Need help very badly with my SAA!

V

Vinnie Harold

New member
History: I bought a SAA from USFA in 2011 through Long Hunter Shooting Supply out of Amarillo Texas.

I have a problem with the pistol, and the tele # for Long Hunter is invalid and USFA may not be in business any more...so H E L P!!

I was at the range a my cylinder, after I started unloading the spent cartridges
the cylinder would jam. Then, after working the action a few times. I opened the door and could remove the rest of the cartridges. This happen again after I fired another 5 rounds and tried to unload the shells.

Then, as I was firing the 11th cartridge, the cylinder FROZE! I can no longer work the action as the cylinder will not move. I removed the pin in the hopes of having the cylinder "fall out", but it does not move right or left or up or down.
There are still 3 loaded cartridges in the cylinder.

Suggestions
 
Was this factory ammo or reloads. I have had a similar problem before (maybe not exactly the same, I don't remember), when a chamber with a high primer came to the top it wedged itself pretty tight. If the chamber won't move nothing else will either. Try to see if there is any gap at all. If you can't see daylight that would be a good place to start.
 
jag2

Thanks for your reply.

OK>>panic over...I pulled the pin and jiggled the cylinder out.
With no cartridges, the action works fine...and YES, they are reloads, but I have put over 400 of these through and they were all reloaded by the same guy.
This is the first time this has happened.
I will look at the primers.

Just in case there is a bigger problem than this, any recommendations on someone with expertise in the SAA or SAA clones to whom I can send my baby?

Thanks again
 
I think I'm the best reloader there is but take a wild guess as to how I recognized your problem. Two things for you to do, put that round back in the chamber and just pull the hammer back so the cylinder rotates freely and see if it sticks again. Sometimes I do that every time I reload the cylinder just so I don't get any surprises when I'm shooting. Sounds cool, too.
 
It's possible that your reloaded bullets do not have the proper bullet crimp. As you shoot the pistol, the recoil forces the remaining live rounds to work themselves forward from a loose crimp and jam the cylinder. What kind of caliber is the pistol? I've seen it happen on 454 Casull reloads...that some shooter bought at a gunshow.
 
I think high primers are you're most likely culprit.../ especially if the cyclinder is rotating properly when the gun is empty.

If the primers all look good ...then I think you'll have to have someone local look at the gun - but I wouldn't send it anywhere....I'd try to find someone locally ....that could look at the cyclinder hand in the action - and a number of pins - and springs in the action.

But in the meantime ....make sure the gun is clean and lubed properly.
 
Thanks guys

BigJim I am cleaning it now and will then lube it. Also are you the same BigJim in another forum who convinced me to buy a WC CQB?

Jag2 I will try your suggestion about putting the rounds back in.
But I'm not sure what you mean by your trying this every once in a while. Do you mean load the five rounds, and then work the action 5 times to see if the cylinder rotates correctly?

Thanks a billion!
 
Most of us, who reload, now and then will fail to seat primers deeply enough. Sometimes the primer pocket gets built up with crud and won't allow the primer to seat to proper depth.

Load a few fired cases and try to rotate the cylinder to see if they drag passing the recoil plate.

Bob Wright
 
royal barnes,

I tried that number three times...each time I got a recording saying that the number is no longer in use

So, if Long Hunter is still around, that is not there number..and I got it from their own website.
 
I think we can rule out a jammed cylinder from heat expansion, since that clears up after a few minutes of cooling.

But one possibility is a too light hammer blow, which can allow primer material to flow back into the firing pin hole in the frame and that will certainly jam the cylinder as described. Take a look at the fired primers for evidence of shearing the primer metal, and check the hammer spring to see if it has the normal strength.

Jim
 
1. High primers, or primer, as mentioned.

2. Do the rounds seem very light? Too light a load will cause the primer to back out slightly upon firing and jam the action. Under normal circumstances,
enough pressure is generated to slam the casing back against the recoil shield and keep the primer in its pocket. Too light loads do this in most calibers, not just .45 Colt.

