Scratched firing chamber

That dent has formed a lip. Get yourself a set of miniature files and carefully file that lip down. Bit don't listen to me...I'm a bubba.
 
Experienced voices here are giving you wise advice

Let me try to explain why the safest and probably least expensive solution is to find a pistolsmith. https://americanpistolsmithsguild.com/

1. If you have to ask, you are probably not skilled at revolver repair. So you asked. That makes you smart.

2. You know there is a problem. You want to chamber a round but it won't. There is a very unusual flaw in the cylinder. Very unusual.

3. Fixing a symptom vs. fixing the problem: How did that flaw happen?
It appears that something hit the edge of the cylinder darned hard. How could this happen unless the cylinder was open? Heck, how could it happen with the cylinder closed? Smacking the cylinder that hard may have caused other issues you have not found yet because your are staring at a bullet that won't go in the chamber.

There are some excellent suggestions on how a gunsmith or careful skilled hobbyist (Bubba Sr.) could do work to get a bullet to chamber- but what other issues are a result of the hard whack that created the issue in the first place? Did some bubba get a piece of brass stuck and hammer something like a screwdriver in diagonally to pry the brass out???

4. That looks like a nice old Colt to me but maybe in a little rough shape. A Pistolsmith can bring out the best of that revolver- anywhere from better than factory new to showcase semi-custom bragging BBQ gun.

fixing the symptom is easy, and maybe that's all that needs done- but maybe fixing the cylinder you might not know that the timing is slightly off or the crane is slightly bent or wobbly or the cylinders could be chamfered better or throats improved or it needs a good cleaning or that a little expert work could make that little revolver a real diamond.

Sorry your online buy went bad (unless the flaw was fully disclosed and then you knew it was a project.)
 
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I took it to a smith this morning. He looked it over and said the cylinder alignment and crane assemblies all appear to be in working order, and it looked like the chamber was the only problem. He thought it could have happened when somebody struck the chamber hard trying to eject, and said he could ream it for no more than $45. This guy's a one-man operation, so I won't get it back for another 2 weeks or so, but I'll keep everyone posted when I do get it back. Thank you all for your support and advice, it is much appreciated.
 
He thought it could have happened when somebody struck the chamber hard trying to eject
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Huh? I'm not sure I would trust someone who claimed that. No way could one hit the ejector/extractor rod hard enough to dent the other side of the chamber like that! You would have to believe that the metal on the cylinder gave way before the softer brass or metal shell casing.
Or at least I would want a further explanation how that could occur. However, reaming it would be the cheapest way to go.
 
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What he said was that someone might have had difficulty ejecting and struck the cylinder with their hand in an attempt to eject.
 
Impossible with just the hand, but I could see someone trying to use a metal tool to PRY out the casing to cause that.

I had a High Standard Trophy .22 where dry firing caused the metal to peen into the chamber. Took it to a gun smith and he used a tool to pull the peened metal back out so that he could pound it back into the divot. It looked like new. But the metal was so soft on those HS, that any accidental dry firing would cause this, so next time I removed the peened portion with a fine file, and never had a problem again.

Hope you get it sorted out and working! I like those Colts even if their cylinders rotate in the wrong direction!:D
 
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If dry firing can do it then I may have caused it. I dry fired it a couple of times when I got it just to test it. It was only a couple days after I had done this that I learned about the hazards of dry firing revolvers :o
 
Nictionary said:
If dry firing can do it then I may have caused it. I dry fired it a couple of times when I got it just to test it. It was only a couple days after I had done this that I learned about the hazards of dry firing revolvers
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Dry firing can't do that in a .38. .38 Special is a centerfire cartridge, so the firing pin is aligned with the centerline of the chamber. HighValleyRanch was talking about a .22 rimfire, in which the firing pin is aligned with the outer edge of the chamber because that's where the primer is. So, in a rimfire, dry firing without some sort of snap cap or fired case in the chamber results in the firing pin striking the edge of the chamber opening.
 
AB was correct. DIdn't mean to imply that it was caused by dry firing, but about the methods of pulling out a peened over damage on the edge of the chamber. Sorry to confuse the issue.
 
It absolutely was not done by someone striking the cylinder with their hand, unless someone with hands of steel owned the gun before you did.

Dryfiring could not have done that.

Something very hard hit the back of the cylinder, or was pushed very hard against the back of the cylinder and deformed the steel of the cylinder. I don't know what it was or how it happened, but I can tell you with 100% certainty that it wasn't someone's hand, and it wasn't the result of dryfiring.
 
Seems like someone prying a stuck case is a likely scenario. Possibly removed the cylinder for better support, therefore not causing any other damage to the gun. If this is the case, I’d be concerned that a case stuck that bad would possibly be a massive overload and there may be a problem with an over stressed cylinder. If possible I’d have that checked out before firing it.
 
jetinteriorguy said:
Seems like someone prying a stuck case is a likely scenario. Possibly removed the cylinder for better support, therefore not causing any other damage to the gun. If this is the case, I’d be concerned that a case stuck that bad would possibly be a massive overload and there may be a problem with an over stressed cylinder. If possible I’d have that checked out before firing it.
Click to expand...

By the looks of the chambers themselves, as rough as they are, it wouldn't take much to stick an empty case, even with standard pressure loads. I agree with the prying tho.....
 
I think it would be hard to pry against brass hard enough to deform solid steel. I would think the brass would give way before the steel.

It does look like someone was trying to get a case out of the chamber, but I suspect the damage happened when someone used a hammer to drive a screwdriver under the rim of the stuck case.

...OR...

It was a steel case that got stuck. That would explain a lot.
 
Not saying that I'm smarter than the gunsmith, but someone trying to hit the ejector rod harder by slapping it.... would be hitting the OTHER side of the cylinder. Slapping the side of the cylinder where you insert cases would be pushing them in farther, not aiding extraction.

My guess is prying or, perhaps a squib, someone could open the cylinder, eject the case, put a punch in and start hammering away.
 
Update: the smith just called me and said he had reamed out two chambers and everything appeared sound. I asked him about the possibility of an overstressed cylinder, and he said for an extra $5 he would test-fire it tomorrow and check on that.
 
I wonder is some numb-nut chucked a cleaning brush in an electric drill and had an "Oops moment"?
 
To me, it looks like a chip.
One way I could see it happening is dropping the gun on a rock or hard object while the cylinder was open.
And, as mentioned before, I'd want the cylinder or crane or both checked.

Plus.... I can't see ANY way ejecting a shell by hand could do it.
:confused:

Hey, you might want to try this.
With the gun UNLOADED, rotate the cylinder so that hole is right at the top. Aligned with barrel.
Look at the cylinder gap. Make a mental note of how big that gap is.
Then.... rotate the cylinder so the bad hole is at the very bottom.
Is the gap ANY different.

This might not prove anything but .....could..... tell you if the cylinder is not centered if the gap changes from top position to bottom.

Just a wild guess.

:o
 
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The smith did check the cylinder and crane and said they appeared to be working. Either way, we'll find out when he test-fires it.
 
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