Need Part!

[dondone]

Hi, Can anyone direct me to a parts source for a Smith .38 Double Action Fourth Model?

There is a small component pinned into the hammer called a "fly."

This fly has a small leaf spring inletted into it, but the spring on mine is broken, and the broken piece has long since vacated the gun, so I don't know what it looks like, or, for that matter, just exactly what it's supposed to do since the gun seems to functions fine without it.

If I knew what the spring looked like I'm pretty sure I could fabricate a reasonable replacement.

Any and all help/advice/leads greatly appreciated!

[Roundsworth]

swhome

Try these guys. It is quite a website.

[opoefc]

Try Poppertsgunparts.com or Numrich. I think what you are missing is the hand spring. It's a small , slightly curved flat spring, easily duplicated from a piece of spring stock or a piece of an old alarm clock spring that has the same slight curve. The older S&W parts catalogs, circa 1900-1930 and various exploded gun drawings in current gun publications show the spring in their drawings, etc. Good luck, Ed.

[dondone]

Thanks for those tips.

This particular part, the "fly" is clearly illustrated in the several IBPs I have seen for the DA .38s, but they don't show the spring. I can copy it if I know what it looks like.

I'm not even sure what this "fly" does. It seems to have some sort of interaction with the sear when the hammer is brought to half cock, but serves no purpose as far as I can see, and it's only found on the DA .38s and not the DA .32s

[dondone]

Originally Posted by opoefc

Try Poppertsgunparts.com or Numrich. I think what you are missing is the hand spring. It's a small , slightly curved flat spring, easily duplicated from a piece of spring stock or a piece of an old alarm clock spring that has the same slight curve. The older S&W parts catalogs, circa 1900-1930 and various exploded gun drawings in current gun publications show the spring in their drawings, etc. Good luck, Ed.

It's definitely not the hand spring, which is fine in this gun.

This "fly" is a small piece of metal that fits into a slot cut in the bottom of the hammer and is pinned in place. The spring (I assume) is intended to exert some downward pressure on the "fly" which is forced into retraction when the hammer is placed in "half cock."

I have NO idea what the purpose of this "fly" is, as the gun functions perfectly without the part even installed. LOL!

[dondone]

Originally Posted by Roundsworth

swhome

Try these guys. It is quite a website.

I found these guys on Google, and they show the "fly," but their liiustration. like all the other similar pics of the DA .38 I have found, don't show the associated spring.

The "fly" is part 189 in Mr. Chicoine's illustration, and the pivot pin is 189h. If you blow the pic up a little you can see where the slot is cut in the fly for the spring.

In my gun, just the stub was still present, so I don't know if the spring is just a single curved type or a small "V" type similar to sear springs used on older IJ, H&R, etc. top breaks. The end that goes into the fly is complex; Something like the cylinder bolt spring on an 1892 Colt New Army.

[opoefc]

The S&W parts catalog, circa 1900, shows the "fly & spring" as part # D 14. An earlier parts catalog shows the fly as part # 189, but does not mention the fly spring or fly pin. The Fly spring is a small flat spring, slightly curved that is wedged into a slot in the fly. Ed.

[dondone]

^^^^^^^

Hmmmm. Not exactly. The small part is called (according to several old illustrations I have looked at) the "fly," and (in Mr. Chicoine's illustration) part #189h is the "fly pin." The "fly" is pinned through the hammer and resides in that slot you describe at the bottom of the hammer.

What you are referring to as the "rear sear spring" is a very large part, pinned to the frame, which bears pressure on the rear sear, and has nothing to do with the "fly."

The "fly" is definitely cut for a spring of some sort, otherwise, it would function solely by gravity, and that small broken stub of metal would serve no purpose. I know the "fly" interacts with the sear at "half cock," but I can see no real purpose for it, since the sear will engage "half cock" whether that part is present or not.

The only thing I can remotely figure is, for some reason known only to S&W, that the "fly" is supposed to hold the sear under pressure at the very bottom of the "half cock" notch at the ledge.

There is a very intricate slot cut in the "fly" which accomodates what I am pretty sure is a spring, one end of which is milled with a round cross section to hold it in place, like the cylinder bolt spring on a Colt 1892 DA.

If I only knew what that spring looked like, I could fabricate it, as I'm not sure if it's just a curved spring or a "vee."

I did send an email to swhome, but I haven't heard back as of yet.