Smith & Wesson Forum

Go Back   Smith & Wesson Forum > Ammunition-Gunsmithing > S&W-Smithing
o

Notices

S&W-Smithing Maintenance, Repair, and Enhancement of Smith & Wesson and Other Firearms.


Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
  #1  
Old 03-08-2017, 09:58 PM
DWalt's Avatar
DWalt DWalt is offline
Member
Clarify the use of the Babbitt bar Clarify the use of the Babbitt bar Clarify the use of the Babbitt bar Clarify the use of the Babbitt bar Clarify the use of the Babbitt bar  
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: South Texas & San Antonio
Posts: 33,479
Likes: 236
Liked 28,938 Times in 14,012 Posts
Default Clarify the use of the Babbitt bar

I have seen numerous references about various gunsmiths somehow using a Babbitt bar to move the point of impact of a fixed sight revolver. Yet I haven't seen any detailed descriptions about exactly how that is/was done. Can anyone explain what the method was? And does it work?
Reply With Quote
The Following User Likes This Post:
  #2  
Old 03-08-2017, 10:13 PM
Autonomous's Avatar
Autonomous Autonomous is offline
Member
Clarify the use of the Babbitt bar Clarify the use of the Babbitt bar Clarify the use of the Babbitt bar Clarify the use of the Babbitt bar Clarify the use of the Babbitt bar  
Join Date: Feb 2017
Posts: 705
Likes: 533
Liked 1,016 Times in 389 Posts
Default

I'd guess they are soft, lead alloy punches.
Reply With Quote
The Following User Likes This Post:
  #3  
Old 03-08-2017, 11:01 PM
scooter123 scooter123 is offline
Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: Metro Detroit, Michigan
Posts: 6,919
Likes: 179
Liked 4,294 Times in 2,106 Posts
Default

A babbit bar is bar of rather soft bearing alloy, sort of a hard lead alloy. As for the method, basically you clamp the frame of the revolver in a vice with shaped hardwood inserts and whack the barrel so that the frame is bent slightly at the barrel mount. Naturally this approach did require that the Smith doing the work "have the touch" because otherwise he'd be bending that frame back and forth until it cracked. To be blunt not something for a kitchen table gunsmith and something that still makes me cringe at the thought of. Aren't you glad that today the Lathe is quite common and we can "re clock" a barrel using a technique that allows us to make adjustments down to the 1/10,000 inch.
Reply With Quote
The Following 8 Users Like Post:
  #4  
Old 03-08-2017, 11:07 PM
MygunisaS&Wrevolver MygunisaS&Wrevolver is offline
Member
Clarify the use of the Babbitt bar Clarify the use of the Babbitt bar Clarify the use of the Babbitt bar Clarify the use of the Babbitt bar Clarify the use of the Babbitt bar  
Join Date: Jun 2016
Location: Oregon
Posts: 221
Likes: 78
Liked 163 Times in 85 Posts
Default

I am by all means not an expert, but have read that a babbitt bar is like a round or triangular lead alloy rod that it used by a skilled S&W gunsmith to straighten a front sight blade, extractor rod or an overtorqued frame. This gunsmith needs to know how much energy to use and where to exactly apply the striking force to accomplish this. The lead alloy of the rod is supposidly not to cause damage to the finish of the revolver. This sounds way old school and definately out of my league.
Reply With Quote
The Following 3 Users Like Post:
  #5  
Old 03-09-2017, 12:15 AM
Drm50 Drm50 is offline
Member
Clarify the use of the Babbitt bar Clarify the use of the Babbitt bar Clarify the use of the Babbitt bar Clarify the use of the Babbitt bar Clarify the use of the Babbitt bar  
Join Date: Oct 2014
Location: Monroe cnty. Ohio
Posts: 6,923
Likes: 4,410
Liked 10,022 Times in 3,676 Posts
Default

It must have been before my time, I never herd of bending frame
to adjust point of impact. I have herd of clamping barrel and using a babit punch to bend sight for windage.
Reply With Quote
The Following User Likes This Post:
  #6  
Old 03-09-2017, 12:55 AM
Big Cholla Big Cholla is offline
Member
Clarify the use of the Babbitt bar Clarify the use of the Babbitt bar Clarify the use of the Babbitt bar Clarify the use of the Babbitt bar Clarify the use of the Babbitt bar  
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: Las Vegas, NV
Posts: 3,428
Likes: 5,932
Liked 5,259 Times in 1,732 Posts
Default

