My dad just bought a Taurus 9-shot .22 lr revolver. The double-action trigger pull is pretty tight, the cylinder release button is VERY hard to push (sometimes it locks up) and when you swing the cylinder out it "sticks" at about the 90% mark and you have to force it all the way down. We looked all over the gun for a model number but didn't find it so I can't ID it conclusively.

Has anyone had a similar problem and is it something he can fix on his own without sending the gun back to Taurus?

Thanks!

Check to make sure the cylinder was machine squarely. I bought a used model 94 and it displayed the same sympton when dirty. The front of the cylinder was dragging on the barrel forcing cone. I confirmed this using feeler guages that the front of the cylinder was not square. I used a fire to square up the front of the cylinder but the revolver failed to fire on 3 of 9 chambers consistently. I replaced the hammer spring but still failed to fire on those three chambers. I let a gunsmith look at the model 94 and spent casing and he noticed the firing in was hitting in the center on the cases which came out of those 3 chambers. You could see from the brass how the cylinder wasn't machined square.

I contacted Taurus and they had me send the hand gun in. My dealer shipped it so it could go through USPS and Taurus received the handgun repaired/replaced the cylinder. Taurus shipped it back to dealer with no charges. The model 94 SS has been great ever since and has worked just like it is supposed to.

You might also want to check the fit of the crane to the frame with the cylinder closed. If there is a noticable gap there may be an issue with the crane not being square. Also check the ejector rod to ensure the rod is straight and not bent.