Stuck Cylinder Pin in Ruger Single Six

[UncleLoodis]

Greetings.

A close friend of mine asked me if I would 'clean up' his Ruger Single Six (22LR). Unfortunately, it seems that the removable pin that holds the cylinder in place is stuck/rusted to the inside of the cylinder. The entire assembly (pin and cylinder combined). I have removed the retaining spring/screw/pin that is typically depressed when one wants to remove the pin. In short, the pin is stuck in the cylinder, and therefore the cylinder cannot be removed. I have stripped the gun down to the frame and have soaked it in a heated ultrasonic cleaner filled with WD-40 with no luck. i have tried using a pin punch and GENTLY tapping from the back side, also with no luck. Any ideas? Freezer? Sledge Hammer?

Thanks much.

Uncle Loodis

[walks with gun]

Keep soaking, and maybe try another penetrating oil, try wiggling once in awhile, then put the vice grips to it and tap the grips with a light hammer. Buy your friend a nice six pack and tell him your keeping the gun because of neglect or your going to have to turn him over the Firearms Endangerment Agency.

[BOBA FETT]

i had a 30 carbine blackhawk...this gun would get very dirty and bind up if you dont clean it really well and lube it... the pin that holds the cylinder on these guns is very finicky and needs to be well oiled ....the hole that the pin goes in on the cylender gets gunk and gunpowder in it and has to to be cleaned after it is shot...

[UncleLoodis]

I hear that. It is a shame--people not taking care of their guns. Another friend of mine said it was probably rusted so badly because he left it in the holster...that the chemicals used in tanning leather will add to the rusting factor. Thanks for the advice. I have it soaking and will keep it there for a couple more hours at least. I was also thinking of maybe putting the thing in the freezer, then trying to heat the cylinder GENTLY with a small torch. My theory is that the pin in the center would be colder than the cylinder...that this would allow it to come free easier. I know I'd have to be super super careful with the torch so not to frig up the finish. The finish on the gun is pretty bad now anyway. I may look into buying him a new cylinder and pin if nothing else works...and just beating the crud out of the pin until it comes out. If it wasn't my best friend's dad...I wouldn't be doing any of this at all...he's like a father figure to me though.

[Salmoneye]

Please clarify...

You say:

" In short, the pin is stuck in the cylinder, and therefore the cylinder cannot be removed."

Does the cylinder rotate?

If so, then the base pin is not "stuck in the cylinder", it is stuck in the frame below the forcing cone...

Next you say:

" i have tried using a pin punch and GENTLY tapping from the back side,"

Tapping where from the 'back side' of what?

If it were me, I'd remove the ejector rod housing and rod, put the grip frame in a vice with barrel pointing up, and apply a good penetrant around the base pin with a Q-Tip...I'd also drip some in the hole where you removed the base pin latch...

Let it set...

Then take a piece of leather, wrap the cylinder pin head and apply small vice-grips, and attempt to rotate the base pin...

Keep at it till it comes...May take more than a day...

[bedbugbilly]

Wow that must be on "neglected" Ruger!?

Worse case scenario . if you can't get it out . . anyway of cutting it on both sides of the cylinder? I'd have to look at my Ruger NV as I don't know if theres enough clearance to cut the cylinder pin or not (to get the cylinder out of the frame). If you could, you could then have the cylinder pin hole drilled out on a lathe, counter bore the front and make a slide in bushing - much like the cylinders on a Uberti revolver has (my Uberti Bisley is made that way). You'd have to get a new cylinder pin but it might be a worse case scenario.

My cylinder pin on my Ruger NV is very tight / close tolerance with the cylinder. I would imagine that if it is rusted so bad that it isn't budging, it might not be a fixable problem? If it's rusted that badly, how are the chambers and the bore?

Next question would be . . . if it's in that bad of shape . . is it worth "fixing"?

Good luck and let us know how your work goes . . . some pictures would be great as well if for nothing more than to show a "neglected" revolver to inspire some to take care of their handguns. Good luck - we're rooting for you!

PS - as a "tongue in cheek" remark . . . I'm surprised someone hasn't recommended you send it back to Ruger for "warranty work".

[UncleLoodis]

To Salmoneye: The cylinder and pin are rotating as one. I think that the cylinder is supposed to spin on the pin...that the pin can spin, but the intent is that the cylinder spins _on_ the pin. At present, both spin as one.

From the backside...I am meaning that I disassembled the revolver as far as I can...from where the hammer normally is, I can see the back end of the pin. It rotates when I rotate the cylinder (of course, the front end of the pin also rotates).

My current plan is to just keep it in the heated WD-40 bath in the ultrasonic cleaner, and every hour or so, turn the sonic portion on for 5 minutes or so.

[UncleLoodis]

To BBB: Like I said in my previous post, it's for my best friend's dad. Otherwise, I'd replace the gun entirely. It has great sentimental value for him. Apparently, not as much maybe as I thought....because if it meant so much, why not take care of it? Hmm.....

[wild willy]

WD-40 is not the best penetrating oil.Kroil is a lot better.ATF and acetone is supposed to work better than anything but I don't know if the acetone would hurt the bluing.The pin on my single sixes can spin not made like the Blackhawks and Super Blackhawks.Almost said rimfires and centerfires different but the.32 Single Six can spin too.

