Hey guys, just bought a pietta '51 navy colt today. Brought it home, took it apart and cleaned it up. Now the problem is the cylinder doesn't spin freely at half cock. I can rotate it as far as the next nipple (1/12 of cylinder turn) but then it locks up like at full cock. It was working fine in the store and for a while after I cleaned it, but now its not. Anybody know how to solve this?
Cylinder doesn't spin at half cock
- Thread starter NateKirk
- Start date
First off.... look in the side and see if it's the bolt that's locking the cylinder. It should not be visibly extended at half cock.Did you take internal parts out and put them back in? Sounds like the bolt isn't riding on the hammer cam properly so isn't dropping into the frame properly. When you get to the next nipple, the bolt is falling into the cylinder stop and locking up the cylinder. Don't rotate it too much like that because if that is the case, the bolt will be scratching the bluing on the cylinder while you rotate it. Take the parts out again and put them back in paying close attention to the bolt, and how it's supposed to cam down when pulling the hammer to half cock. I think you just reassembled it wrong.
Bob Wright
New member
Are you maybe drawing the hammer too far back, then letting it go to half cock? Or lowering it from fully cocked?
If you pass a certain point in drawing the hammer back, the bolt will pop up and lock the cylinder.
Try easing the hammer to half cock from the fired position into the half cock notch and observe the bolt. If it does not snap up, you're good to go.
Bob Wright
If you pass a certain point in drawing the hammer back, the bolt will pop up and lock the cylinder.
Try easing the hammer to half cock from the fired position into the half cock notch and observe the bolt. If it does not snap up, you're good to go.
Bob Wright
Take it apart to the point of removing the cylinder. Put back together without the cylinder. Carefully cock to half cock. You Should not see the bolt raised. If you do you have it installed incorrectly. If it goes down at half cock its not the bolt. Let us know what you see.
For pistols that have sat for a while
The internals get a little bound up resulting either the bolt not dropping back into the cylinder as it should or resulting in the bolt dropping too soon and the cylinder won't spin on half cock.
Taking it apart, cleaning it up, lubing it and putting it back together is probably a good initial fix for most pistols with that problem.
The internals get a little bound up resulting either the bolt not dropping back into the cylinder as it should or resulting in the bolt dropping too soon and the cylinder won't spin on half cock.
Taking it apart, cleaning it up, lubing it and putting it back together is probably a good initial fix for most pistols with that problem.