I have been trained in the use of and when not to use the babbit bar. It is not used to correct the clocking of a revolver barrel. It is used in the conjunction of the correct gauges to realign a bent frame. It can be used to correct the correlation of POA and POI, usually in fixed sight revolvers. I have used it to correct a frame badly warped by the 'bubba hammer handle' method of removing a barrel from said frame. I have used it to correct a top strap bent down to touching the cylinder. I have used it to bring the POI closer to POA. There are other more minor uses around the pistolsmith work bench. It does take some muscle memory for gauging the amount of force to be used in any given instance.

FYI, merely wacking a frame back into alignment is not the final solution. Bend steel and then bend it back and one dimension or another will 'grow'. That is going to have to be taken into account with head space, barrel/cylinder gap and timing. Pre model numbered frames will be of slightly 'softer' steel and will bend easier. Care must be taken when moving from a later frame and getting use to the harder blows necessary to achieve desired results to an older softer frame requiring the same corrections. It takes a much softer blow to move an older frame the equivalent distance as compared to a newer frame.

Many years ago, custom quality shotgun makers 'regulated' the barrels of a side by side or an overunder by wacking the barrel in the appropriate spot with a lead babbit hammer. There were specialists in those custom houses that did only that job.
Reply With Quote
  #7  
Old 03-09-2017, 05:09 AM
Tyrod Tyrod is offline
Member
Clarify the use of the Babbitt bar Clarify the use of the Babbitt bar Clarify the use of the Babbitt bar Clarify the use of the Babbitt bar Clarify the use of the Babbitt bar  
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: Sunny Central Florida
Posts: 1,232
Likes: 334
Liked 993 Times in 378 Posts
Default

I once walked into a Babit Bar. The patrons quickly noticed I was a proto human and began throwing celery sticks at me. I rekon they were drinking bloody marys. I high tailed it out of there, slipped on a carrot stick and busted my watch. I never returned. I later learned Jessica Babit was performing there. Some years on I found out the proprietor Roger Babit was busted for smuggling cocaine. He was eventually acquitted. The bar fell on hard times and closed down. Some months later 3M bought out the bar and it is now the largest Scotch Tape store in America.
__________________
NRA Benefactor
Reply With Quote
  #8  
Old 03-09-2017, 08:04 AM
steelslaver's Avatar
steelslaver steelslaver is offline
US Veteran
Clarify the use of the Babbitt bar Clarify the use of the Babbitt bar Clarify the use of the Babbitt bar Clarify the use of the Babbitt bar Clarify the use of the Babbitt bar  
Join Date: Oct 2013
Location: Central Montana
Posts: 13,620
Likes: 12,734
Liked 39,084 Times in 9,964 Posts
Default

I have an older reblued I frame 32 that shoots a bit off. Guns not worth a lot. I have been sent clear instructions on where to strike it and appox size of Babbitt bar etc. Understand the process and what is happening. But, just can't get myself to commit to smacking the gun.
Reply With Quote
The Following User Likes This Post:
  #9  
Old 03-09-2017, 08:52 AM
Tyrod Tyrod is offline
Member
Clarify the use of the Babbitt bar Clarify the use of the Babbitt bar Clarify the use of the Babbitt bar Clarify the use of the Babbitt bar Clarify the use of the Babbitt bar  
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: Sunny Central Florida
Posts: 1,232
Likes: 334
Liked 993 Times in 378 Posts
Default

Before we go too too far down this road of beating up revolvers with babbitt bars, know that that's not what they were designed for. Babbitt is designed as a bearing material. About 100 years ago it was common for machine tools to be made with plain bearings made of babbitt. The bar part was just a convenient way to transport the babbitt to the tool. Where upon, the babbitt was melted into a built in mould surrounding the ferrous journal that needed support. It's a nearly dead skill set and I've hardly given it justice.
__________________
NRA Benefactor
Reply With Quote
The Following 3 Users Like Post:
  #10  
Old 03-09-2017, 09:08 AM
federali's Avatar
federali federali is offline
Absent Comrade
Clarify the use of the Babbitt bar Clarify the use of the Babbitt bar Clarify the use of the Babbitt bar Clarify the use of the Babbitt bar Clarify the use of the Babbitt bar  
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: Cary, NC
Posts: 3,082
Likes: 12,877
Liked 7,548 Times in 2,081 Posts
Default "Babbitizing"

I purchased my Model 65-3" RB while at the S&W armorers' school back in the 80s. After fixing a minor internal flaw. I discovered that the gun didn't quite shoot to the sights. One of the S&W armorers took the gun and "babbitized" it, to use his lingo. Afterward, the gun always shot to the sights.

