38 REVOLVER ?

[antonio]

I have a Colt 38 revolver and the cylinder release is stuck i have not shot this gun in 5 years. Any help thanks

[antonio]

thanks for the info. Maybe i will give that a try if not it's off to the Gun Smith

[SVT-40]

Another fellow brought a S&W into the shop yesterday with exactly the same issue. His problem was the oil/grease which was in the cylinder release pin channel had turned to varnish. I would imagine it's the same with your revolver.

So you don't have to take the side plate off remove the grips and then use a heat gun or hair dryer to gently heat the cylinder and the area of the ejector rod. This should free up the pin inside the ejector rod allowing the pin which locks up the cylinder to move.

This is not an uncommon issue. Regular manipulation and LIGHT oiling will prevent this issue.

Once you get the cylinder open you could unscrew the ejector rod and clean the pin channel or use some gun scrubber to get the varnish out.

[antonio]

Thanks SVT-40 i will give that a try

[Bt Doctur]

A product called "Brake-Kleen " works wonders too

[uxo2]

spray large amounts of WD-40 thru the sides near the hammer..

Going to get messy

[antonio]

Ok got the cylinder open now the release is only sticking when the cylinder is locked in place any help or does this even make sense

thanks

[antonio]

bump please any help

[spaghettithrower]

It is quite common for Colt's to stick as you described, most often after lapses in use. It is most likely just gummed up from whatever lube was in there that has dried up and made everything sticky. What needs to happen is the side plate needs to come off (remove the screws that go thru the sideplate on the left side of the gun) gently lift off the sideplate, being cautious not to lose the small spring and plunger that act on the cylinder latch. Once the sideplate is off the cylinder latch will slide forward and off and you will be able to clean and relube it and the spring behind it. The cylinder latch slides the latch pin assembly back to release the cylinder, the latch pin assembly is likely gummy as well, depending on which Colt you have you may be able to slide the latch pin assembly out by cocking the hammer back and drawing the assembly to the rear and out, if not you would have to disassemble the action to remove it, if this is the case I would recommend a spray cleaner unless you are the more adventurous type and go ahead and disassemble enough of the action to remove the hammer which will then give you enough room to remove the latch assembly. Clean the assembly and relube with a good gun oil (not WD-40 as it will eventually gum up) and reassemble. When you reinstall the sideplate you will have to align the cylinder latch with the latch assembly and the sideplate should drop on with little effort. With everything cleaned and freshly lubed you cylinder latch should work well.
Good luck

[antonio]

Thanks spagh,

i shall try this, the model is a Colt 38 Special Trooper