My Revolver Stopped Revolving
I either have the worst luck ever, or maybe the old myth about revolvers always being utterly reliable is just… a myth.
Check out my review of the GP100 Match Champion:
“Revolvers: Ideal or Obsolete?” The video people love to hate:
Here’s a great article from our blog on how to test your revolver for reliability:
Support our channel, buy ammo from Lucky Gunner!
People are silly, regardless of the subject. That being said, any mechanical device is susceptible to mechanical failure and will also requires precutionay mantinace and cleaning to keep it operating to specs. Look at your car, you need to take care of it to keep iy running well or it will break down.
Yes, thay dodn’t make revolvers like they did 40 yers ago. So, in order to lower cost, they use CNC machines and MIM parts to reduce bothe production time and the time that a human is required for smithing parts into place. After all, Semi-Autos out sell revolvers well over 50 to 1. Go to your loocal shop and look at the counter space devoted to the revolvers VS the Semi-autos.
After getting the S&W 66-8 with 2 peice barrel and full of mim parts, I wasnt very happy with it. I ended up making some changes to it. Like you, I opted for new Wolff spring, firing pin and Apex bobless hammer. I also replaced the large oversized grip with a smaller Hogue grip. The 66-8 now has a better trigger pull (way better) and is better suited for battle if needed, plus it is fun to shoot.
When I started as a copper many, many years ago, we HAD to carry revolvers on duty. I was one of the range masters who fought to allow us to carry semi autos. I will NEVER carry a revolver for defense. I know several cops who got in gun fights and all said when they went to reload, it seemed like it took forever. (We were trained to reload in a few seconds). All guns have to be taken care of.
More than one revolver is the answer. Actually you can reload 5 rds pretty fast.
That’s a great message. Anything can fail!
I just acquired a well-used S&W Model 13-1 which exhibits cylinder lock-up issues, most often when the trigger is rapidly cycled. Time for the troubleshooting! 🤔
You’re not alone Chris. My brand new S&W 38 Bodyguard locked up on me after only a couple of hundred mixed live and dry-fire rounds. The repair was free but definitely shook my previous confidence in revolvers; having owned a Taurus M65 for 15 yrs without an issue. Until this occurrence I too was one of those people going off about how revolvers are bomb proof. Now I think they are until they’re not and that’s when you find yourself holding a club instead of a firearm. At least a semi-auto I can clear most common malfunctions which are mainly ammo or mag or shooter induced, the internals rarely fail. Hopefully after the repair (Sear and Lock arm replacement) it’ll be reliable for the rest of its life.
Revolvers are more reliable than ever. Problems typically only happen right out of the box. Otherwise, they go bang every time.
Check out McCarbo’s reworking of a Ruger SP101. Upon complete disassembly of that new revolver, the roughness of the machine work and even dangling curls of fine metal shavings in the gun not removed and cleaned up prior to final assembly. Not picking on Ruger as inspecting other manufactures current revolvers have found rough machining and debris in their products as well. Proper machining takes time. Manufactures alter the “speed and feed” to expedite the machining process to produce more product in less time. The result is rms that is nowhere near what it should be. Firearm manufactures have joined the quantity over quality mindset to up sales to satisfy shareholders. Sadly, gone are the days of quality first.
Great analysis…gun people are so emotional when it comes to ther prefered firearms and manufacturers…
I have to disagree on the internal complexity or revolvers. At least in respect to rugers. Bill ruger made dissasembly of his security six/gp100/sp101 revolvers as simple as dissasemblying a glock.
My very realistic .177 revolver airgun broke, and I can’t get it fixed.
my 1979 model 41 magnum is still going strong 42 years later. my 1924 44 special still shoots. so what is the failure rate 1 in 200 2000 20000??????? you’ve owned a revolver for what now 3 4 years?
My sp101 did the same thing in the first 15 rounds of 357, and I was coming back to Ruger after the same thing happened on a gp100 10 years ago!!
Reliable store that can provide you weapons is called *Mrmasterglock on Wickr* .
Taking a revolver apart to fix it is important if a cowboy/cowgirl wants to wield one.
Revolvers ARE more reliable because, despite being more mechanically complex and less tolerant of grit/crud in the action, they nonetheless are fully immune to the autoloaders greatest weakness: The need to transport and cycle ammo through the gun.
Semiauto pistol function is a flying trapeze act between magazine, recoil spring, bullet shape, powder charge, hand position, and grip strength. Any one of these points of failure can (and frequently do) initiate a catastrophic autoloader jam at the worst time in a fight. They are also fully irrelevant to revolvers.
Crimp jump, broken parts, bad cylinder timing, and bad lockup are risks if course, but to suggest that a revolver’s mid-fight failure rate is anything close to a semiauto’s mid-fight failure rate is pure copium and dishonest on your part.
With the experience that I had with over 3 decades with my department. When I started we had Ruger Security Six’s, Then we went to S&W M65’s and lastly we went to Glock M22’s. The number of Glock Model 22’s that we had issues with was well over triple the percentage of what we had with either the Ruger or S&W revolvers. At least Ruger and S&W back up their products with Lifetime warranties. Glock NEVER fixed a single pistol from my department under warranty. Thus I stick with brands like Ruger, S&W, Walther and Canik who stand by their products better and have LifeTime Warranties.
