Carry_Up
Single-Sixer
There is a general misunderstanding of the "free spin" feature of the newest New Vaquero designs. I don't pretend to know everything about it, but a lot of incorrect information is being presented. Here is a u-toob video to use as a starting point.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoh5lSc6Ah0
The main point to gather from this video is that these guns tend to "lock up" soon after they are purchased. The lockup is during the loading/unloading sequence when the loading gate is open. The cylinder won't rotate in either direction. (Please see photos and discussions in 2 threads below.) "Cylinder won't rotate when the gate is open" is a serious problem; what is lacking is an understanding of why.
Note first that the gun in its new condition is not set up for "free spin". The cylinder will normally not rotate in the reverse direction anyway. The real problem is that the cylinder will not advance in the forward direction to permit loading.
The maker of the video doesn't understand how the cylinder/pawl relationship works. What is new on the newest version is that the pawl is supposed to withdraw completely flush with the pawl window when the hammer is down. Problems begin to happen if the pawl does not completely withdraw to its flush position. If the pawl is not flush, the cylinder ratchet will stub on the upper corner of the top pawl surface - which is the portion of the pawl that sticks out of the window. That is the real problem. Previous versions did not have this problem because the pawl position at hammer down was significantly higher on the ratchets, allowing the ratchets to push the pawl backwards during loading rotation.
Removal of the spring loading retaining plunger will apparently allow the cylinder to free spin. This is merely a fortunate accidental by-product of the real difficulty. Since it is easy to do, that's a simple way to get the gun back in operation. It does not fix the real issue with the pawl, however. Nothing is being done to the pawl to change its position, or its operation. If, as some incorrectly believe, the pawl is wearing away the pawl window after only 100 rounds, the gun should be completely useless by 1000 rounds. I don't think so. The pawl is not "banging around and damaging the frame". It is simply not functioning as intended. The lower pawl projection is not fully engaging the "scratch" in the grip frame to allow it to fully withdraw. Note that spring combinations all work against this new feature. The hammer spring must overcome the spring force in the base pin, the pawl spring and the firing pin spring to completely move the hammer into fully down position. As set up at the factory, even a strong main spring is not able to fully retract the pawl.
There is a a better way to approach the problem, but perhaps others can carry on with those solutions which are detailed in the Kuhnhausen book and elsewhere. I wish this version had never come off the line, frankly, because it upsets the original design of the pawl system. For those who like the free spin idea - no problem. But, if you really believe that the pawl is carving out your frame (it is not!) note that removing the retaining plunger will not change the pawl operation one bit.
Carry_Up
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoh5lSc6Ah0
The main point to gather from this video is that these guns tend to "lock up" soon after they are purchased. The lockup is during the loading/unloading sequence when the loading gate is open. The cylinder won't rotate in either direction. (Please see photos and discussions in 2 threads below.) "Cylinder won't rotate when the gate is open" is a serious problem; what is lacking is an understanding of why.
Note first that the gun in its new condition is not set up for "free spin". The cylinder will normally not rotate in the reverse direction anyway. The real problem is that the cylinder will not advance in the forward direction to permit loading.
The maker of the video doesn't understand how the cylinder/pawl relationship works. What is new on the newest version is that the pawl is supposed to withdraw completely flush with the pawl window when the hammer is down. Problems begin to happen if the pawl does not completely withdraw to its flush position. If the pawl is not flush, the cylinder ratchet will stub on the upper corner of the top pawl surface - which is the portion of the pawl that sticks out of the window. That is the real problem. Previous versions did not have this problem because the pawl position at hammer down was significantly higher on the ratchets, allowing the ratchets to push the pawl backwards during loading rotation.
Removal of the spring loading retaining plunger will apparently allow the cylinder to free spin. This is merely a fortunate accidental by-product of the real difficulty. Since it is easy to do, that's a simple way to get the gun back in operation. It does not fix the real issue with the pawl, however. Nothing is being done to the pawl to change its position, or its operation. If, as some incorrectly believe, the pawl is wearing away the pawl window after only 100 rounds, the gun should be completely useless by 1000 rounds. I don't think so. The pawl is not "banging around and damaging the frame". It is simply not functioning as intended. The lower pawl projection is not fully engaging the "scratch" in the grip frame to allow it to fully withdraw. Note that spring combinations all work against this new feature. The hammer spring must overcome the spring force in the base pin, the pawl spring and the firing pin spring to completely move the hammer into fully down position. As set up at the factory, even a strong main spring is not able to fully retract the pawl.
There is a a better way to approach the problem, but perhaps others can carry on with those solutions which are detailed in the Kuhnhausen book and elsewhere. I wish this version had never come off the line, frankly, because it upsets the original design of the pawl system. For those who like the free spin idea - no problem. But, if you really believe that the pawl is carving out your frame (it is not!) note that removing the retaining plunger will not change the pawl operation one bit.
Carry_Up