My feeling is that taking a babbit to a revolver requires experience and skill. The amount of babbitizing needed is always too small to see with the naked eye so I would be inclined not to try it myself.

Incidentally, the 7-day revolver armorers' school I attended did not teach the use of the babbit.
Reply With Quote
The Following 3 Users Like Post:
  #11  
Old 03-09-2017, 09:11 AM
Muss Muggins's Avatar
Muss Muggins Muss Muggins is offline
Member
Clarify the use of the Babbitt bar Clarify the use of the Babbitt bar Clarify the use of the Babbitt bar Clarify the use of the Babbitt bar Clarify the use of the Babbitt bar  
Join Date: Mar 2014
Location: bootheel of Missouri
Posts: 16,852
Likes: 6,981
Liked 28,082 Times in 8,896 Posts
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by DWalt View Post
I have seen numerous references about various gunsmiths somehow using a Babbitt bar to move the point of impact of a fixed sight revolver. Yet I haven't seen any detailed descriptions about exactly how that is/was done. Can anyone explain what the method was? And does it work?
Gun goes in vice, babbit bar used to whack barrel towards appropriate direction . . .
__________________
Wisdom comes thru fear . . .
Reply With Quote
The Following 4 Users Like Post:
  #12  
Old 03-09-2017, 09:46 AM
ken158 ken158 is offline
Member
Clarify the use of the Babbitt bar Clarify the use of the Babbitt bar  
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: VA
Posts: 4,667
Likes: 1,436
Liked 4,487 Times in 1,927 Posts
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by federali View Post
I purchased my Model 65-3" RB while at the S&W armorers' school back in the 80s. After fixing a minor internal flaw. I discovered that the gun didn't quite shoot to the sights. One of the S&W armorers took the gun and "babbitized" it, to use his lingo. Afterward, the gun always shot to the sights.

My feeling is that taking a babbit to a revolver requires experience and skill. The amount of babbitizing needed is always too small to see with the naked eye so I would be inclined not to try it myself.

Incidentally, the 7-day revolver armorers' school I attended did not teach the use of the babbit.
My Babbitt bar was also included in the gunsmith kit I received at the S&W armorers school in the early 80's. Fun times as we were introduced into making adjustments on various parts of model 64's which were for an unknown PD order. I will say that I turned out a few mighty fine revolvers in that two week period.
Reply With Quote
The Following 4 Users Like Post:
  #13  
Old 03-09-2017, 12:05 PM
Big Cholla Big Cholla is offline
Member
Clarify the use of the Babbitt bar Clarify the use of the Babbitt bar Clarify the use of the Babbitt bar Clarify the use of the Babbitt bar Clarify the use of the Babbitt bar  
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: Las Vegas, NV
Posts: 3,428
Likes: 5,932
Liked 5,259 Times in 1,732 Posts
Default

Actually, the Babbit tool approved for S&W 'wacking' is a bar unto itself. It is just a round bar of lead alloy about 3/4" to 7/8" in dia. and about 4" to 5" long.

Being a lead bullet caster since about the age of 18 (a looong time ago) I started seeing other possibilities for the use of lead blocks on my gunsmithing workbench. I now have two Lyman type cast ingots of lead laying on my bench at all times. The tops have various sized "V" grooves or square grooves to aid in holding a part or a gun while doing something else to that part or gun. I also have a casting of lead out of the bottom of a round bottomed melting pot laying there that I use as much as the ingots. It looks like a little low igloo of lead. It is perfect to aid in backing up a small part that is handheld while being polished, sanded, filed, etc. ..... When my lead 'helpers' get too beat up and tending to be less usable than usual, I just recast them and start over. ....
Reply With Quote
The Following 3 Users Like Post:
  #14  
Old 03-09-2017, 01:37 PM
Autonomous's Avatar
Autonomous Autonomous is offline
Member
Clarify the use of the Babbitt bar Clarify the use of the Babbitt bar Clarify the use of the Babbitt bar Clarify the use of the Babbitt bar Clarify the use of the Babbitt bar  
Join Date: Feb 2017
Posts: 705
Likes: 533
Liked 1,016 Times in 389 Posts
Default

