I have a question about a possible problem in a Taurus .454 Casull? I cleaned the barrel with the cylinder still closed and the rag went all the way through into the cylinder chambers. Stupid, Stupid, Stupid, I know. I ask because I used a lint free rag and it was rather a tight fit and maybe the cylinder misaligned. I was wondering if I should take it to a gunsmith to verify if the chambers still aligned with the barrel. When I shined a light into the cylinder and dry fired the gun it looks Okay, but a 454 exploding in your hand is no joke. I only fired it once (10 shots), and I’m not an expert on revolvers, can someone give me some advice on what I should do, and how much a diagnostic usually costs (ball-park)?

Unless you beat it in there with a hammer, I have a hard time understanding how this would hurt the gun. If it cycles normally when you pull the hammer back, and the bolt locks up in the cylinder notch at full cock.... then you should be OK.

OK - check for mis-alignment. Tape a piece of white paper against the recoil shield (where the firing pin sticks through the frame), then shine a light on that from the side. Look down the barrel (naturally the gun will be unloaded here) and watch the cylinders line up as the hammer comes back.

There will always be some slight misalignment of the chambers to the barrel; that is why a forcing cone is cut in the back of the barrel. But you shouldn't see the edge of any of the chambers when the hammer is all the way back.

Anyway - make sure the crane (the arm that connects the cylinder to the frame) isn't bent away from it, as well.

Good luck.

I fail to see anything abnormal about what you experienced or to see how you could have possibly done any harm.

I agree with the above posts. Cock it slowly and see if the timing is ok. Next time take a screwdriver and remove the cylinder before cleaning it. (1 screw on the bottom of the frame will remove the crane/cylinder in one motion)