The old revolvers were beefy. Now you can’t even keep an ejector rod in place
Revolvers have less propensity of malfunctioning than a Semi-Auto. Additionally, Smith & Wesson and Colt are no longer the same companies they were in the late 80’s. The manufacturing techniques have changed and the quality is just not the same.
Very well said! I love revolvers as well but have experienced malfunctions that needed a a tool to correct a couple of times. I wont state which revolvers I own as I dont want to hurt their reputation but they are very good revolvers that needed some tuning.
That’s exactly what happens to mine during live fire!!!!
My 44 mag Virginia Dragoon has the cylinder jam all the time
Question, can you open the cylinder? If not it may be the screw on the cylinder release. To tight or loose will do that on the Security 6
I had the opposite problem with my GP100 at my last range session. It bound up on a high primer. After I cleared it, the cylinder now won’t lock and can be turned freely in the counter clockwise direction when closed. It has really rocked my confidence in that particular revolver. Although I’ve been shooting revolvers since 1981, I’ve only had two that broke. This one and a S&W 24-3 that is the most unreliable revolver I have ever seen. I’m not soured on revolvers, but like any machine they can, and do, break from time to time.
I bought a gp100 brand new a few months ago and it had issues with the forcing cone and barrel issues I only shot 6 rounds through it and sent it back to ruger.
They sent me a brand new ruger taklot super redhawk worth 1800 bucks.
So I got double my money in gun but the taklot had scratches all over the crown
Was the 43c cleaned before use? Per the owners manual, you are supposed to clean it as it comes with some protective coating or oils that are not lubricant that will potentially make the gun bind up
Whatever you say glock boy !!!! I’m sticking to my Smith and Wesson model 69 combat revolver Chamber in the mighty 44 magnum just like the old muscle cars of the sixties !!!! LOL HA HA HA JK 😂 Can you Enlighten us about the cause of cylinder drag that ring that goes around the cylinder everybody hates is that a indication of a problem or is it normal ???
I wonder if the manufacturers are just not giving enough attention to revolvers these days since they aren’t the more popular semi autos?
I sent my early 1980s GP100 in to ruger for being out of time a couple of years ago. They rebuilt the gun including replacing the frame, crane, and cylinder as well as refinishing the entire thing. No charge for any of it. They have my undying loyalty. I will never buy anything but ruger revolvers. I also like their other guns. If I find myself wanting a new gun, I look to see if Ruger is making a version of it first. If not, then I might shop around.
I think if you have a stove pipe failure to feed whatever with semi auto those are easy to clear and move on.. if your revolver quits revolving run
Barrel cylinder gap is too tight….mine was…
Sent back to open up the gap….all ok now
My EDC knife had a stovepipe the other day 😳🤣✌️🍺🇺🇸
thanks for informative video👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👍🏼
I have a Taurus model 84, I’ve taken it apart and they are incredibly complicated inside there. If someone says their revolver is simple then they have never opened it. I’d hate to see how complex a single action colt is.
Did you take it apart and not put the shims in right.just asking.thanks
My 30 year old Ruger Security Six is a beautiful bullseye demon but after a box of 50 rounds it will bind up until cleaned.
A video about fuck all
I have had two different SP101 357 revolvers lock up after about 20 rounds of regular 38 special ammo. Extremely disappointing. Not that it can’t or won’t happen, but my Smiths and even Taurus revolvers have been flawless.
I held a Rock Island 38 special at the store. The cylinder was spinning when it was shut. I have 2 357 Magnums and I have owned a few others with no problems.
Manufacturers are fully focused on cool tactical semi autos. Revolvers have become annoying side business for them and bet on that customers don’t shoot them much.
If I could have only one firearm Youtube channel, Lucky Gunner Ammo is it.
Proof revolvers also fail and aren’t inherently foolproof like idiots think.
The good news is if the gun breaks it’s easier to beat someone with a gp100 than a glock
I just bought my second revolver ever, after buying 35 semi autos. It lasted 50 rounds before I had to send it in for warranty repair. Never sent one semi auto in for repair.
Wow, I’ve been shooting revolvers for decades and have NEVER had a revolver quit revolving ( other than ammo related as OAL too long or improperly seated primers) that is……. until now. I have a new Ruger GP100 with less than 200 rounds and the cylinder is binding. It’s squeeky clean, and this is the first time i’ve run 357 through it. Halfway through the second cylinder load it started binding up. Cleaned it and still binding. I just got it back yesterday with a note from Ruger saying they replaced the hammer and adjusted the cylinder gap. Will run several hundred rounds through it before I will have the confidence in it to add it to my "hidden Stash" of personal defense handguns that I have strategically placed around my home.
Shuda baught a smith 😆
About 2 months ago my SP101 started to do that every time I shoot in double action really fast!!! But I take the finger of the trigger and ear the trigger reset and continue to shoot!!! After seeing this video I’m worried! That’s something that can happen to my gun? Because my Ruger as more than 25 years old, and I live in Europe, I don’t know if my gun continue to get guarantee from Ruger!!!
No they don’t. Revolvers today within the last 10 years break at a much higher rate. Including S&W. But most manufacturing of even cars, machinery, watches and most other crap made products. The old world craftsmanship is dead and this is the result.
Bla bla blah.
I just think revolvers are more reliable because u don’t have to clear a bad round if u have a dud