Gunsmith rant.....bad taste in my mouth.

[turnerriver]

I got a kick out of reading this because it seems to me that 80% of the gunsmiths I've run into are just like that guy. Counter guys, store owner & hangers on are all having a good time talking guns and the gunsmith stumps out of the dark back room and glowers and sputters and declares it can't be done but if you want him to do it it'll cost ya plenty. I'm thinking about shops I've been in over the past 50 years. I've been very lucky and had very few problems with the guns I've owned. I think being kept in the back chained to a work bench & made to wear an oily apron takes all the nice out of a man.
Regards,
turnerriver

 

[alwslate]

If you're serious about trying to work on your old Colt yourself the
first thing you should do is buy the Kuhnhausen manual on the older
Colt revolvers. Read and reread the section on "only the timing" and
then realize that you have no justification for your rant. The "gunsmith"
at your local store did you a favour by dodging the "simple job". Your
gun is not a S&W by a long shot.

 

[wbraswell]

Obviously, the smith doesn't appreciate the old Colt double action, so he's disinterested in fixing it, and probably isn't very experienced at working on them. Would you let a mechanic fix your vintage car, if he just told you to run the hell out of it, and that it was outdated? Find someone else. Someone who appreciates old revolvers.

 

[deyomatic]

I know on the Colt Forum a lot of folks recommend Frank Glenn out Arizona way, for Colt Revolver work. You can google him or I can PM you the link as I'm never sure if your allowed to post links on this forum. I don't know Mr. Glenn nor have I had any work done by him. Just passing on what I've read.

I have heard a lot of great reviews about Mr. Glenn, also. I am toying with sending a couple of the oldies to him.

 

[78bagger]

While I am a Smith fan now, I started with a Colt Python that I wasn't sure about. Took it up to Frank Glenn and got well treated. Assured of its great condition and took the time to talk guns for a few minutes. No charge. Real gentleman and the last Colt smith I've heard of around here. For Smiths, Nelson Ford is your guy in Phoenix.

 

[Ben_hutcherson]

As said, give it a good cleaning and it will probably be fine. If not stretching the hand will likely fix it.

I'm no gunsmith, but as a watchmaker I've dabbled in Colts(including fitting a cylinder stop from an oversized replacement). In a lot of ways, I find the action easier to understand and work on than Smiths although in order for them to be perfect your tolerances need to be fairly tight.

The hand is indeed a wear item. As said, though, when pulling the trigger to the firing position the hand moves a small additional amount to get the "bank vault" lock-up that is expected on these guns. Although the cylinder stop SHOULD drop when you cock the hammer, the gun should shoot safely as long as the cylinder does complete its lock-up before firing.

 

[model70hunter]

Lots of advice RW. I think I would clean it, use brake cleaning fluid out side, take the wood grips off. I've saved several bad, broken and trash guns by just cleaning. Someone mentioned grease, lint and perhaps WD 40, none are any good for the inside of a revolver.

After cleaning and drying I'd use a good lightweight lubricant. Cycle the action while cleaning it.

If cleaning and using good oil does not help you may need the ahnd stretched.

Remember one of the posts said it it works in SA and does not spit lead it may be fine for just occasional shooting. This is what I would do if it was not a CCW gun.

When you get it up to snuff let us know how it's working and what you did. Thanks and good luck.

 

[rwsmith]

I've got the grips off......

A little shallow rust underneath. I got a good screwdriver, but some of the screws are really stubborn, so I'm going to go get one that fits better. After I get the sideplate off, I'm going to soak it to get the crud out and lube it up. If I need to mess with the hand I will. Fortunately from the video, it's a flat piece and doesn't have any complex curvature. Whew!

 

[rwsmith]

That does tell me something....

Unless the gun was dryfired extensively or the problem overlooked back then the above makes me feel that the problem does not come from a worn hand.
I had seen a worn hand on a club owned rimfire OMM that was shot around 40,000 rounds before the problem developped, a hand stretch fixed it.

The cylinder was stiff in turning when I got it this time, like some lube had dried up around the axle. 'Forcing' it when stiff might have put that last little bit of wear on the hand. It's such a tiny amount... My Dad was ingenious in a lot of areas, but I don't think guns were his bailiwick.

 

[rwsmith]

Ah ha!

Got it apart. Bought a good precision screwdriver. Not good enough. Got a real gunsmithing screwdriver set. REALLY stiff screws but I got it. Knocked on the frame a little to loosen the side plate. Knocked on the frame a LOT. Ended up prying just a little from the inside. Knocked it again. Voila! I'm cleaning and lubing it. It was drier than a bone inside. I'll put it back together lightly and see how it works. If it works, great. If not, I'll tinker with the hand a little.