With a stuck high primer if bullet has successfully exited barrel, use a ramrod and tap casing in chamber to push primer back into its pocket. Often just gently forcing the cylinder to turn will also push primer just enough to clear for rotation.

One way to check for high primers is to place reloaded cartridge on a perfectly flat surface. If there's a little wobble, then primer is not seated deep enough. It's not a good idea to try and force primer in while casing is loaded. This check method should be done while priming while case is still empty.

Also, in those casings that you successfully removed but were hard to move the cylinder, did the spent primers, or live ones, have scrapes on the surfaces caused by the recoil shield?

Live primers: not seated enough

Spent primers: too light a load

Either way, my advice is to scrap those reloads since you may face the problem over and over and worse get a light loaded cartridge to leave a bullet in the barrel.

You can use a bullet puller to check some loads and see just what's inside regarding powder load, charge weight. Ask the reloader what powder he was using and what charge weight.
 
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Try using a few different factory loads with a clean gun. If your revolver doesn't get tied up using factory ammunition, it would seem that your reloads are at fault in one or more of the several ways some of the responders in this thread have pointed their fingers at.
 
Gentlemen,

Thanks. You have given me several ways to go. I cleaned and lubed the firearm, and then using some of the spent cartridges tried dry firing the pistol.
It did get stuck twice when I did this, and I located 2 cartridges that I think cause the problem. I then replaced all 6 cylinders with spent cartridges, and dry fired the weapon 25 times, no problem.
I then went to 6 new unfired cartridges, and carefully pulled and lowered the trigger 25 times..not problem.

So I feel that your diagnosis was correct..it was the primers, and I will need to know that this can happen again. I am not going to get rid of the reloads as I have 500 rounds of them.

Thanks again, and I hope that this is the end of it.
 
Yes, I'm the same guy that has a CQB - and suggested you buy one..../ I know I'm a bad influence....but I can't help it / I like nice guns !
------
Now you need to look at a Freedom Arms as well ......

http://thefiringline.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=82010&d=1339790943

My birthday present to myself in 2012....Freedom Arms large frame, 5 shot, 4 3/4" Octagonal barrel, full action job with trigger set at 3.25 lbs, in .357 Mag.../ its a spectacular gun ....( and I have it with me today - for a little practice at my local range ) ....and one of my Wilson's in 9mm....
---------
Its really easy for me to spend your money !!:D
 
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Vinnie Harold,

You mention loading all six chambers to test.

But remember, on USFA, you can for safety load only 5---load one, skip chamber, load four more, cock hammer all the way back and ease off cocked with the trigger and your hammer will come down on the "safety" empty chamber.

Also remember, by lowering hammer from half cock position instead of full cock you'll start scoring (scratching) the cylinder with bolt/cylinder stop.

If you do load all six chambers, it's only a matter of time before you set one round off when the hammer's firing pin comes down on a live primer. And don't trust the quarter cock as a safety!

And if, as I suspect, the reloads are at fault you may continue to have problems through the entire 500 rounds because of faulty light loads.

And if the reloader was a bit careless as I suspect you might also have some double loads which could cause the cylinder to go KABOOM to pieces.
 
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And I have to add this: you do not own an SAA, as it wasn't made by Colt.

It may be very close to an SAA, and it is. But it is not an SAA. USFA has never sold a gun marked or marketed as "SAA".
 
I think we all know that the various Uberti, Pietta and USFA replicas are not Colt's. As one who owns multiples of each and knows the difference, I have no problem referring to replicas as "SAA's". Not everyone is intimately familiar with every name every importer and replica manufacturer has used on SAA replicas. For there are dozens.
 
I don't own a USFA revolver...so I have no dog in this fight...but it looks to me like they are out of business...

and somehow the USFA name has morphed into this ZipFactory.com website.../ so I can't really tell if the ZipFactory guys just bought the domain name or what happened...but it looks like USFA has not made any single action revolvers in about 6 months ...and they were telling people at the shot show, they were concentrating on this Zip product...and that they may get back into revolvers...or they may not....
 
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