Just an old Combat Masterpiece

[45Smashemflat]

Inspired by @Shotguncoach 's postings in the 'smithing forum, as noted in a previous thread, I secured a correct matched trigger and hammer for my K38 that had been blued at some point in its life. I did a complete tear down and cleaning of the insides (and outsides ) and swapped in the new set of parts. After a light lube and reassembly, I dry cycled it 100 plus times and ended up with a 3.5# single action pull and a 9.8# double action pull. Hammer weight was 2.8#.

I did not take a full series of photos, as he does, as I really don't know what I'm doing and I would not want the crowd to see evidence of how often I dropped a part. (I really prefer the 5-screw cylinder stop mechanism, but why does that little pin and spring seem to have a larger attachment to my garage floor than my table saw?)

In homage to my inspiration, here are the gratuitous blue shop towel "beauty shots." (I think this is a 1954-55 vintage)




For those that have done it, how complex is the fitting of the hammer block safety bar? I figure I'll do that and re-test the trigger pull just to see what impact it has.

 

[Fullmetaljacket]

In my experience the hammer block doesn't require any fitting, just hold it against a straightedge on both sides to make sure it's not bent, smooth off the burrs with a stone if it has any and drop it in. The fit is loose and that's ok. I've never measured the trigger pull with and without the hammer block but I'm guessing the impact is minimal if even measurable. The tricky part is getting the sideplate on while aligning the bar in it's slot. If memory serves you want the pin on the rebound slide all the way at the bottom of the opening in the hammer bar before you put the sideplate on. Don't force the sideplate, the hammer bar may be in the way!

 

[Shotguncoach]

That is absolutely fantastic! Love the blue towel beauty shots…

Moving the insides to the outside and back inside again gets easier with practice. What Fullmetaljacket said about the hammer block is correct…it should be a loose fit. Just check for straight, deburr it a little, and drop it in. I like to give the "flag" a slight bevel at the top but I really don't know if that does anything other than make me happy.

Another way to say "have the pin at the bottom of the opening" is "the hammer block should be all the way up".

Here's a picture of the position you want…

 

[Retired W4]

(I really prefer the 5-screw cylinder stop mechanism, but why does that little pin and spring seem to have a larger attachment to my garage floor than my table saw?)

I think I understand why S&W eliminated the trigger guard screw, spring and plunger.