Cylinder Timing

[bountyhunter]

Originally posted by Alk8944:

I would guess then that you know what a hand window file is for?

I also know it's a mistake to file on the most expensive piece (the frame) if I can fit a hand and get good carry up without it.

An oversize hand is only .002" at best thicker than a standard one.

The ones I got from Numrich are about .006" - .008" wider than stock. (about .098" - .100")

The point is, carry up degrades as the parts wear: the hand is pretty hard, the ratchets are pretty hard, but the frame window isn't. The window wears wider, why would I cut on it to get a wide hand through? If I can just shave the LHS of the hand as needed, and still be wide enough to sustain carry up... why would I file the frame? In the guns I have doe, I never saw a frame window that an OS hand would not go in.

For those inclined to file the frame, do NOT file on the right hand (outside) edge since that is where all the wear is anyway.

If you were to stone the oversize hand until it fit rather than widen the hand window using the hand window file you would end up with the "oversize" hand being the same thickness as the original standard hand. What would be the point????????????

Completely wrong. Even on a brand new gun there is some clearance between the window width and the hand width. By the time it has worn and needs work, there is a lot more clearance. I am sure you realize the hand's correct width is NOT set by the total width of the frame window at all: the hand "bears right" as it carries up the ratchet and has to slip by on the right when it locks into the stop. You can have a gun carrying up perfectly with good lockup and still have significantly wider frame slot than hand width.

Not only that, but the old hand's tip will be worn on the LHS where it engages the ratchet. Even if the new hand was exactly the same total width (which it won't be) the new tip won't be worn and rounded so it would still carry up better.

I really hate to say this in such a blunt fashion, but you don't know what you are talking about, which is one of my major pet peeves with forum posters. I have been doing this for nearly 50 years, am a school trained and practical gunsmith, police armorer, and as mentioned in other posts, have been through the S&W armorers school. Widening the hand slot in the frame when necessary is exactly the way it is done at the factory.

You can hack the frame window to the width of the wider hand then fit the ratchets to it. And you just "spent" all the takeup in the design because the next time it fails carry up, you are already using the widest hand that exists at maximum width. I would leave that to the last resort.

Speaking of "what the factory does": I bought a new M-14 K-38 Masterpiece and the factory did exactly what I said when they built it: started with a stock hand and cut about .006" off the left edge and fitted the star to that. So, when it wore and needed a wider hand, I used a stock one which I shaved on the LHS a little less than they did. They built in "headroom" for wear.

you don't know what you are talking about, which is one of my major pet peeves with forum posters.

Then why don't you stop posting on forums? That would alleviate your pet peeve. It's the only way to be sure you won't be wasting time among people who don't measure up to your level of knowledge.