I saw a "how to" video on repairing a slow-timed revolver at:

How to repair slow timed Smith & Wesson revolver | Video « Wonder How To

I was thinking of giving this a try, but can't believe it is as simple as shown. Additional thoughts and pointers would be welcome!

My particular revolver (1955 Highway Patrolman) is slow timed, but just barely. It shoots double action fine with factory 38 specials and mild factory 357s. I am willing to risk the cost of a replacement hand as an experiment, but will NOT be taking a file or stone to ANY part other than the replacement hand. And will of course save the original hand, in case I transform the replacement hand into useless metal (in which case will revert to "plan B" and take it to a gunsmith).

It isn't quite that easy as shown in the video. I agree, stone only the new hand, nothing else.

If it is an oversized hand, you may need to stone the left hand side (viewed from rear) of the tip of the hand to get proper clearance without binding on the ratchets. If the ratchets are badly worn, the hand may not need trimming but don't just stuff it in and force it to turn.

When fitting, be careful and don't force the rotation if it is too tight because the tip of the hand is very hard and sharp and will cut metal off the ratchets and you don't want that. You want to dial in the hand width until it is as wide as possible but still lets the hand tip "slip by" the ratchet without much drag when the cylinder locks in place.

If you remove the rebound slide and spring and fit the hand using just the trigger and cylinder for testing (leave sideplate off) it's easier to feel the fit. You may want to use a sharpie and mark the ratchet that is "tightest" for fit check. Lay the gun to the left and pull the trigger slowly, if binding don't force. You have to reset the trigger with your finger. If the hand is binding, shave the LHS of the tip a bit and keep working it. You only have to shave the tip maybe 0.2" from the tip down for fitting.

I've done quite a few of these, and unless you get really lucky, Larry makes it look way too easy. A single "cut and try" very rarely gets it done, and there are typically a few sharp edges that need breaking, too, beyond the bit that needs to come of the left side of the hand.

Thank you, those suggestions were very helpful! The "Power Custom" competition (over-sized) hand arrived and seemed a high quality part. However, the instructions with it suggested filing the window to fit the hand, which I did not do.

I cleaned out the window, and with my Arkansas stone polished the left side of the hand, and the right side a little as well, until it fit the window. I also broke the sharp edges of the hand with a few strokes on the stone, as suggested. With the rebound slide, spring, and mainspring, all removed, I installed the hand on the trigger and noted the trigger and hammer to cycle nicely, but the hammer didn't quite go into full cock or release. I Realized the hand was binding on the ratchets and blocking the hammer from its full rearward travel. Didn't force. Removed hammer, trigger and hand, and further polished the left-hand side (and a little of the edges) of the hand. At this point I found it helpful to just insert the hand, WITHOUT the hammer or trigger in place, into the window, where I could somewhat test/observe it's fit against the ratchets.

When all seemed good, back went the hammer, trigger, hand, mainspring, and rebound slide/spring. Timing now seems good all around! Guess I was lucky: The old hand seemed quite worn at its contact point, and wear to the ratchets seemed equal among all, with timing just slightly off all around. So I didn't have to fiddle with the ratchets.

You never remove metal from the right hand side of the frame window, that is where it wears from use. Likewise, don't remove metal from the RHS of the hand, same reason. If the hand absolutely will not go through the slot, material is removed from the left side of the frame slot until the hand just goes in (a couple of thousandths if even that much). It should not be necessary to do that, because the frame slot gets wider from wear on the RHS edge. Then, fitting proceeds removing material from the LHS of the hand if needed to get proper carry up and clearance as the tip slips by the ratchet.

Sounds like yours is dialed in right if it carries up well and does not bind.

[QUOTE=bountyhunter;135597992]You never remove metal from the right hand side of the frame window, that is where it wears from use. Likewise, don't remove metal from the RHS of the hand, same reason. QUOTE]

bountyhunter...what if the new hand is really sharp on the right side (knife like edges)

can they (the edges) be stoned....or is the sharpeness of the edges a non issue?

thanks in advance

[QUOTE=SW CQB 45;135600687] I would lightly break the RHS edge if it is really sharp.

I put this job in the category of not likely to do right the first time. If learning how is important go for it, like everyone says don't file on the gun, do the fitting on the cheap part I always say. Good luck.

Larry Potterfield sure did make it look easy. They skipped the disassembly/reassembly of internal parts, which surely takes some time and care. Also, when he fitted the hand to the trigger, he just dropped it in and was done in 2 seconds. I think there is a tiny torsion spring that has to fit just right.

No, it is not easy as Larry Potter shows there, he left out a lot of the stuff in doing it. I bought an over sized hand, big mistake, mess that one up, I did sand some in the frame of the gun, but it will be okay, sanded on left side only looking at it form the back side. Hell, never did get enough off the over sized hand to fit, I mean what the hell , so they sure made it plenty big in oversize. LOL You do not sand the right side or the right side of the hand, only the left side. Hard to fit it also even on the second hand that I bought that was not over sized, just the regular hand for it and it has to be fitted, not going in there until you fit it, the factory guy sent it to me and said is wrong with the old hand, I said it is out of time, will not lock up in time , so there you have it, not made right to start with is my guess, hand is tough as hell and should not have been out regardless of how many time you fire the dam thing. So, it would turn or do a thing stock when put in there. You have to take some right off the top of the hand, that way it will fit in there and not be locked up, than it was catching when you pull the trigger back also, so I smoothed out the front of the hand just blow the top or the tip, and keep trying it until there is not catching toward the back of the trigger pull before the hammer falls. Than I had to round off the left side of hand on the sharp edge so the hand would release even, it will lock right in the notch and hammer drops down at the exact time, not before, so don't know if it locks way before the hammer goes down or suppose to, to how to make it do that, it is locked exactly as the hammer falls, no indents on the extractor gear as the hand goes into it no time and it is right in time exactly. Now there is a few thousand gap on the frame where I sanded it, hard to get into the window to do anything, that little gap does not hurt a thing with the standard hand from the factory, the hand put into the revolver it tight toward the right side, so the few thousand you take out of the frame on the left side does not make any difference, the hand can not tough it or go that way once in place, that would fill up with an oversized hand fitted in and sanding down right on the left side of hand to fit the frame, I could not get the oversized hand down, must have been several thousands over or they sent me the wrong hand to start with, that is probably the problem, regardless the stock hand I got from factory got to be fitted anyways to work, not just drop it in like Harry Potter shows there, pathetic. I put a new extractor in it also and than the hand, it is in time, but right on the money in time, should be okay, will not put a mark on the extractor, and after smoothing everything out in there , trigger is smooth as can be , easy to pull, with the correct reduced power springs , so should be no problems setting the primer off. I can hold the cylinder and pull the hammer or just pull the trigger until it cocks and it is in time, and will be right in time. Before , it was not locked when holding the cylinder as I turned it, and could move it several thousands for it to click and lock, it was out of time, and gun was not very old, bought it used, so do not know what they done to get it out of time like that, should not have been out of time to start with on this smith and wesson regardless, parts are tough and hard as they come on that hand .

Good info Frank, tho it would be a lot easier to read with paragraphs. There is a hand window file you can get from Brownell's to file the left side of the hand window to make the Ron Power hand fit in. Don't forget to file the vertical surface on the left side below the hand window too.

Then use a diamond file on the left nose of the hand to get it to width. It's fine to break the sharp edges, but don't take any off the right side of anything.