sticky extraction with a 480

[UmpquaCharlie]

This afternoon I will be examing a 480 ruger a friend owns. He wants to get rid of it because it is almost impossible to extract rounds after firing. He is not a reloader and only uses Hornady factory ammo. Allegedly the first ten rounds or so were fine. After 40 rounds and judicious use of a rubber mallet he returned it to factory...they honed cylinder and sent it back. He fired another cylinder used his hammer for extraction and is fed up. Any ideas as to what might be wrong?

 

[Iron Mike Golf]

Knowing where, relative to the length of the cartridge, it sticks would help. Also, is it one chamber that sticks or every one?

Per SAAMI spec, the chamber is supposed to have a slight taper of around .0018 inch over the length of the chamber.

The chambers were honed, but were they polished? Scrates left by a hone would be perpendicular to the direction of extraction and help grip the spent case.

Do the rounds drop in by their own weight?

 

[UmpquaCharlie]

Thanks Jeff, I'll check out your helpful questions. I have asked him to bring some fired cases...and will let the forum know.
Regards Dr C

 

[contender]

Buy it cheap, then have it polished properly.

 

[mike7mm08]

I had occasional sticky extraction with my 480 usually with hornady ammo it was an easy fix. Keep the cylinder holes clean. Then prior to shooting wipe the cylinder holes several times with a patch soaked in denatured alcohol then wipe dry. If I do this my reloads drop free and factory ammo require a forceful shove on the ejector but no sticking. Still don't like that any force is needed so I stick with reloads using Starline brass. No troubles at all. Hornday seems to expand more than any other brass.

Expansion of the brass and cylinder is the problem. When firing the brass and cylinder walls expand and then contract. Certain brass or loads contract slower than the cylinder walls so you end up with the cylinder walls clamping down on oversize brass. A little oil or debris between the brass and cylinder walls can create one heck of a bond. If keeping the cylinder clean and oil free does not solve the problem polishing the holes is the only option. Cleaning brush chucked in a drill press wrapped in some super fine steel wool works good with a touch of oil. Your not looking to remove much metal just polish the surface so you don't need any type of abrasive compound on the brush.

 

[UmpquaCharlie]

Thanks guys...the revolver never did show yesterday...supposedly it will soon. Buying it cheap is what I had in mind...because I know he wants to part with it...but my Masonic teachings won't let me do it....but it cheap....

 

[UmpquaCharlie]

Revolver finally made it today. Unfired rounds dropped in easily. Examination of cylinders showed every one had circular rings in the chambers. Fired cases also showed similar rings. So I will follow the groups advice and do some honing.

 

[Frank Castle]

mine was fixed by reloading and using Starline brass for the "stout" loads...Hornady brass is not junk, just cant handle pressure.

The 480 Ruger is one one the best revolver rounds out there, just don't give up on it yet....just give you another excuse to start reloading!

 

[UmpquaCharlie]

I have polished , I have honed, the revolver has been back to Ruger for fixing and they did nothing. Just returned from shooting 6 rounds aqfter polishing chambers and had to use a rubber hammer and punch for extraction. Now what do I do? Keep honing or ? Maybe I should trade him a new Model 44 and try reloading star brass as I do not own a 489. Any advice would be appreciated.

 

[Iron Mike Golf]

I'd really want to know if each chamber sticks. If they do, does it take roughly the same force for each chamber to extract?

I'd want to know if it sticks when you shoot a lower pressure load.

I'd carefully measure fired case diameter. You want the diameter to not increase from rim to mouth. I have pin gauges and so as an alternative to measuring fored cases, I'd check for a reverse taper (case mouth end larger dia than case rim end) on the chambers using those pin gauges.

If all that geometry checks out OK and the chambers are smoothly polished, I'd try another headstamp of brass. If that did not help, then I'd suspect the metallurgy of the cylinder. That suspicion would be confirmed to me by softball loads extracting easily and somewhere between that and max load, it gets hard to extract. It all depends on how close to max it got impossible to extract on what I'd do about it.

 

[UmpquaCharlie]

Jeff, I'll try your suggestions ...but for me to go further I'll need to get dies and Starline brass in order to reload. Three of the cylinders are okay... on my second firing after honing...major stciking on the other three so I rehoned (if that is a word) ...went out a third time thinking I had solved his problem and all six needed a punch to remove..althought three came out fairly easy.
I am just surprised when he sent it back to Ruger that they didn't fix his problem.
Charlie

 

[Frank Castle]

the problem is the brass-bullet combo, not the pistol. Like I said I have a horrible time with factory loaded Hornady brass with xtp bullets. They would stick and have to beat them out with a punch and hammer, but I pulled the 325 xtp`s and used the same powder with a 325 lead and it worked fine.

Now I load the xtp`s lite and believe it not 325 Gold Dots work great when loaded heavy...I think the xtps are harder causing a pressure spike..