Author Topic: Someone please help! (Read 1075 times)

daddywpb · « **on:** October 03, 2004, 06:29:44 AM »

I'm pulling whats left of my hair out over this one. I have a Taurus Titanium revolver in 45 Colt. I took the sideplate off to install a reduced power hammer spring and a reduced power trigger return spring. I took the hammer out, but the trigger/hand/hammer block safety lever never came out of the frame. Didn't need to, so I figured why go through the trouble. I replaced the hammer and trigger return springs with the new ones from the kit, put everything back togeather and the cylinder is dragging so bad that the gun just locks up. I swear I didn't do anything to any other parts, just replaced the springs. I took it apart again, but this time everything came out for a good cleaning. There are no visible burrs, on anything that I can see, and the gun has never been cleaner. I put the factory springs back in, put everything back togeather and still have the same problem. If the hammer is cocked enough to lower the cylinder lock, the cylinder turns freely. With the cylinder removed, everything turns smoothly. This has never happened before today. I've had the gun for about six months, and shot a few hundred rounds of mid range loads through it. I don't know how I managed to break something just by taking it apart, but I seem to have done just that. I really don't want to send it back to Taurus. They would know I took it apart because it's clean and oiled inside now. Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

gunnut69 · « **Reply #1 on:** October 04, 2004, 05:10:08 AM »

First of all I don't believe you broke anything. What exactly is the problem. You say it drags but the cylinder can be rotated if the hammer is cocked.. explain the problem in a little more detail. Does the cylinder rotate when the hammer is cocked? Will the hammer stay in the cocked position? Double action work OK? help.....

IntrepidWizard · « **Reply #2 on:** October 04, 2004, 05:15:22 AM »

Check the cylinder lock with the cylinder removed

daddywpb · « **Reply #3 on:** October 04, 2004, 05:47:18 AM »

Sorry guys, I tried to give all the details. The cylinder will turn, but it is difficult to cock the hammer or to pull the trigger double action. It seems to bind as it's turning. It also seems to be worse on a couple cylinders than the others. The hammer stays in the cocked position, and the cylinder won't rotate when it is cocked. If the hammer is pulled back enough to release the cylinder, it will spin freely. If the cylinder is open, and the cylinder latch is held back, the action functions smoothly. I hope that helps, but if I left something out, please let me know. Thank you for your help.

gunnut69 · « **Reply #4 on:** October 04, 2004, 06:22:14 AM »

Are you certain your installing the hand correctly in its slot in the side plate when re-installing it. It sound as if the hand is binding with the ratchet on the cylinder. check the hands protrusion thru the breach face with the cylinder open and the latch retracted. If the cylinder is free and the action is free the only 2 points of contect between the mechanism and the cyklinder is the bolt and the hand. I'd bet the hand is the problem.

daddywpb · « **Reply #5 on:** October 04, 2004, 01:49:30 PM »

gunnut69,
Thank you very much for your help. The hand is protruding through the slot in the breechface as it travels up. There are only two pins on the other end of it. One for the hole it pivots in, and one that the spring and plunger contact. What should I look for that could be causing it to bind? I hate it when something is working, and when it goes back togeather it isn't working. Very frustrating. I will take it apart again and look for something out of place, but it seems like it could only go togeather one way.Thank you again.
Steve

gunnut69 · « **Reply #6 on:** October 05, 2004, 09:17:35 AM »

You didn't mention the pistols model number but the Taurus revolvers seem to use about the same layout for all their revolvers. They use a frame mounted firing pin and a transfer bar to carry the energy to the firing pin from the hammer. I believe the hand is your problem. Close the weapon and watch thru the gap between the rear of the cylinder and the breech face as you cock the hammer. You should be able to remove the sideplate also to watch as the action is cycled. The hand should not protrude thru the breech face appreciably until the hammer starts moving. Since the revolver functions normally until the cylinders motion is tied to the mechanism via the hand we must assume that is where the problem is located. With the sideplate removed watch the interplat between the hand and the hammer and trigger. Also what model number is your Taurus? does the transfer bar interfer with the motion of the hand as the mechism is cycled?

