving the mainspring pressure let things get back to normal.  It is a good time to check out your springs as well.

To fix permanently, the hand might need to be refit ... assuming my diagnosis is correct. 

[WL44]

My rusty memory tells me we've seen this here before and it was explained by Mr Baker.

I'll try to find the thread.

I'd also suggest calling FA; even if they can't help it's 5 minutes you may be pleased you spent.

[WL44]

I've deleted the link as there are unrelated issues there too which add nothing...

.. I'm not sure this helps, but I'm pleased that my memory hasn't rusted up entriely....

Reading Mr Baker's reply regarding the locked up cylinder etc. this was the relevant part:

"Humbo, the only explanation I can come up with for the gun locking up is if the cylinder were reinserted into the gun while the cylinder lock was in the up position it could happen.  Be sure when installing the cylinder that the hammer is put into half cock from the full down position.  In other words, don’t take the hammer from full cock to half cock and try to install the cylinder.  Also when drawing the hammer back from the full down position be sure to stop at the half cock position, going beyond half cock will allow the cylinder lock to come up.  With the cylinder out of the gun just pull the hammer through its positions while watching the cylinder lock and you will see what I mean."

[Humbo]

Thats right, I actually had this problem not long after I purchased my first model 83. I don't know how I made it happen, but I managed to fix it by myself without taking the gun apart. I don't remember exactly how, but most likely I followed Bob Baker's instructions. Even after thousands of rounds it never happened again. I once broke a firing pin that locked up the cylinder also, but it was an easy fix by just replacing the pin with a new one.
I hope you find a solution to your problem.

[WL44]

Here's what Humbo said he did to "fix" it: "Well, I managed to fix the problem with the hammer. I just turned the gun, without the cylinder inserted, upside down and jammed it several times into the palm of my hand. And suddenly it was operating normally again. Is this something that can happen when removing the cylinder or something?"

[Humbo]

WL44, thanks for refreshing my memory. Maybe I was just lucky, but that's how I managed to "fix" it. It's worth a try before sending the gun back or taking it apart.