[UncleLoodis]

Got the pin out...man, it was really frozen. I am not a big fan of WD-40 for use in maintaining firearms, but it does seem to work well in my ultrasonic cleaner, and it does not harm bluing (as far as I can tell anyway).

I am attaching pics...one of them shows the back of the revolver; you can see the hole where the pin goes. I used the pin punch on it.

As usual, thanks for the ideas and support. I love this place!

Uncle Loodis

[DaleA]

Post #4:

Another friend of mine said it was probably rusted so badly because he left it in the holster...that the chemicals used in tanning leather will add to the rusting factor.

Let me hijack the thread just a little here.

This is true for cheap, low quality leather holsters. It should not put you off leather holsters totally because there are very nice leather holsters out there.

There seems to be a lot of holster questions around lately and as I've said I'm no expert AT ALL in buying a holster but it seems the cheap ones can bite you in so many ways... falling apart, being uncomfortable, being slow, NOT being secure or being down right detrimental to the gun itself-like maybe happened to the gun you had to deal with.

[FrankenMauser]

Eww...

Tell him to start loving that Ruger, or it'll be a paperweight within another 5-7 years.

[JohnKSa]

My current plan is to just keep it in the heated WD-40 bath in the ultrasonic cleaner, and every hour or so, turn the sonic portion on for 5 minutes or so.

Be VERY careful about using flammable fluids in ultrasonic cleaners. Generally that is not a good idea and can be quite dangerous.

For what it's worth, I would recommend Kroil over WD-40 for soaking to loosen stuck/rusted parts. I wouldn't recommend either in an ultrasonic cleaner.

[Salmoneye]

Good job!

I am used to new model Blackhawks, and was not aware that the base pin was so exposed once the hammer was removed on a Single Six...

I have freed up a couple of Blackhawk frozen base pins in the past, and in fact my favorite 'Liberty' (1976) in .357 was a rusted shut (and still loaded) basket-case when I acquired it...

Once cleaned up and reassembled, it has proven to be an amazingly accurate, and reliable gun...

I don't worry if it gets dinged or scratched...

Actually, a very liberating feeling...

[Magnum Wheel Man]

I have an old Iver Johnson Sidewinder that came to me, all coarsely polished off with a grinder & all covered in surface rust like I've never seen... like maybe it was stored on the sea shore or in a boat in the ocean... the cylinder pin is hopelessly stuck on that one as well...

I 1st tried WD-40, then diesel fuel, then Kroil ( all just immersion soaking, never tried the ultrasonic ) ( but then my original Hornady ultra sonic started up on it's own one day, wouldn't shut off, & nearly caught the house on fire... so I'm a little reluctant to have any kind of non water based solvent anywhere around mine

anyway, I never did get my pin freed up, so it's on display on the wall, & still in need of work, when I get more time, or patience

[UncleLoodis]

Even though I unplug mine when I'm done using it....that is pretty far out...starting by itself. Maybe you have a sea ghost around your place. I'm going to go empty mine out right now.

Regarding your revolver--I never had to get to the point of trying real heat and/or freezer. I kind of like the idea of having it on the wall, as a display

[Snyper]

I'm surprised someone hasn't recommended you send it back to Ruger for "warranty work"

We had a guy bring a really beat-up stainless P-89 into the shop in a shoebox because he had COMPLETELY disassembled it, and had managed to lose a couple of parts and had damaged some other parts.

We sent it back to Ruger with the expanation, and a couple of weeks later we got it back.

They had replaced all the missing/damaged parts, and had polished the rest of the gun, making it look like a new one.

They didn't even charge the shipping costs

We always kept a bucket of Kerosene for guns rusted like the OP's example

We'd remove the grips and just let it sit for a day or two then try taking it apart

PB Blaster also does a great job

[Magnum Wheel Man]

I contacted Hornady, they wanted to see it, & sent me a new one for a replacement... but I have to admit, I have no confidence in it, & try to always remember to leave it unplugged

...on the sidewinder, I thought about cutting the pin, to get the cylinder out, then cleaning it up good, & having my retired machinist buddy make me a new pin, that looks original... I have fired the gun with Colibri's & it functions good, though accuracy was awful... could have been the ammo, or the barrel could be as rusty as the outside of the gun... it's pretty tough to see much of the 22 caliber barrel with the cylinder still in place, & even brushing it out would be a challenge

as they are kinda interesting, ( double action, but cowboy style, with a single action extractor ) I thought about getting it working & shooting good, even if that meant a new barrel or barrel liner, then having it professionally refinished... the plastic, thumb rest, owl's head grips still look like brand new

[bedbugbilly]

UncleLoodis - Congrats! Glad you were able to get it out! Actually, from the photos, it doesn't look as bad as I thought it might. Looks like it will be clear sailing from here on out as far as getting it cleaned up and back in to shape - I'm sure you are relieved as well that you got the cylinder pin out!

I fully understand the "sentiment" aspect . . . those things are important.

Good luck on the rest of the restoration and hope it all works out for everyone involved. It will be nice to get it back in to shooting shape! Good luck!

[UncleLoodis]

Thanks again for the good advice and help.

U.L.