daddywpb · « **Reply #7 on:** October 06, 2004, 03:06:45 PM »

gunnut69,
I'm not sure what is relevant and what isn't, so I'll try to be as detailed as possible. The model number is 450. I tried to look at the gap between the cylinder and the breechface, but there isn't one. Even held up to a light, there is no visible gap. I took the sideplate off, and the transfer bar isn't interfering with the hand as far as I can tell. The point of the hand is very sharp, and looking at the star in the cylinder, you can see where it has been binding. There are burrs and marks on the star. Under magnification, I can see where the metal has been roughed up by the hand. The hand seems to be moving freely in it's slot in the frame, and it doesn't start on it's way up untill the hammer starts to move. Please let me know if you need any more info. Thanks again for your help.

gunnut69 · « **Reply #8 on:** October 06, 2004, 08:57:52 PM »

With the cylinder open and the cylinder release held back, does the bolt that locks the cylinder(protrudes up from the bottom of the cylinder window in the frame) retract completely when the hammer is cocked? It must release for the hand to be able to rotate the cylinder. There should be little appreciable marking of the star by the hand.

daddywpb · « **Reply #9 on:** October 08, 2004, 01:54:00 PM »

Yes, it does retract completely, then pops back up through the slot at the first "click" of the hammer. When the hammer is cocked, and the cylinder locks up, it can be made to turn with just slight pressure on the cylinder in the right direction. The marking on the star by the hand is noticible.

gunnut69 · « **Reply #10 on:** October 08, 2004, 07:25:48 PM »

The hand should engage the star in the notches and there should be no or very little marking of the star by the hand. It truly sound like a timing issue but if your certain you've reassembled the hand and it's spring correctly and checked the slot thru the breach the hand operates in for burrs etc. then I don't have a clue. It almost sounds as if the hand is incorrectly assembled and is coming thru the breach face too straight and not at an upward angle allowing it to dig into the star and add a lot of resistance to operation. Can the hand be installed upside down? Are you certain it's correctly assembled?

daddywpb · « **Reply #11 on:** October 08, 2004, 11:36:21 PM »

I've got the day off from work, so I'll take it apart again today and look around. Thanks for your help.

gunnut69 · « **Reply #12 on:** October 09, 2004, 05:58:04 AM »

Let us know what you find.. This is an interesting problem.. and I don't have a lot of experience with taurus revolvers..

safetysheriff · « **Reply #13 on:** October 10, 2004, 03:56:45 AM »

I suggest you make contact with a library or a gunsmith to get a book or some help to put it together properly. You could also go to BeartoothBullets.com and they have a schematic section on their site.

I doubt that it was re-assembled properly.....because I have had this problem with other handguns and needed to pay closer attention to my re-assembly. But that was with Rugers.....not Taurus.

Good luck.

daddywpb · « **Reply #14 on:** October 31, 2004, 01:41:16 AM »

Well, I gave up and shipped it back to Taurus today. They said turnaround time is about 6 weeks. :cry:

daddywpb · « **Reply #15 on:** January 02, 2005, 12:15:28 AM »

Finally got this revolver back from Taurus, after my local shop that received it sat on it for a week not knowing whose it was. The paperwork from them doesn't specify what they did to it, it just says "Congradulations, you're firearm has been repaired by
Taurus." The only thing that is visible is that they filed the "blue" finish off the face of the cylinder, but it is working ok, at least for now. I re-installed the spring kit and the trigger is servicable. Their customer service people acted like I was interupting their coffee break the couple of times that I called to check on the gun's whereabouts. This is my wife's gun, and she fell in love with the looks of the blue colored Titanium right away, and she likes the grip, so we got it against my better judgement. I've never been a big Taurus fan. A friend of mine had one back in the 80's and the trigger literally broke off twice. My wife is happy to have it back, but she agreed that at the first signs of any more trouble it gets traded off - before it stops working.

gunnut69 · « **Reply #16 on:** January 02, 2005, 09:44:18 AM »

daddywpb- glad the weapon is back and OK. You had the sideplate off again to install the springs..notice anything different? What does the hand look like as it moves thru the slot in the breach face? What does the star on the rear of the cylinder look like, did they clean up the marks?

daddywpb · « **Reply #17 on:** January 02, 2005, 03:01:04 PM »

Both the star and the hand look like new parts. There are file marks on the side of the hand that faces up (when it's installed). Either they cleaned up the star or replaced it. I only disassembled it enough to replace the springs. The hammer, trigger and cylinder lock look the same. I've got my fingers crossed. My wife really likes the gun.