Bawanna's Christmas Miracle

[Bawanna]

Default A Christmas Miracle for Bawanna



Once upon a time.........................at the suggestion of Jeepster I accepted the challenge of installing a Wolff spring kit in my wife's J Frame, a 638 to be precise.

I never been inside a J Frame before and I was a little skeered there might be a bunch of parts that could easily get mixed up.
I was gonna send it off to Ahlmans and let them do a trigger job but again Jeepster encouraged me and said even a dimwit such as myself could easily do it. Said he's done several hisself, not sure what that has to do with me but it was encouraging.

Sooooo, I get the gun from the wife, it has a very hard trigger pull. Smooth enough, just hard to pull.

I carefully and systematically removed the side plate, no problems, all good. I kind of look around in there to see what's what and more importantly see where every thing goes. I didn't know what was in the Wolff package so I started there.
just a brilliant idea.

Well it's just a series of hammer springs, an 8, a 13, 14, 15 I think. I decided I'd just start with the 8 and see what I got.

It also looked like I wouldn't have to mess with any of them other tiny little pieces to do it so should be ok.

So I squeeze down on the hammer spring enough to get the cap and spring off the strut. All good.

Here's a picture of the cap, this will be the star of my little story.



Well I put on the new spring and cap and attempt to squeeze it down to get it in place when heck and damnation I lose it, the spring stays but the little cap, leaves the stratosphere followed by a stream of oh shucks and gosh durn it's and the depression sets in......................................

Well I know in my heart I'm never gonna find this blankity blank little piece of hard rubber but I also know that I just gotta look.

Break out the trusty flashlight and start checking nooks and crannies, alas in less than 5 minutes I'm scanning the floor and what to my wandering eye should appear but the little walk about cap. Eureka, thank you, thank you, thank you. The project can continue.

So this time I'm gonna be more careful so I chuck the strut up in the vise and figure to depress that spring and clamp it with some baby vise grips. Yes sirreeeee, I got this figured out by golly.
Well I'm a pressing down and have to tighten the vise grips just a scosh when heck and damnation, Houston we have a launch again. No clue what direction, full power. Dude your totally screwed this time, ain't no way..................

As tears begin to form making a total mess of my mascara, the depression and anxiety really set in this time. I'm ready to just toss in the towel, order the part, try again another day, but bawanna ain't no quitter, we gots to look some.

So out with the trusty flashlight once again, looking all over, and I kid you not, the lid on my little wood machinist tool box, (I sure ain't no machinist but I inherited a nice box) is up and by some miracle under the light of Rudolf's shiny red nose I happen to spy the walk about cap just a setting on the edge of that lid. My first thought was no way, your not that lucky, it can't be, has to be one of them thar mirages like the casino in Vegas.

But sho nuff there she be.

Well now the questioning thyself begins. Do we not press our luck, get drunk and be somebody or march on. Well again being the impatient type we press on.

I'm happy to report using a tiny tiny little nail utilizing the hole in the strut that in hindsight is no doubt there for this very purpose I was able to successfully get that bad boy back in one piece. Jury's still out on the pull I think it's better and I think it's totally acceptable.
One things for positive sure is I ain't taking it back out no more today.

Now I guess I'll work on that getting drunk and being somebody, my Marine got home last night, busiest day of the year at the airport, but that's another story for another time.

 

[Steely_Gunz]

I'm scared to death to open up a Smith. I don't even dabble inside my Rugers, and they are supposed to be way more forgiving.

Actually, I'm gun shy (no pun intended) to mess with any of my guns beyond a field stripping after taking an old CZ52 apart too far and selling it at a loss since it wouldn't function.

Gunsmithing isn't in the cards for me.

 

[bdmicarta]

I had the same thing happen when I was changing a battery in my Luminox watch, but instead of a rubber cap it was a little screw about the size of the head of a pin. I was holding it with little tweezers and it popped out. I found in on my desk. Then later it popped out again and took off. With careful searching on the carpet with flashlight and magnifier I finally found it. I used a piece of tape on the end of a toothpick to control it this time and get it in place.

