Colt Official Police Cylinder Stop Issue

JollyRoger · November 7, 2009, 09:38 AM

I have an old Colt Official Police, nickel. The lockup and timing are good with one exception. On one chamber, the cylinder notch engages properly, but after the trigger is released, the cylinder stop engagement can be overcome with very little force, allowing the cylinder to be rotated backwards. The other five cylinder notches engage positively.

I have seen other postings re: cylinder notch peening. Has anyone else experienced this with Colt DA's. What are the options for a fix?

Dfariswheel · November 7, 2009, 07:38 PM

This is called "Cylinder roll-back".

In most cases its a worn or over-beveled locking bolt.
In an older gun it could be a combination of a worn bolt and one chamber locking notch worn or damaged.

The "fix" ranges from elevating the bolt, to replacing the bolt, to replacing the entire cylinder assembly.

First step is to check the cylinder for damage or wear in the locking notches.
If the cylinder is damaged or worn, this requires cylinder replacement.
Cylinder replacement requires some tools and a very high level of skill and experience at fitting and adjusting a cylinder assembly.,
You usually also need a like-new ejector that still has enough height to allow refitting.

If the cylinder is usable, you may be able to elevate the bolt if it isn't too bad. This requires readjusting the entire action.
If needed, the bolt may need replacing.
New bolts are hard to find, and are one of the Colt revolver gunsmiths major jobs.
This requires a LOT of knowledge and skill since the bolt is one of the most complicated gun parts fitting jobs there is. These parts are not even close to "drop in" parts.

I think Jack First sells newly made non-Colt "replica", bolts and these require some alterations before they can be stated on fitting.

If you want to tackle any of this, be smart and buy the Jerry Kuhnhausen shop manual.
This was written as a training aid for new gunsmiths and goes into great detail on just these problems and how to fit new parts. Most important, it shows how to diagnose just what's wrong and how to judge what needs to be done to correct it.

http://www.brownells.com/.aspx/pid=2..._A_SHOP_MANUAL

November 7, 2009, 09:38 AM	#1
JollyRoger Senior Member Join Date: April 24, 2005 Posts: 132	Colt Official Police Cylinder Stop Issue I have an old Colt Official Police, nickel. The lockup and timing are good with one exception. On one chamber, the cylinder notch engages properly, but after the trigger is released, the cylinder stop engagement can be overcome with very little force, allowing the cylinder to be rotated backwards. The other five cylinder notches engage positively. I have seen other postings re: cylinder notch peening. Has anyone else experienced this with Colt DA's. What are the options for a fix?

November 7, 2009, 07:38 PM	#2
Dfariswheel Senior Member Join Date: May 4, 2001 Posts: 5,004	This is called "Cylinder roll-back". In most cases its a worn or over-beveled locking bolt. In an older gun it could be a combination of a worn bolt and one chamber locking notch worn or damaged. The "fix" ranges from elevating the bolt, to replacing the bolt, to replacing the entire cylinder assembly. First step is to check the cylinder for damage or wear in the locking notches. If the cylinder is damaged or worn, this requires cylinder replacement. Cylinder replacement requires some tools and a very high level of skill and experience at fitting and adjusting a cylinder assembly., You usually also need a like-new ejector that still has enough height to allow refitting. If the cylinder is usable, you may be able to elevate the bolt if it isn't too bad. This requires readjusting the entire action. If needed, the bolt may need replacing. New bolts are hard to find, and are one of the Colt revolver gunsmiths major jobs. This requires a LOT of knowledge and skill since the bolt is one of the most complicated gun parts fitting jobs there is. These parts are not even close to "drop in" parts. I think Jack First sells newly made non-Colt "replica", bolts and these require some alterations before they can be stated on fitting. If you want to tackle any of this, be smart and buy the Jerry Kuhnhausen shop manual. This was written as a training aid for new gunsmiths and goes into great detail on just these problems and how to fit new parts. Most important, it shows how to diagnose just what's wrong and how to judge what needs to be done to correct it. http://www.brownells.com/.aspx/pid=2..._A_SHOP_MANUAL