Got my Howell conversion cylinder for the new to me (still unfired) ROA. It is a bit tight, but does slide into the frame. I see barely a sliver of a barrel/cylinder gap. The cylinder will cycle normally for all except one chamber. Seems to bind while the hand is pushing it, and I can't pull the hammer all the way back. Will go just a bit past half cock. I can lower the hammer back down to half cock and the cylinder is free to manually turn it a bit more while fully cocking the hammer over that binding chamber. For now, it works good mechanically if I use the binding chamber as the unloaded "safety" chamber for the hammer to rest on. Will this loosen up after several rounds have been fired?
Ruger Old Army / Howell conversion issue
- Thread starter noelf2
- Start date
g.willikers
New member
Yeah, send it back.
Have you called the manufacturer to ask if they need anything other than the cylinder?
They might only need the cylinder to see if the machining is correct.
There could be more wrong than just the end gap and its surface.
Like maybe the center pin hole being off center, for example.
Chances are this one will go back into the melting pot and a new one will be sent.
Have you called the manufacturer to ask if they need anything other than the cylinder?
They might only need the cylinder to see if the machining is correct.
There could be more wrong than just the end gap and its surface.
Like maybe the center pin hole being off center, for example.
Chances are this one will go back into the melting pot and a new one will be sent.
Everything aligns so well that I'm hesitant to send it back. I'm thinking it'll probably break in. Don't want my gun adjusted because the C&B cylinder is a perfect fit. I read a couple other places that the cylinders are a bit tight, and some people taking .002 off the breech end. Just strange that it's just one spot. I got out my calipers and it all seems even. 
g.willikers
New member
That's why the machining seems suspect.
Calipers, even the best ones generally aren't anywhere nearly accurate enough to catch that kind of error.
You might try a good quality set of feeler gauges instead, measuring each chamber clearance front and back at the barrel and at the rear of the frame, as the cylinder is rotated.
Last edited:
foolzrushn
New member
Not familiar with this, but since it's just one cylinder ( one position in the cylinder's rotation), could it be a problem where the hand tip hits the cylinder notch? Not as deep, or a burr or something in the notch different from the others?
If the hand/cylinder fit was a smidge too tight, it might bind the hand and rotation. Would removing a thousandth from the front of the cylinder, by polishing that front face on a flat surface with emory cloth free it up? Perhaps.
As you say, all mods would be on the new cylinder, so the fit with the original one would not change. This is also providing you don't see any out-of-round runout in the gap between the cylinder and frame when the cylinder is turned.
If the hand/cylinder fit was a smidge too tight, it might bind the hand and rotation. Would removing a thousandth from the front of the cylinder, by polishing that front face on a flat surface with emory cloth free it up? Perhaps.
As you say, all mods would be on the new cylinder, so the fit with the original one would not change. This is also providing you don't see any out-of-round runout in the gap between the cylinder and frame when the cylinder is turned.
This is exactly what I plan to try. Don't have any emory cloth, but plan to get some. For now, it works fine, and I can keep the binding chamber under the hammer as the empty safety chamber. l should be able to get all 5 shots off with no problem. I'm also thinking that after firing some 45 colt, the recoil of the cylinder cap against the back plate might just fix it on it's own. Vid of what it's doing now:
https://youtu.be/X5qq2ecj8M0
FIXED IT !!!
Remembered I have a large very fine grit sharpening stone and worked on the entire flat on the back of the cylinder cap. The flat wasn't very flat. I could tell by the fact that the bluing didn't sand off evenly. I basically stoned it until the entire flat was in the white, no bluing left. Then I cleaned it, and put the cylinder back in the ROA. It was better, but not yet right. I stoned a bit more, and bit more, cleaning and checking for fit several times. I finally got it perfect. All chambers advance with no problem. Now i just need to flitz polish the flat area, and re-blue it. So, if you get a howell convo cylinder for your ROA, and it jams a bit, you know what to do.
Remembered I have a large very fine grit sharpening stone and worked on the entire flat on the back of the cylinder cap. The flat wasn't very flat. I could tell by the fact that the bluing didn't sand off evenly. I basically stoned it until the entire flat was in the white, no bluing left. Then I cleaned it, and put the cylinder back in the ROA. It was better, but not yet right. I stoned a bit more, and bit more, cleaning and checking for fit several times. I finally got it perfect. All chambers advance with no problem. Now i just need to flitz polish the flat area, and re-blue it. So, if you get a howell convo cylinder for your ROA, and it jams a bit, you know what to do.
foolzrushn
New member
Great. And that's better than working the cylinder face.....less rebluing to do.