Tearing Down a Security Six Cylinder

[Crazy88Fingers]

Howdy ya'll. I acquired a Security Six a few weeks ago and it's been a great gun thus far. Unfortunately the cylinder seems to be a bit gunked up, and I'd like to strip it down for a good cleaning. I can't really get it apart though.

I'm aware that the ejector rod is left-hand threaded. But that sucker is on there pretty tight. I've been using pliers with a towel wrapped around the ejector rod, but I'm pretty sure I can't go much further with them without messing up the rod. Any tips from those who are wiser in this matter than I?

Thank you gents.

[Deaf Smith]

Tried Free-all or Screw loosener?

I think you need to soak it in something like that before you go any farther.

Deaf

[Crazy88Fingers]

I hadn't thought of that. I suppose I'll take a trip to the hardware store tomorrow.

[Ashlander]

I try to avoid taking my cylinders apart. When mine get gunked up I drip lighter fluid in where I can. The lighter fluid is thin enough to work itself in the help break up the gunk. I spin the cylinder to help the process along. Then more lighter fluid and thin Rem oil. Same idea -- get something in there thin enough to penetrate and loosen the gunk. Spin a few more times and gunk starts coming out. I rinse with more lighter fluid and finish with a tiny bit of oil. Seems to work fine.

[Crazy88Fingers]

I've been trying that, but the ejector rod keeps coming out dirty. So I figured a quick disassembly would be easier. Although this hasn't turned out to be quick at all.

I'm actually starting to worry that at some point in the last 30 years someone else may have put some serious thread locker on it.

[madcratebuilder]

You should use a ejector rod tool.

http://www.dillonprecision.com/conte...ector_Rod_Tool

http://www.brownells.com/.aspx/pid=4...CTION_ROD_TOOL

[Whirlwind06]

You can also try the non-chlorine brake cleaner spray. That will cut though about any grease or gunk. Just be ready to re-oil it real quick!

So both Ruger and S&W are left hand threaded? Is Taurus, Rossi and Colt the same?
Sorry for the thread drift just curious.

[Crazy88Fingers]

Well I had a flash of inspiration and took a rubber vacuum line cap I had sitting around the garage, put it over the rod, and used some vice grips to try and loosen this thing. No luck. I also let it soak in some bolt loosener spray.

Thanks for the link to the ejector rod tools, but the cylinder isn't quite dirty enough for me to cough up any money yet. So I suppose I'll just accept the fact that this SOB isn't coming apart.

[Deaf Smith]

Oh one more thing.

Before you unscrew the rod put an empty .38 case in each of the chambers.

Why?

So the torque won't damage the star extractor. The cases will keep that part from moving.

Deaf

[jrothWA]

or are you having problem ejecting from cylinder?

Use WD-40 to flusj out the ejector rod as you function it.

Poor ejection maybe cause by previous owner using .38Spl in it only, and now there's a carbon/firing residue ring, that need to be cleaned out for using .357 cartridges.

Soak cylinder and chuck a new brass bore brush in drill and SLOWLY rotate brush to get the gunk out. repoeat as needed.

[Crazy88Fingers]

She's ejecting, and otherwise functioning, just fine. But the cylinder doesn't seem to be rotating as freely as it should. I'll try it again with some spent casings in the chambers.

[madmag]

You might assume worst case. Someone might have used red locktite. In that case it will take heat to loosen the threads. Probably an industrial electric heat (blower) will do.

[Crazy88Fingers]

Okay, still no luck getting this thing apart (I know, it's been a while) and, unfortunately, I've given it a few small scars in the process.

So, my next question is: could I disassemble the gun and throw the cylinder in the oven at around 450* to heat it up? Will this damage the bluing? Will 450 degrees be sufficient to loosen any loctite? I'm somewhat confident this will work, but this is my first blued gun and I'm still not quite sure what it will hold up to.

By the way, thank you for all the suggestions thus far.

[madcratebuilder]

Did you ever get a ejector rod tool? You can use a soldering gun to heat the rod.

[GP100man]

A small pad of leather on the pliers to hold the rod .

Flood it with 3in1 oil , then wash it all out with brake kleen the flammable kind ,then blow it out with compressed air. repeat if needed.

The later DA revolver cyls will come apart easier ,but ya need 3 hands to reassemble !!

[Crazy88Fingers]

I didn't get the tool. Money is tight, and it looks like my car might need a new IAC valve, so that's taking priority. Though I did find a universal one on Brownell's that would also work on my S&W, so I might pick that up someday.

I tried using a cheap leather belt and some pliers, but the rod just tore the belt up. This thing is really stuck. I tried carb cleaner, PB blaster, and just about everything else I could think to spray in there.

For the soldering iron I suppose I would apply it to the ejector rod, near the backside of the ejector star, right?

[johnbt]

"But the cylinder doesn't seem to be rotating as freely as it should."

I bought a new Police Service Six in '85 and still have it and I've never had the cylinder apart. I don't think it would spin like an S&W even if I soaked it in Kroil for a week.

John

[old bear]

Crazy88, you have had a lot of good and solid advice that would normally work, and it sounds like you have followed it well, but still no fix. Something is still preventing you from removing the ejector rod, so before you break something take it to a gunsmith and let him deal with the problem before you do any real damage.

[moxie]

Agree with old bear.

For some reason, the way the Security six is designed, crud slowly builds up in the ejector rod area in the cylinder, and the only way to clean it properly is to take it apart. all the flushing in the world doesn't seem to do the job. You need to get it done as eventually the thing will lock up. Once it's free, it's real easy to take apart and clean occasionally. So ask a gunsmith to do it for you. Likely take 30 seconds and be free to boot!

[Crazy88Fingers]

I'm starting to think a gunsmith may be the way to go as well. 30 seconds? Sure. Free? Doubt it. There used to be an old gringo gunsmith down the road that might have given me a freebie, but he just moved to Texas. So now I'm left with a bunch of South Americans that will most likely charge me for the full hour.

[oneounceload]

brake cleaner with the little red straw will clean everything immediately - just remember to re-oil after

[Mobuck]

I second using a spray cleaner like GunScrubber or BrakeKleen rather than further attempt to disassemble those parts. A $4 can of cleaner will be cheap compared to messing up even a single small part.

[Crazy88Fingers]

I tried soaking it with carb cleaner, and the cylinder spun beautifully for a few minutes. Then it went back to normal. I can soak it all day long, but the crud is still going to be sitting in there.

[oneounceload]

soaking it isn't the answer - you use the pressure from the spray can combined with the solvent of the brake cleaner to blast the gunk out of there

[MZ84]

I know mine doesn't. I assumed it was the way the gun was designed, but maybe I'm wrong about that.

I'm just curious whether you actually have a problem at all. I'd love feedback from other Ruger *-Six owners.