Ruger New Model Super Blackhawk: Stuck Cylinder. Fully loaded.

[Whiteleather]

Got a tricky problem coming to my bench shortly.

Fella managed to load his Blackhawk cylinder, close it into the frame, and lock it up. No cylinder movement, hammer won't cock, cylinder pin won't budge. Cylinder is fully loaded with factory .44mag.

Followed a thread here from many years ago with some good advice for a similar situation. Will try those suggestions. Just wanted to start a thread here to ask for help if I need it, or to provide help after the experience is concluded.

 

[Paul B]

Got a tricky problem coming to my bench shortly.

Fella managed to load his Blackhawk cylinder, close it into the frame, and lock it up. No cylinder movement, hammer won't cock, cylinder pin won't budge. Cylinder is fully loaded with factory .44mag.

Followed a thread here from many years ago with some good advice for a similar situation. Will try those suggestions. Just wanted to start a thread here to ask for help if I need it, or to provide help after the experience is concluded.

I'm confused by your comment. "close it into the frame". To load a New Model Super Blackhawk one only needs to open the loading gate. turn the cylinder to load cartridges into the chambers and then close the gate to shoot the gun. Did the person remove the cylinder, load it and replace it back in the frame???? If so, I think the cylinder the cylinder pin might be binding which can happen if the cylinder isn't lined up just quite right. I've had that happen on a couple of NM Blackhawks I own. That's my best guess.
Paul B.

 

[Whiteleather]

I'm confused by your comment. "close it into the frame". To load a New Model Super Blackhawk one only needs to open the loading gate. turn the cylinder to load cartridges into the chambers and then close the gate to shoot the gun. Did the person remove the cylinder, load it and replace it back in the frame???? If so, I think the cylinder the cylinder pin might be binding which can happen if the cylinder isn't lined up just quite right. I've had that happen on a couple of NM Blackhawks I own. That's my best guess.
Paul B.

Sorry for that. I meant close the loading gate into the frame.

 

[Whiteleather]

Solved.

Turns out the user didn't tell me the whole story. I asked if rounds were factory or reloads. He said "Factory". I asked if he shot it, and he replied "I only loaded it and closed it up."

Gun was dropped off. First thing I did was check the barrel by sticking a rod down from the muzzle. I found an obstruction between the frame band and the cylinder. This told me there was a bullet lodged inside.

Gingerly hammered the bullet back into the cylinder/case.

Was then able to remove the cylinder rod and cylinder.

Knocked the offending round out of the cylinder for examination:
1) Primer was fired.
2) Burns on the case mouth from the primer.
3) No evidence of powder in the case.

Bad third party reload was not his fault. Not telling me the whole truth was.

Took about 3 minutes of work to evaluate the problem, solve it, pull the bullets on the remaining 5 cartridges, put it back together and test for function.

Local gunshop would have charged $200 for the work and taken 6 months. I got his gun back to him the same day for free. Also explained how to do what I did if it happens again. Did not shame him at all.

Shoot safe, folks!

 

[contender]

Kudos on you getting it fixed & all.

And yes,, people don't always tell the truth when they screw up. Not telling you the whole story,, could result in bigger problems.

And kudos on not making the guy feel shamed. Polite education goes a long way.

 

[gnappi]

I get good will and comping people who are good customers but fools and liars who get financially rewarded for doing foolish things continue to make foolish decisions a lifelong habit. IMO a learning curve is shortened by the financial penalties incurred by bad decisions. Lying about the condition of a firearm brought in for repair is one that (IMO) deserved a spanking.

 

[Ruger44fan]

I recall my days of doing gun repairs and how so many people think that extraction and ejection are interchangeable terms. I had to tell them that extract means to pull it out of the chamber and that ejection means like send it out into the wild blue yonder. The best ones are the when they tell you it isn't loaded and you function the action out of habitual safety only to see a live round (or more) go flying out. The looks on owners faces are priceless.

 

[arfmel]

Turns out the user didn't tell me the whole story. I asked if rounds were factory or reloads. He said "Factory". I asked if he shot it, and he replied "I only loaded it and closed it up."


I'm wondering what he hoped to accomplish by being untruthful.

 

[gnappi]

Arfmel, if he thought you'd not catch the lie, he couldn't have had high expectations of a smith's knowledge

 

[rugerguy]

Glad it worked out for you and same here , have had it all too many times in the years we had the shops as well as attended gun shows, folks buy ammo at the show from some table holder, bring their gun back, later on, all bound up or jammed, and it's LOADED and the cops at the door checking guns coming in, call me over to remedy in a safe, orderly fashion, away from and out of the building, yessir , too many times, and most of the time, "easy"?? as you noted, ,,,,,,,knock on wood,,,,maybe just lucky....BUT safe so far since the mid 1960s............