Fascinating. I had assumed they would be used for adjusting sights and not much else. Thanks guys.
Some old automotive engines were called babbitt beaters for their penchant of hammering the babbit bearings. There are tales of roadside repairs using a bit of leather from a strap or belt to replace a ruined bearing.
Reply With Quote
The Following User Likes This Post:
  #15  
Old 03-09-2017, 03:26 PM
Tired Gunsmith Tired Gunsmith is offline
Member
Clarify the use of the Babbitt bar Clarify the use of the Babbitt bar Clarify the use of the Babbitt bar Clarify the use of the Babbitt bar Clarify the use of the Babbitt bar  
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Hillsboro Beach, FL
Posts: 418
Likes: 20
Liked 237 Times in 114 Posts
Default

I was instructed on the use of a Babbitt bar at schooling provided by Both Colt and Smith & Wesson.
This was back in the early 1950's.
The learning curve was SLOW, and somewhat tedious...but it proved to be quite good in solving problems with Point of aim/point of impact of 4" barreled Police Service revolvers. as well as the sprung frame syndrome.
The procedure was utilized many times during my career as a Gunsmith.
Reply With Quote
The Following 2 Users Like Post:
  #16  
Old 03-09-2017, 03:34 PM
les.b's Avatar
les.b les.b is offline
US Veteran
Clarify the use of the Babbitt bar Clarify the use of the Babbitt bar Clarify the use of the Babbitt bar Clarify the use of the Babbitt bar Clarify the use of the Babbitt bar  
Join Date: May 2015
Location: West Virginia
Posts: 5,372
Likes: 104,949
Liked 22,295 Times in 4,529 Posts
Default

Here are my "Babbits", which I received in 1977 at the factory Armorer's school. Along with some other tools that some of you will recognize:



Best Regards, Les
__________________
SWCA 3084, SWHF 495, PGCA 3064
Reply With Quote
  #17  
Old 03-09-2017, 05:54 PM
federali's Avatar
federali federali is offline
Absent Comrade
Clarify the use of the Babbitt bar Clarify the use of the Babbitt bar Clarify the use of the Babbitt bar Clarify the use of the Babbitt bar Clarify the use of the Babbitt bar  
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: Cary, NC
Posts: 3,082
Likes: 12,877
Liked 7,548 Times in 2,081 Posts
Default

Where's the thin-wall cutter modified to stretch the yoke?
Reply With Quote
The Following User Likes This Post:
  #18  
Old 03-09-2017, 07:20 PM
Bert Man Bert Man is offline
Member
Clarify the use of the Babbitt bar Clarify the use of the Babbitt bar Clarify the use of the Babbitt bar Clarify the use of the Babbitt bar Clarify the use of the Babbitt bar  
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: S. MS
Posts: 1,368
Likes: 352
Liked 641 Times in 283 Posts
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by federali View Post
Where's the thin-wall cutter modified to stretch the yoke?
When I was at the S&W school the same year as Les I never saw a yoke cutter. We were taught to use the yoke alignment tool and a small ball peen hammer to stretch the yoke to eliminate endshake cylinder. One of the main advantages of the babbit bars is that they produce a dead blow and also will not mark the gun or its finish. Also babbit bars are used for several other purposes besides adjusting POI on fixed sight revolvers.
__________________
S&W Armorer
Lost in the 50s
Reply With Quote
The Following 5 Users Like Post:
  #19  
Old 03-09-2017, 07:31 PM
les.b's Avatar
les.b les.b is offline
US Veteran
Clarify the use of the Babbitt bar Clarify the use of the Babbitt bar Clarify the use of the Babbitt bar Clarify the use of the Babbitt bar Clarify the use of the Babbitt bar  
Join Date: May 2015
Location: West Virginia
Posts: 5,372
Likes: 104,949
Liked 22,295 Times in 4,529 Posts
Default

That sounds more familiar to me, Bert, although it's been what, 40 years ago? I don't remember anything about a yoke cutter.... Hey, we could have been in the same class. I still have some notes and a class roster somewhere in my files. I'll check and send you a PM if I can find the dates when I was there. Of course they had quite a few classes each year. That was one of the best schools that I ever attended.

