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Help needed with a revolver Did I fix this by oiling?
I got my hands on a nice model 686 used of course dated 1986. The gun has hardly been fired in its life. I went to shoot it for the first time today. The 1st 6 shots went good I reloaded and fired again using single action only When I got to the 5th shot the hammer would not go back the whole way so I made the gun safe and checked all of what I could see all looked ok thee cylinder is tight etc. I reloaded and tried again and the same thing happened again on the 5th shot. I stopped and took it out the range guy He looked at it and said he couldn’t find anything wrong. I brought the gun home and tried cocking single action sure enough it did it again. But this time the trigger was all the way back and stuck I had to pull the hammer back and let it fly to get the trigger back to the forward position. I am not a gun smith and this is the first revolver I've had it 25 years the last one was a S&W model 19 almost identical to this one (nickel)
I removed the grips and oiled everything in sight I tested the action again, it did not stick once. Did I fix this by oiling? it seems to work fine now. just looking for advice of what to check Thanks

Was the fifth shot always on the same cylinder?

No each time a different cylinder .

At first it sounded like your cartridges were jumping crimp - rare on these heavy revolvers but some ammo will do it regardless. But you say it locked up on you at home unloaded as well and that makes me think it might be wear instead. It may look unfired but if some bubba has sat on the sofa spinning the cylinder and dry firing the revolver - could have several well worn parts. Do the complete "revolver checkout" (search) and look for issues with crane and ejector rod wear or possibly bent, look for evidence of misalignment at the cylinder / forcing cone / barrel (use a light from the side and look down the barrel) (any spitting of lead) - misalignment is a gunsmith fix. Put the revolver in full lockup (trigger pulled and held to the rear - hammer down) - check for excess cylinder front to back or rotation that could cause it to be out of sync (maybe the 'star' that the pawl engages- back of cylinder - is seriously worn). Pull the hammer back, check for side to side play and try to make it drop by pushing on it. Could also have worn internals, someone may have played gunsmith already and damaged the sear or shortened springs etc. Take the grips off and look. Revolvers are really simple and just about everything can be done by you.

couzin wrote:At first it sounded like your cartridges were jumping crimp - rare on these heavy revolvers but some ammo will do it regardless. But you say it locked up on you at home unloaded as well and that makes me think it might be wear instead. It may look unfired but if some bubba has sat on the sofa spinning the cylinder and dry firing the revolver - could have several well worn parts. Do the complete "revolver checkout" (search) and look for issues with crane and ejector rod wear or possibly bent, look for evidence of misalignment at the cylinder / forcing cone / barrel (use a light from the side and look down the barrel) (any spitting of lead) - misalignment is a gunsmith fix. Put the revolver in full lockup (trigger pulled and held to the rear - hammer down) - check for excess cylinder front to back or rotation that could cause it to be out of sync (maybe the 'star' that the pawl engages- back of cylinder - is seriously worn). Pull the hammer back, check for side to side play and try to make it drop by pushing on it. Could also have worn internals, someone may have played gunsmith already and damaged the sear or shortened springs etc. Take the grips off and look. Revolvers are really simple and just about everything can be done by you.

First thank you very much for the help
I checked the cylinder per your suggestion its very tight in all directions I does not move at all. No side to side play in the hammer.can't drop hammer by pushing onit. I removed the grips and looked at everything I could see nothing looks modified. I am looking for a exploded view of the gun parts.
The guy I got this from said he fire it about 10 years ago and put it up in a box. He is not gun savey !
The gun was put away dirty ie he fired and dropped it in a box. I cleaned every part on it that I could. I did not oil any parts under the grips, no knowing if it was good to do. I asked the guy at the range who is really gun savey he just doesn't work on revolvers, he inspected it said the cylinder was tight and the gun had no wear on it. Said I made a great buy. I oiled every moving part I could get to and tested it again. It does not stick anymore. Seems very smooth

Take the grips off and shoot some Remoil or CLP up a straw into the action and another blast up behind the trigger - lay it aside for a few hours or a day before you wipe it up and put the grips back on (allows the oil to run out and not get on the grips) - no need to take the sideplate off at this point. I think you nailed the issue - it was just dry from setting and needed cleaning. But just to be safe - when you shoot it the next time - fire four rounds and pull the remaining cartridges and compare the overall length to ones from the box you are shooting from just to check your particular ammo for jumping crimp. I like the 686 - robust, and accurate - good choice.

I have a good needle point oiler, I stuck it in every cracked and hole I saw and oiled the heck out of it. It seems to be working perfect. I removed the cylinder and did a number on it to.I did check the ammo I fired 5 the first time then pulled #6 and compared to a fresh round it was perfect. Thanks for the help.

Not a gunsmith so this is just a guess but it might be that the gun wasn't shot much that you had an issue. ore than a couple of guns I've owned had an issue or two that just sorted themselves out after working them awhile. On one I'm sure it the machining leaving some edges and burrs on parts that were worn off after a bit of use. Since your gun was also put away dirty deposits could of easily formed on something catching and preventing natural movement. Keep working the gun and performing the correct maintenance and see how she does after a while.

A loose ejector rod will cause binding. Install empty brass in the cylinder and tighten snug with a drill chuck. It may be left hand.