Just curious, but has anyone ever done a rebuild on the barrel hinge mechanism of an old 1-1/2 revolver? I'm an unrepentant tinkerer, and I have a little slop in the hinge mechanism which allows some barrel wiggle. It's not a lot, and I have a very exacting machinist buddy who'd do the work if I asked. It was in my mind to remove the screw and carefully drill out a consistent hole, end to end, insert a machined pin in place of the screw. Needless to say, one would remove the least amount of material possible so as not to weaken the hinge too much. A firm tap with center punch would peen the ends of the pin over enough that there'd be no back out. I believe the thread on the screw is stripped since it seems to turn too freely and doesn't hit a stop point.

That's a lot of work but undoubtedly would do the trick.

I'd be inclined to tin the screw treads with hard silver solder. "Whack" the screw while solder is still in the liquid mode to remove excess. Then try the screw when silver has cooled to confirm the slop is eliminated.

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Jim
S&WCA #819