How Do I Remove The Cylinder On My Taurus .454 Raging Bull?

C

Cpt. Jack

Inactive
I have about 7 or 8 hundred rounds thru this gun - most of them 300 grain lead bullets. I've noticed that after about every 200 rounds or so (with normal cleaning between shooting sessions), the cylinder gets increasingly more difficult to turn. Normal cleaning had been more or less resolving the problem, but it isn't spinning as freely as it was previously.

I think the cumulative effects of shooting mostly lead bullets has reached the point I need to remove the cylinder from the crane (Taurus calls it a yoke) to do a thorough cleaning of the cylinder center hole. I've removed the yoke and cylinder as a unit but cannot determine how to get the cylinder and yoke seperated. I was told on another forum that the cylinder simply slides forward off the yoke. Tried every way I can think of but mine doesn't.

How do I get the cylinder off the crane so I can clean up that center hole? Any help will be much appreciated.
 
454 cylinder

Dear Shooter:
I've never taken one off. I doubt that you really need to? Check under your "star" on the cylinder and see if some podwer particles or dirt might be under it.Also, with your cylinder closed see what your barrel/cylinder gap is (.002-.006).
Also, see if your ejector rod is screwed in fully (may be a left-hand thread).
Saving this get some break-free and give it a good soaking - it might just, as you feel, be full of gunk from shooting.
I've never torn one down so I'm only guessing. Harry B :)
 
Thanks for the ideas but I've already tried all of that. Cylinder gap is tight...no residue or dirt under anything I can reach including the ejector "star". I've been using Break Free to try to flush out the cyllnder center hole/ejector rod with gradually decreasing success. Think I really need to remove the cylinder for a good cleaning of that center hole. Anybody know how to do it?
 
Well, I'm not sure if the Taurus is exactly like a Smith, but if all you want to do is remove the crane (yoke) from the frame, just take out the very front sideplate screw, open the cylinder and the whole assembly crane & cylinder should just slide right out of the frame toward the front of the gun.

I'm not familiar with Taurus guns in that respect, never had one apart, but it seems only logical that they are the same as a Smith in that respect.
 
Hey Cpt. The raging bulls are a real B. It is best left to a gunsmith. If you look under the ejector star you will see a small collar around the rod. I had a guy bring me one and if I remember correctly that collar locks in to the barrel of the yoke. I believe I had to remove the ejector rod first, to slide the yoke out of the cylinder and frame. It's been some time since I had to work on one. This probably didn't help much.

Have you ever experienced the ejector sticking partly out, and not going back flush with the cylinder? That was the problem this guy had. I got the thing apart, cleaned and reassembled, but with the heavy loads it kept doing the same thing. We ended up sending it in for warranty work.

Good Luck.
 
Thanks LAZY D - I've been able to remove the yoke and cylinder as a single unit...comes out like a Smith by just removing the forward side plate screw. It's getting the cylinder and yoke apart that has me stumped. Tried to just unscrew the ejector rod while holding the cylinder also like a Smith, but it wouldn't budge. Didn't want to over-do it in case that wasn't the right method. Yes I see the small collar under the ejector star...appears to be press fit in. Never have had any problem with the ejector sticking part way out, just the gradually increasing stiffness of cylinder rotation.

I reassembled the whole thing, tilted it barrel straight down, and chucked up my cordless drill motor to the ejector rod end. Spun the cylinder at low speed with the drill motor while pouring Break Free in the top end of the cylinder around the ejector rod. LOTS of grey, sludgy looking gunk flushed out...it was seriously dirty in there. After several minutes of off and on low speed spin and flush, it was much improved. The cylinder now spins more free than it has in the past several hundred rounds.

So, even if I don't figure out how to get it correctly disassembled, at least I've come up with a way to keep the center hole periodically flushed out and the cylinder spinning reasonably free. I'd still like to know how to get that yoke and cylinder apart.

Thanks to all of you for all the help and ideas.
 
Are you sure that ejector rod doesn't have LEFT hand threads like the S&W does?

And any time you are unscrewing an S&W type ejector rod, place a couple of empty cases in the cylinder to prevent the star from twisting in the cylinder.

Jim
 
Jim is right

The ejector rod is a left hand thread, and it is advisable to use the empties. I can tell you that the rod does have to be unscrewed to separate the yoke from the cylinder. Brownells sells a special tool, item # 970-100-001, just for removing ejector rods. It's a no-mar tool I use my wilton jr vise with aluminum jaws. Just clamp the knurled end of the rod and turn the cylinder. Taurus has two spings inside. Once the rod is removed the star can be taken out and the yoke will then pop off of that collar. They sure aren't as easy as a Smith to take apart, but maybe that was the idea behind it. More get sent to the factory for minor stuff. Good Luck.
 
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If my memory serves me correctly (its been a while since I did my RB) you do have to hold the star and the rod is a left-handed thread causing you to have to turn it opposite of what you think it should be. Also if my memory serves me correctly there is a small spring between the rod and the receiving portion of the star the rod screws into. So make sure you track the spring as you are pulling the rod out of the star.

One other thing...you don't need a gunsmith to do this simple job and you don't need any special tools as was suggested. You may have to use pliers however to initally break the rod free so the rod will turn.
 
Got it! It WAS reverse thread just like several of you recalled. Glad I had sense enough to back off the other day when I was trying to get it off by unscrewing it counter-clockwise. Came apart tonight with no problems at all once I was applying the twist in the correct direction. Cleaned it up, did a little polishing, relubed, and it's back together just fine. Works as good (actually a bit better) than the day I bought it new.

Thanks to your collective knowledge and advice, what seemed a difficult problem was easily solved. Many thanks.
 
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