Best Regards, Les
__________________
SWCA 3084, SWHF 495, PGCA 3064
Reply With Quote
The Following 2 Users Like Post:
  #20  
Old 03-09-2017, 07:52 PM
Bert Man Bert Man is offline
Member
Clarify the use of the Babbitt bar Clarify the use of the Babbitt bar Clarify the use of the Babbitt bar Clarify the use of the Babbitt bar Clarify the use of the Babbitt bar  
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: S. MS
Posts: 1,368
Likes: 352
Liked 641 Times in 283 Posts
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by les.b View Post
That sounds more familiar to me, Bert, although it's been what, 40 years ago? I don't remember anything about a yoke cutter.... Hey, we could have been in the same class. I still have some notes and a class roster somewhere in my files. I'll check and send you a PM if I can find the dates when I was there. Of course they had quite a few classes each year. That was one of the best schools that I ever attended.

Best Regards, Les
Like you I would have to hunt up my certificate to see the exact dates but it Was definitely 2 weeks in September. Yep, 40 years ago. Where did our youth go? Probably wherever my memory went.

That memory strikes again, was actually there sometime in August not September
__________________
S&W Armorer
Lost in the 50s

Last edited by Bert Man; 03-09-2017 at 08:39 PM.
Reply With Quote
The Following User Likes This Post:
  #21  
Old 03-09-2017, 08:03 PM
Drm50 Drm50 is offline
Member
Clarify the use of the Babbitt bar Clarify the use of the Babbitt bar Clarify the use of the Babbitt bar Clarify the use of the Babbitt bar Clarify the use of the Babbitt bar  
Join Date: Oct 2014
Location: Monroe cnty. Ohio
Posts: 6,923
Likes: 4,410
Liked 10,022 Times in 3,676 Posts
Default

I pour my own lead hammers, bars & punches. Not to choosy that I have
to use babbit. I have a lot of mystery lead that is hard stuff. Very useful
to tighten up old doubles and single barrel shotguns. The mistake most
made with these tools is " pecking ", you need to figure what needs done,
support it well and give it a solid wack. Check your work and proceed from
there. I have never bent a frame to line POA, but have bumped sights on
service type revolvers. To straighten shotgun barrels ( not doubles) I built
a rig with sliding stirrups and a pressure yoke powered by a 3/4 ratchet.
All this stuff requires the feel.
Reply With Quote
The Following 3 Users Like Post:
  #22  
Old 03-09-2017, 10:14 PM
kthom kthom is offline
Member
Clarify the use of the Babbitt bar Clarify the use of the Babbitt bar Clarify the use of the Babbitt bar Clarify the use of the Babbitt bar Clarify the use of the Babbitt bar  
Join Date: Aug 2014
Location: West Texas
Posts: 2,447
Likes: 5,289
Liked 3,903 Times in 1,519 Posts
Default

I've got a babbit bar among my "possibles". Don't use it a lot, and have never used it for the purpose described here. But sometimes you need to give something a whack that doesn't leave a mark, so I hunt it up and use it instead of a ball peen hammer. It has come in handy for me more than once!!
__________________
So long ... Ken
Reply With Quote
The Following 2 Users Like Post:
  #23  
Old 03-09-2017, 10:29 PM
Ed Fowler's Avatar
Ed Fowler Ed Fowler is offline
Member
Clarify the use of the Babbitt bar Clarify the use of the Babbitt bar Clarify the use of the Babbitt bar Clarify the use of the Babbitt bar Clarify the use of the Babbitt bar  
Join Date: May 2014
Location: Central Wyoming
Posts: 1,171
Likes: 3,146
Liked 1,569 Times in 635 Posts
Default

How many were coached by Johnny Contro? He coached me in about 69.
Reply With Quote
The Following User Likes This Post:
  #24  
Old 03-09-2017, 10:51 PM
g8rb8 g8rb8 is offline
Member
Clarify the use of the Babbitt bar Clarify the use of the Babbitt bar Clarify the use of the Babbitt bar Clarify the use of the Babbitt bar Clarify the use of the Babbitt bar  
Join Date: Nov 2013
Location: Kansas
Posts: 2,566
Likes: 5,443
Liked 2,921 Times in 1,222 Posts
Default

You boys be careful around the Bobbitt tool. This is the one Lorena used.



