Years ago, I delved into Kuhnhausen’s book on Smith & Wesson double action revolvers. Gradually and carefully, I got to where I understood how the mechanism works, where it’s OK to apply a stone and where it’s verboten, when a trigger or hammer shim can clean up a gun’s function, and how to use spring changes for safe, reliable results. Along the way I learned to speak Smith & Wesson.
My handloading mentor told me Colt’s were too complicated to work on yourself. Each part performs multiple functions and “fixing” surface X can put function Y out of order. I’ve done a lot more amateur work inside firearms since then and thought to myself “How hard can it be?” With a different Kuhnhausen book in hand, I decided to open up my least valuable older Colt. I’ve shot it a fair amount and it was filthy inside. I think some of the goo was made in 1933. Taking it apart and reassembling it wasn’t too difficult with the help of iPhone photos taken on the way in and The Book. Figuring out everything the rebound bar does and how it does it?
Along the way though I started using Colt terminology for parts. I posted something here that was a mishmash of Colt and S&W names for parts. So I’ve started a list of the different words the 2 companies (and cults) use for the same or similar parts. Here’s what I have so far:
COLT // S&W
Crane / yoke
Bolt / cylinder stop
Cylinder release / thumb piece
Pin / stud
Hammer strut / sear
Pawl / ratchet
Stocks / grips
The strut/sear one really threw me. I kept looking for reference to the double action sear in Kuhnhausen’s Colt book but it isn’t there. I saw the part. I understood what its function was, so why the
didn’t he mention it? In my old Colt example, the hammer strut spring is weak so I asked my gunsmith buddy about how to replace the spring. (Peened pin - no thanks unless it actually stops working and it is strictly a target gun.) But he called it “sear” after I drew a picture of the darned thing. Ah ha! Different name and he speaks only Smith & Wesson.
I’m going to keep working on this using manufacturer parts diagrams for the most part. If you have any additions to my translation list, please contribute! Also, don’t get hung up when parts function differently like the Colt bolt vs. S&W cylinder stop. In that example the primary function is locking the cylinder in place before the hammer drops.
Chip
My handloading mentor told me Colt’s were too complicated to work on yourself. Each part performs multiple functions and “fixing” surface X can put function Y out of order. I’ve done a lot more amateur work inside firearms since then and thought to myself “How hard can it be?” With a different Kuhnhausen book in hand, I decided to open up my least valuable older Colt. I’ve shot it a fair amount and it was filthy inside. I think some of the goo was made in 1933. Taking it apart and reassembling it wasn’t too difficult with the help of iPhone photos taken on the way in and The Book. Figuring out everything the rebound bar does and how it does it?
Along the way though I started using Colt terminology for parts. I posted something here that was a mishmash of Colt and S&W names for parts. So I’ve started a list of the different words the 2 companies (and cults) use for the same or similar parts. Here’s what I have so far:
COLT // S&W
Crane / yoke
Bolt / cylinder stop
Cylinder release / thumb piece
Pin / stud
Hammer strut / sear
Pawl / ratchet
Stocks / grips
The strut/sear one really threw me. I kept looking for reference to the double action sear in Kuhnhausen’s Colt book but it isn’t there. I saw the part. I understood what its function was, so why the
didn’t he mention it? In my old Colt example, the hammer strut spring is weak so I asked my gunsmith buddy about how to replace the spring. (Peened pin - no thanks unless it actually stops working and it is strictly a target gun.) But he called it “sear” after I drew a picture of the darned thing. Ah ha! Different name and he speaks only Smith & Wesson. I’m going to keep working on this using manufacturer parts diagrams for the most part. If you have any additions to my translation list, please contribute! Also, don’t get hung up when parts function differently like the Colt bolt vs. S&W cylinder stop. In that example the primary function is locking the cylinder in place before the hammer drops.
Chip
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