I've disassembled K-frames and N-frames, I don't recall working on a J-frame. The J-frame has a different mainspring than the others- a coil spring. The others have a flat leaf spring.

 

[Jackal_89]

I'm scared to death to open up a Smith. I don't even dabble inside my Rugers, and they are supposed to be way more forgiving.

Actually, I'm gun shy (no pun intended) to mess with any of my guns beyond a field stripping after taking an old CZ52 apart too far and selling it at a loss since it wouldn't function.

Gunsmithing isn't in the cards for me.

I carry a pre-B CZ75. Great pistol! A buddy of mine and I took ours completely apart to get all the cosmoline off, and it was an excuse to say we could. I'll be doing it again to do a re-paint job!

EDIT: Jumped the gun ( ) We did strip the 75, but I didn't do that with the 52 (scored a never issued one still in the plastic wrap some years ago). Now I want to try. Hehehehe.

 

[Bigbore577]

I've worked the internals of most S&W and Colt revolvers, some can be quite daunting. IMHO, the absolute worst is placing the additional sear depresor spring in a Colt Gold Cup. It's a minute coil spring that loves to launch into equally small crevices many feet away, often unreachable or visiable. A wise old timer shared a technique that helps wonderfully for the newbie or seasoned veteran as well. When working on firearms with the potential of such disaster, perform the work with the item, tools and hands inside the confines of a large clear plastic bag. You have freedom of movement, visability and a captive enclosure if things go awry. I've shared this with many including John Taffin the gun writer, almost all have found it very beneficial.

 

[Shavru]

Bigbore, I am guessing someone you told probably was the one who told me about that trick. Full circle, I can definitely thank you for MANY hours I have NOT spent looking for little springs ect. That is about the best trick EVER. I use an old Turkey roasting bag that I bought on sale after Thanksgiving a few years ago. Nice and large, Thin to see and easy to feel through. Works wonders.

 

[Bigbore577]

Bigbore, I am guessing someone you told probably was the one who told me about that trick. Full circle, I can definitely thank you for MANY hours I have NOT spent looking for little springs ect. That is about the best trick EVER. I use an old Turkey roasting bag that I bought on sale after Thanksgiving a few years ago. Nice and large, Thin to see and easy to feel through. Works wonders.

Not sure when it got started, I've been preaching about it for about twenty-five years. Wish I could take credit for it! It's one of those things, when told, you wonder why the heck you didn't think of it yourself it's so simple, eh? I'm glad you found out about it early. I lost a spring for an antique Colt that went full out ballistic missile on me and landed behind a bank of gun safes. Bad enough, but it was a customer's piece. The spring was easily sourced but a PITA none the less. Never again!

 

[Bawanna]

I actually have a couple large bags at my bench, now if only I was smart enough to use them.

Over confidence I reckon but one would think after 3 launches even this dim wit would get the picture.......

 

[Tim the Wizard]

One time I sent Ruger a bag of parts and a note that said "please..."

Both Ruger and S&W and for that matter Benchmade and Fiddleback Forge and Himalayan Imports have been very gracious with me

 

[Bigbore577]

Wolff spring sets are great as is the company as a whole. They can easily make you custom springs to your specs and provide spring sets for obsolete firearms not even cataloged. They are of good quality, easily attained and very reasonably priced. I've probably used a few hundred over the years. I usually keep the original springs to replace on mine for resale or return to a customer for the same option. However, on S&W's the same results can be had by shortening the factory coil trigger spring or coil main spring on the L frame, doing so half coil at a time. On K&L additional shortening of the main spring tension screw a couple thousandths at a time works wonders. You can just back the tension screw out too but, it will protrude slightly past the back of the grip frame.
If you're using grips that leave the rear of the grip strap exposed it can be both a slight eye sore and palm irritant. I don't recommend making these mods unless you're 100% positive of your capabilities along with the proper tooling. Also, you must diligently check sear engagement and hammer push off after each minute alteration. If not someone could be seriously injured or worse. At best, a visit to a qualified smith or trip to the factory.