Oh. Babbitt bar, not Bobbitt tool. Never mind. Well, on second thought I'd be pretty careful whacking on anything with either one. Whacking on a S&W with a hard metal object sends chills up my spine but whacking with the Bobbitt tool .........

__________________
Scoundrel & Ne'er-Do-Well
Reply With Quote
The Following 2 Users Like Post:
  #25  
Old 03-09-2017, 11:00 PM
Bert Man Bert Man is offline
Member
Clarify the use of the Babbitt bar Clarify the use of the Babbitt bar Clarify the use of the Babbitt bar Clarify the use of the Babbitt bar Clarify the use of the Babbitt bar  
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: S. MS
Posts: 1,368
Likes: 352
Liked 641 Times in 283 Posts
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Ed Fowler View Post
How many were coached by Johnny Contro? He coached me in about 69.
Yes, John Contro was our senior instructor along with another guy with the first name Don.
__________________
S&W Armorer
Lost in the 50s
Reply With Quote
The Following 2 Users Like Post:
  #26  
Old 03-09-2017, 11:10 PM
les.b's Avatar
les.b les.b is offline
US Veteran
Clarify the use of the Babbitt bar Clarify the use of the Babbitt bar Clarify the use of the Babbitt bar Clarify the use of the Babbitt bar Clarify the use of the Babbitt bar  
Join Date: May 2015
Location: West Virginia
Posts: 5,372
Likes: 104,949
Liked 22,295 Times in 4,529 Posts
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Ed Fowler View Post
How many were coached by Johnny Contro? He coached me in about 69.
Yep! He was still there in 1977, along with as Bert points out, Don, whose last name I can't remember right now. At a field school I attended in the nineties, Don was still instructing, but John was long retired. They were wonderful folks.

Best Regards, Les
__________________
SWCA 3084, SWHF 495, PGCA 3064
Reply With Quote
The Following 2 Users Like Post:
  #27  
Old 03-10-2017, 01:21 AM
Ed Fowler's Avatar
Ed Fowler Ed Fowler is offline
Member
Clarify the use of the Babbitt bar Clarify the use of the Babbitt bar Clarify the use of the Babbitt bar Clarify the use of the Babbitt bar Clarify the use of the Babbitt bar  
Join Date: May 2014
Location: Central Wyoming
Posts: 1,171
Likes: 3,146
Liked 1,569 Times in 635 Posts
Default

Thanks for letting me know, John was a good hand, I would love the opportunity to hand him the last S&W I worked over and let him examine it, then maybe go shoot.
Reply With Quote
The Following User Likes This Post:
  #28  
Old 03-10-2017, 10:24 AM
armorer951's Avatar
armorer951 armorer951 is offline
Member
Clarify the use of the Babbitt bar Clarify the use of the Babbitt bar Clarify the use of the Babbitt bar Clarify the use of the Babbitt bar Clarify the use of the Babbitt bar  
Join Date: May 2012
Location: Evansville, Indiana USA
Posts: 6,203
Likes: 480
Liked 11,333 Times in 3,505 Posts
Default

Don and John were still teaching in 1980. Don's last name is Vivenzio.
__________________
Ret. LE, FA Instr, S&W Armorer
Reply With Quote
The Following 2 Users Like Post:
  #29  
Old 03-10-2017, 10:37 AM
les.b's Avatar
les.b les.b is offline
US Veteran
Clarify the use of the Babbitt bar Clarify the use of the Babbitt bar Clarify the use of the Babbitt bar Clarify the use of the Babbitt bar Clarify the use of the Babbitt bar  
Join Date: May 2015
Location: West Virginia
Posts: 5,372
Likes: 104,949
Liked 22,295 Times in 4,529 Posts
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by armorer951 View Post
Don and John were still teaching in 1980. Don's last name is Vivenzio.
Thanks!! My memory just isn't what it used to be!! That's it. They were great guys, and I only wish that I retained all of the wonderful knowlege that they imparted to us. A lot of the things that we were taught were seldom used (mostly because Smiths are really reliable guns) and I'm afraid that I have lost many of the skills that they trained us in. Well, and then we went to semi-autos, and I went back to school for the semis. Smith put on a class for the WV State Police in the mid nineties, and I attended it. Don was the instructor, and it was held at the WV State Police Academy. That is the last time that I saw him....

