colt clone cylinder locking up

[Blackfoot Blue]

Hey guys, hope I can get some help with this.

I have a cimarron colt clone in .45. After firing 4-5 shots the cylinder locks up. You cannot turn the cylinder at all. It is not the bolt,you can see that it drops completely away. At this point you cannot pull the hammer back either. I have to pull the cylinder pin and work the cylinder out of the frame.It looks like maybe the cartridge rims are hanging up on the hand. There is an arc scraped across the back of the cartridges across the primer. Is it possible that the hand is not retracting far enough? When the cylinder is out it looks like it works fine.I don't see anywhere else where the cartridges could be rubbing. Is this a hard fix? I like doing things myself.
                            Thanks for any help, Blackfoot Blue

[Coffinmaker]

The scrape across the primer is from a burr around the firing pin hole in the frame.  Your either loading ammunition with "high primers" or your primers are backing out upon firing or both.  You may also have insufficient head space.
The burr at the firing pin hole needs dressed
You need to take a real close look at your ammunition (your load may also be too light).
You need to have the head space checked (automotive feeler gage).  005 between case head and frame +\- 001

Coffinmaker

[Abilene]

I disagree about a burr in the firing pin hole, although that is very easy to check (and dry firing without snap caps can cause that).  Since it doesn't hang up until after "4 or 5 shots", I do agree that it is probably ammo related, most likely light loads that are backing out the primer.  Look at one of the spent cases and see if that primer is backed out somewhat.  The space between the cylinder and the recoil shield gets tighter on the left side of the gun, so that a primer that has backed out will often let the cylinder rotate until it hits this tighter spot.  You can take one of those empties with the scrapes on the primer and put it in the cylinder.  On half-cock, rotate the cylinder and see if it doesn't start dragging when it gets to that point in the rotation.  If you are reloading, try more powder (within loading table limits) and/or try some factory ammo.  If you are already shooting decent factory ammo (say, Black Hills or Winchester) then I withdraw my comments 

[rifle]

It could be one of those deals where the bolt leg doesn't get back on top the cam of the hammer. When the hammer won't draw back, as you say, it can't work the bolt to retract the bolt. Feel for any attempt of the cylinder to turn a little when you move the hammer back a little.
Take the palm of your hand and rap the side of the frame and listen for that little snick of the bolt getting back on top the cam. There could be a burr on the top edge of the hammers cam.
A little stoning to the cam and the bolt leg will remedy it if it is this problem.

[Cliff Fendley]

If it's doing it after some shots fired I'll bet it's ammo related

try different ammo before messing with the gun

[Devil Anse Hatfield]

Id bet not. I had a 44-40 with same problem.
Index the cylinder, Number the holes .
load and fire . Note chamber at fire pin hole . As well as chamber at the hole for the cylinder hand pawl.
Repeat load and fire .
My guess is that that the hangup is  poor machine and finnish of cylinder hand slot. It sticks up way more than it should and is catching  on a live round in a certain chamber.

Please respond with your findings

[rifle]

Checking for a bolt that's not always gettin back on top the hammer cam is a few second thing. Pulling the hammer a little towhere it stops and noticinng if the cylinder ntries to turn abd looking under the cylinder to see the bolt isn't moving is pretty easy. Easier that going into the ammo scrutiny.
Rapping the side of the gun with the palm and listening for the little "snick" of the bolt leg getting atop the cam is a couple second thing.
Gun malfunctions can happen at random intervals and sometimes seem like there's a sequence to that but......
nywhoooooo....hope the problem shows itself and it's not a serious one.
Maybe just a dirty chamber or something like that.
Not knowing what type loads are fired in the gun makes for some confusion diagnosing a problem like this.
It could be that if this "COLT CLONE" is an older Uberti Richards Mason type with the deep cuts between the teeth of the index ratchet at the rear of the cylinder there's a wear problem. The hand can wear a little on the left side(from the rear of the gun) and get too deep in the overly deep spaces between the ratchet teeth of the cylinder and hit the top of the hole the index part of the cylinder rides in. If this happens the cylinder and hammer won't move. A new hand or a new cylinder of the newer type with less deep cuts between the index teeth can fix er. I've fixed a coupla the RM's by getting and fitting a newer cylinder with less deep spaces between the ratchet index teeth. The less deep spaces between the ratchet index teeth keep the hand well back in it's channel.
I've fixed a couple where a new cylinder wasn't wanted and a new hand can fix er up. It will happen again though with a little wear to the corner of the hand.(because of the overly deep spaces between the ratchet index teeth. It can be freshed up but...may put the action sequence a little off. It would still work fine though.
Anyway.........since the Colt in this post has a cylinder pin that's removed to free up the gun I'd guess it isn't a Richards Mason. Well....maybe this is not relevent here but it could help someone with a Richards Mason.
I should remember what the original post reads. ha ha ha ha  Oh well, sorry. Tried to help.
I guess there is some slop to the fit of the hand in the mentioned Colt Clone since there's scraps on the cartridge rims.