.357 cases hard to extract, really hard.

[milktree]

I've got a few .357 magnum guns, and one of them has a problem with the spent cases not extracting. The same ammo works fine in all the rest, and .38+p works fine in all of them.

Is that a sign of an under or oversized chamber?

I've only tried one brand of .357 in the offending gun so far, I'm hoping it's just an ammo problem. It seems odd that it'd only happen in all six cylinders of one, but not at all on the rest.

 

[Bugs100]

First I would soak it in solvent and use a brass brush to clean the cylinder holes, It sounds like you have a powder rings in the cylinder holes from shooting 38's in it.

The shorter 38's can leave a lot of crud in there that can be hard to see.

 

[jpattersonnh]

You are possibly getting buildup from your .38sp bullets! You need to clean the cylinder. That is the 1st step.

 

[Bob J]

Another vote for cleaning first..... If you still have a problem with sticking brass after cleaning then the next step I would take would be to mark and measure the extracted brass.... Use a marker to identify orientation and then mark the base of the brass with numbers from that point clockwise.... Extract the brass and then measure the diameter at at least 3 places along it's length and compare with the same data from one of your other guns.... That will tell the story.... My S&W500 had a single brass that would always be prone to sticking and it turned out to be oversized and flared after being fired and formed to the cylinder.... Took it to S&W and they replaced the cylinder (no charge)..... Great customer service....

You are possibly getting buildup from your .38sp bullets! You need to clean the cylinder. That is the 1st step.

 

[BossHarley]

I agree with above posts, first be sure it is clean. I use JB bore paste with a bore mop, and really really spend some time on each cyclinder.
Also, higher power rounds will expand the brass more against the cyclinder walls and lead to more difficult extraction, but it shouldn't be that hard.

My number one peeve with revolvers (my favorite handguns) is that the manufactures don't polish the cyclinders all the way to the end - not sure why?

 

[Timberwolf]

+5 on the above.

I use a 38 cal Hoppes Tornado Brush for this operation. It removed the lead/powder buildup quicker than anything else.

 

[Knob Creek]

You may need to use a Lewis Lead remover if all else fails.

 

[Tim94gt]

One more for cleaning the cylinder. I had a similar issue, turned out to just need a good cleaning from shooting .38's.

 

[EddieCoyle]

Is it a Dan Wesson?

 

[milktree]

Is it a Dan Wesson?

The offending gun? No. It's a Mateba.

The shells that come out of it don't fit into the Security-Six or the 686 either. The 686 definitely has smaller cylinders though. (yet still no problems)

I don't understand how the "shooting .38's in it" problem works. The shells continue to be stuck for nearly their entire length, not just the first 1/8" or so. Is the lead/powder buildup getting blown back around the whole case or something?

 

[Tiktock]

I had this same problem with my Dan Wesson. In my case the problem wasnt it being too dirty but instead the fact that i cleaned it! The chambers were fairly rough in their machining and over the years, that rough surface had been smoothed with gunk/deposits. The first time i gave it a good cleaning, i started having stuck brass problems.

I solved this 100% by simply taking a bore brush, wrapping it in cloth, applying some buffing/polishing compound and chucking it up in a drill press. A few minutes on each chamber and i've never had the problems since. That rough machining must have been just enough to make the cases stick when they expanded.

 

[center442]

Is it a Dan Wesson?

I had this same problem with my Dan Wesson. In my case the problem wasnt it being too dirty but instead the fact that i cleaned it! The chambers were fairly rough in their machining and over the years, that rough surface had been smoothed with gunk/deposits. The first time i gave it a good cleaning, i started having stuck brass problems.

I solved this 100% by simply taking a bore brush, wrapping it in cloth, applying some buffing/polishing compound and chucking it up in a drill press. A few minutes on each chamber and i've never had the problems since. That rough machining must have been just enough to make the cases stick when they expanded.

Funny that "Dan Wesson" came to my mind when I started reading this thread. Years ago my brother bought a Dan Wesson that exhibited the same problem. My reloads were far from max, and extracted fine in Ruger, S&W, and Colt revolvers, but would stick in the Dan Wesson, sometimes to the point where it was necessary to tap the extractor on the reloading bench to get the extraction started. Not good for the gun or the shooter's temper, especially in a timed match. The chambers in the cylinder were filled with swirled machining marks.

Maybe, as others have suggested, some polishing would help with the Mateba's chambers?

 

[Jose]

+5 on the above.

I use a 38 cal Hoppes Tornado Brush for this operation. It removed the lead/powder buildup quicker than anything else.

This ^

A brass or bronze brush will NOT get the hard carbon buildup out of the chambers. You need a steel brush. I have some steel wire chamber brushes from Brownells, though I have used Hoppes Tornado brushes to clean nastily fouled shotgun chokes and they work awesome. I am sure they would break up the carbon ring in no time flat with some elbow grease.