Best Regards, Les
__________________
SWCA 3084, SWHF 495, PGCA 3064
Reply With Quote
  #30  
Old 03-10-2017, 01:04 PM
Toyman's Avatar
Toyman Toyman is offline
SWCA Member
Clarify the use of the Babbitt bar Clarify the use of the Babbitt bar Clarify the use of the Babbitt bar Clarify the use of the Babbitt bar Clarify the use of the Babbitt bar  
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Henderson,Nevada
Posts: 2,614
Likes: 1,861
Liked 9,027 Times in 1,281 Posts
Default

I went through fall 1979 Don showed us how to adjust point of impact on a model 10. He didn't tell us ahead of time what he was going to do and all the students made a sucking wind sound as the struck the barrel on the babbitt bar.
Don told us best not to do in front of owner !!
As for Don Vivenzio I called S&W to order some parts and asked if the person I was speaking with knew him and shortly he picked up he was working in customer service last I knew.
__________________
SWCA 1932 SWHF 135

Last edited by Toyman; 03-10-2017 at 01:08 PM.
Reply With Quote
The Following 2 Users Like Post:
  #31  
Old 03-10-2017, 11:08 PM
Muss Muggins's Avatar
Muss Muggins Muss Muggins is offline
Member
Clarify the use of the Babbitt bar Clarify the use of the Babbitt bar Clarify the use of the Babbitt bar Clarify the use of the Babbitt bar Clarify the use of the Babbitt bar  
Join Date: Mar 2014
Location: bootheel of Missouri
Posts: 16,852
Likes: 6,981
Liked 28,082 Times in 8,896 Posts
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Ed Fowler View Post
How many were coached by Johnny Contro? He coached me in about 69.
I was taught by a nice fella named Gary Settembre . . .
__________________
Wisdom comes thru fear . . .
Reply With Quote
The Following User Likes This Post:
  #32  
Old 03-11-2017, 03:50 PM
les.b's Avatar
les.b les.b is offline
US Veteran
Clarify the use of the Babbitt bar Clarify the use of the Babbitt bar Clarify the use of the Babbitt bar Clarify the use of the Babbitt bar Clarify the use of the Babbitt bar  
Join Date: May 2015
Location: West Virginia
Posts: 5,372
Likes: 104,949
Liked 22,295 Times in 4,529 Posts
Default

Well, for any of you old timers like me, who might have went to school back then, I found my original letter from Smith and Wesson!! (I keep just about everything, which is why they have TV shows about "hoarders").

I was in the class that met from April 25th, 1977 through May 6th, 1977. I also have the roster of participants, 18 in all. Only one of them was non LEO, and that was a fellow named Fred Sadowski, of "300 Gunsmith Service, of Denver Colorado. I think I heard of him later, as he was fairly well known at one time. I believe that he has since passed on.

By the way, at the bottom of the letter there are a number of names of employees for distribution. One of them is a fellow named "R Jinks".

After the two week Armorer's School, I see that I stayed an extra week for the "Advanced Firearms School".

Good times......

Best Regards, Les
__________________
SWCA 3084, SWHF 495, PGCA 3064

Last edited by les.b; 03-11-2017 at 03:52 PM.
Reply With Quote
The Following 3 Users Like Post:
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
Forum Jump

Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Can someone clarify this for me? Art Doc Smith & Wesson Semi-Auto Pistols 8 02-15-2014 09:38 PM
Babbitt bar: necessary to repair yoke barrel alignment? Hapworth S&W-Smithing 17 10-22-2013 09:21 PM
Please Clarify New York State Laws Regarding Firearms.... roostershooter The Lounge 9 05-21-2013 08:25 AM
Grade 19 Babbitt, anyone know what it is? scwv67 Reloading 17 03-16-2013 08:32 AM
Connecticut State Police Clarify Sandy Hook Weapons Questions BPNovum 2nd Amendment Forum 1 01-22-2013 07:17 PM

Powered by vBadvanced CMPS v3.2.3
smith-wessonforum.com tested by Norton Internet Security smith-wessonforum.com tested by McAfee Internet Security

All times are GMT -4. The time now is 06:15 AM.


Smith-WessonForum.com is not affiliated with Smith & Wesson Holding Corporation (NASDAQ Global Select: SWHC)