Frozen Williams chamber

[TOG]

Looks like The Old Guy is the new kid on the block. :) I followed a link here from another forum and am very favorably impressed! Great job, guys!

I have an early Colt Conversion Unit (probably pre-war). It has spent several years among family members and has just recently returned home. When it left it functioned properly, but when it returned I found the Williams floating chamber frozen in its forward position. The pistol still functions and feeds, but its recoil seems to be less than I remember.

I know enough not to muckle onto the barrel and floating chamber with opposing pairs of Channel Lock pliers, but beyond that do not know how to free the chamber.

It occurred to me that the problem may be lead shavings that have locked the chamber in position, and if so, that the application of heat (from a propane torch?) might free it. I also know that allowing the barrel or chamber to turn cherry red might not be a good idea, either.

Any recommendations on how I might free the Williams floating chamber without making anything worse?

Thanks,

The Old Guy

PS. The firing pin stop on the conversion unit has an even gentler (larger) radius than that on the .45 slide, indicating that the engineers at Colt still understood Mr. Browning's design in the late '30s, and made it so to minimize the mainspring's effect on the perceived recoil of the .22 LR.

[Joni Lynn]

Any chance it's rusted in place?

[TOG]

Any chance it's rusted in place?

I suppose it's possible, but I consider it unlikely. There is no sign of rust anywhere else on the barrel or the floating chamber and nothing showing in the joint between them.

The Old Guy

[brickeyee]

Apply some kroil and let it sit for a while.

[TOG]

Apply some kroil and let it sit for a while.

Will do.

Thanks, all,

The Old Guy

[RickB]

If you can loosen the chamber enough to get it to rotate, tap it around with a non-marring tool and hammer, until the feed ramp is clear of the lug, then tap on the feed ramp to drive it back and off the barrel. I've had to do this a couple of times, but find if I shoot no more than 100-150 rounds in a session, I can always pull the chamber out with my fingers.

[TOG]

Update: I didn't have any Kroil available, so I submerged the back end of the barrel in Marvel Mystery Oil on Saturday. I checked it on Monday morning, and again just now (Wednesday evening). The floating chamber still does not respond to hand torque (leather gloves but no tools).

Question: When I had the pistol out on the range last week it fired and cycled properly. Does that mean the floating chamber is functioning under recoil, then sticking again in battery? Or will the pistol function with the floating chamber actually frozen and immovable? Even if it will, I would still like to free up the chamber -- motherhood and apple pie, and all that :)

Anybody got an idea of what I might try next, short of the opposing pair of Channel Locks?

Thanks,

The Old Guy

[RickB]

OK, so don't so much "tap" on it with the non-marring tool, but beat on it! It would have to be just about welded in there, to resist turning. One time, my dad did take some pliers to it, and you don't want to go there.

[TOG]

It took a while, but I finally got the Williams floating chamber loose.

Soaking in Marvel Mystery Oil did not do it -
Beating on it did not do it -
(although both probably contributed to the fix)

What I finally did was use a spring-type clothes pin, which when hyper-opened fit around the cylindrical part of the floating chamber, then I grabbed the clothes pin with the Channel Locks (using the clothes pin like a leather face jaw on a vice) and was able to revolve the chamber until its lug was clear, then beat it off with the plastic-faced hammer.

There was a significant ring of lead in chamber's recess in the barrel. I suspect (but do not know) that the floating chamber was being grabbed by the case upon firing and performing its designed task, then was driven back onto the lead by the slide returning to battery.

Thanks much for all your suggestions,

The Old Guy

[Joni Lynn]

Congrats! I'm glad you got it apart and seemingly with no damage.

[gbw]

Always learning...the clothes pin trick is pretty cool!