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Colt Cobra .38 special
- Thread starter oldknotty
- Start date
Have you had that gun since new or is it a recent purchase? What happened is not unknown, but usually happens when someone has replaced the barrel or has unscrewed it for some reason. I don't feel that tightening up that barrel is a DIY job since you need the proper receiver blocks and barrel wrench to avoid warping the frame. I suggest giving Colt a call and see if they will do the work; a local gunsmith might or might not have the tools, but Colt would be better.
Jim
Jim
Dixie Gunsmithing
Moderator Emeritus
I don't have one here to check, but I don't think they pinned those barrels after tightening. Anyhow, they torque down pretty heavy, and I'm wondering why it did this? Could something happened to stretch the thread?
No, the Colts were never pinned, they were just torqued down. But Colt did adjust "windage" on those guns by turning the barrel (and thus moving the front sight) so it was not unknown for a barrel to unscrew.
There are several ways to correct the problem, but none I feel is a DIY project. You can roll the barrel shoulder, you can cut the shoulder back and cut the barrel off a thread (OK on a Colt, not on an S&W), or shim the barrel. In any case, frame blocks and a barrel vise are a necessity, and not all general gunsmiths have those.
Jim
There are several ways to correct the problem, but none I feel is a DIY project. You can roll the barrel shoulder, you can cut the shoulder back and cut the barrel off a thread (OK on a Colt, not on an S&W), or shim the barrel. In any case, frame blocks and a barrel vise are a necessity, and not all general gunsmiths have those.
Jim
Dixie Gunsmithing
Moderator Emeritus
James, yes I agree on the tooling, but if the barrel was tight beforehand, I can't see it loosening, unless it, maybe, had a lot of rounds through it, and it gradually did it over time from thread stretching. I could see using hot rounds, though, and it happening a lot quicker. However, I wonder what might have happened to the thread, and even with re-tightening, I wonder if it might cause it to prematurely do it again? I'm just wondering what would knock something that tight loose, or what the cause is.
Bill DeShivs
New member
Look for a crack in the frame where the barrel screws in.
I mentioned the conventional ways of dealing with that problem, but I wonder if a thread blocker (LocTite) might not work. I don't think the torque is that great.
Assuming that there are no other problems, like a cracked frame, I think I might just try Blue LocTite if it were my gun.
Jim
Assuming that there are no other problems, like a cracked frame, I think I might just try Blue LocTite if it were my gun.
Jim