It is a bit tongue-in-cheek, but also kind of serious. Alas, my buddy wants one in .38.Originally Posted by scott
I however want one in .32-20...but I don't have the scratch for that. Despite my efforts to not "acquire" guns this year - I've acquired two, with two more in the works.
I don't have the funds either. That's why it's still there, next to the officers model match, 3" 31, 3" 36 no dash (iirc), and pile of 340 dollar trade in 64s. Just trying to facilitate other folks bad habits.
ETA: Also why I'm not in for this group buy, unfortunately. I want a couple, but new snow tires won out.
Last edited by scott; 09-29-2018 at 01:28 PM.
I’m down for one.
I will double check if shipping is included. I'm not sure if we have reached a conclusion are the trigger and hammer pins are aluminum. I can inquire with Don if he knows.
Yes this is correct.
Man...depriving the granddaughter or giving the granddaughter something fancy?
At this point, that is the prerogative of Don. Unfortunately, widening/deeping of the notches on all guns will require them to be refinished. Because the frame is aluminum, it will oxidize where this work is done. Reanodizing the gun would be ideal in this scenario. Because it appears that the trit lines up okay with the notch, I'm not inclined to say we should widen the notches...but I'm open to discussion.
As @Poconnor said below, we'll send them in individually to Don. What I will do, prior to us sending anything in - we can have volunteers for who wants to go first, second, third (I assume some folks will want to be lower in the queue than others). I will coordinate with Don via email and we'll group email to get everyone in on the same page when your batch is up. I will leave it to Don to determine when he wants the guns, in what batch size, and when he'll call for the next one. Don can use me as the primary point of contact, but I would like to have a secondary and maybe tertiary point of contact for Don. (In case I get hit by a bus or something).
So this is a great question. I will talk to Don, I ASSume that Don will probably use a Novak-spec cut (that's what it sounds like is on Hizzie's gun). In that scenario, we can use a big-dot, a standard-dot, a Trijicon, a Novak and presumably we can specify the width as well, but this is a detail, I'll have to address with Don. If there are strong opinions, let's voice them.
______
@willie sent me a PM and made some very good points that I think should be voiced here. For all of those who are "in" or "on the fence", let's bear some things in mind:
1) Some revolvers might require different sight heights to zero poi.
2) On action jobs there is no free lunch when reducing main spring or hammer spring force. Hence a good mechanic will use reduced action friction along with reduced springs to achieve a so-called mythical trigger pull. Too, the mechanic has no control over ammo choices. Another thing is that costs will not allow firing a large batch of ammo testing each job. If I received a customized revolver that had light strikes, I would install a factory spring and still be happy. Actually, I would instruct the smith to keep the origin(al) springs.
3) Another possible issue is a member sending in a revolver that has factory defects like faulty timing or an incorrectly fitted cylinder stop. The gunsmith can't be expected to fix these defects for free. Also, such problems can become noticeable only after action smoothing because now less force is required for working the action. The problems become obvious to the person that previously lacked knowledge to recognize them.
___
1) I believe as long as the dot is okay (for drive-the-dot, sighting), everyone is okay, but we can discuss this.
2) I'm inclined to agree here that we should use the stock springs and not aftermarket springs. Cleaning the action up via polishing will smooth the gun and lighten the action by virtue of requiring less effort to stroke the trigger. But bear this in mind it will not be as light as it could be, but this will ensure reliability with all ammo. I'm open to discussion.
3) The last point is a critical one. A substantially out-of-spec revolver may require significant cash to fix. I will talk with Don about assessing the guns up front, prior to doing work on them. The package specs "correction of factory defects" - but not necessarily "fix heinously bad wear or broken guns". If guns are substantially fucked up, it will be up to the individual to work with Don about these issues. It is my expectation that the vast majority of the guns will not require substantial work to correct minor defects, but I agree, we cannot expect to ask Don to fix major defects for free. I will talk with Don about what he considers, "correction of factory defects". But I won't be surprised if I get an answer that is something like, "It will likely have to be done on a case-by-case basis."
___
I will update my spreadsheet and soon make a list of screen names and gun numbers soon. If you've contacted me via PM, I will not post your screen name here.
Edited, I continued to read through. I may be in depending on the final cost, I'm also wondering if your gun has an Apex kit already in it should we swap the stock springs back in before shipping?
Last edited by NPV; 10-01-2018 at 09:07 PM.
Stripping and reanodizing threaded assemblies is really not feasible, as the crevices and interfaces will allow chemicals to leach in but not allow them to be rinsed out properly. The only way to do it right would be to fully disassemble them. Barrels off, if that can be done without cracking the frame. Then when your ~0.001" comes off every surface, the barrel thread fit and clocking will be all jacked up. I have no idea what would happen to the pressed in hammer and trigger pins.
Further, the metal surface has to be reconditioned between stripping and reanodizing, if the same look is to be obtained. Sometimes this is OK, in an application where the surfaces are media blasted before the first ano, and it's easy to media blast them again before the second. But a machined finish is difficult to duplicate. The stripping process leaves an etched surface, so if it's reanodized without further work, it will be duller in appearance and potentially rougher to the touch than the original finish.
Aluminum, even dumb 1100 series pure aluminum, is less likely to oxidize than blued steel. Beyond that, much depends on the alloy. 6061 is quite corrosion resistant, copper-bearing alloys like 7075 (AR receivers, Buck Mark frames, etc.) can be problematic in certain environments but are obviously less problematic than blued steel. I can't even find any reasonably educated guesses on what alloy S&W uses for non-Sc guns, nor what the balance of the composition is on Sc guns.
It may be that masking the groove, lightly grit-dusting it and applying aluminum black or something like it and oil could be acceptable.
.
-----------------------------------------
Not another dime.
Update: Got a little busy, but had time today to fire off our Qs to Don. Will report back.
-R
I should not be visiting this thread. It is late, and I have been wanting a little revolver for some time, but my mine said Olds 442, with a 642 on it.
I'll take one of both of those please.
I received an update back from Don last week (sorry grant proposals were due last week).
1) The price does not include return shipping.
2) I would prefer to not widen the rear sight notch on an alloy ‘J’ framed gun for reasons of strength; I maybe overthinking this, but it would also require refinishing the frame, as there isn’t any suitable way to “spot refinish” this on aluminum either.
3) I normally have to make these sights in-house, and Trijicon is the only vendor available to do the install and furnish of tritium vials. If someone wishes a front sight such as those available from XS sights, then they come from XS with the lamps already installed in the sight. The possible problem here is that XS would have to have a sight available in their catalog that was of the proper height and could be installed in the barrel of that particular weapon.
4) Normally, “action jobs” on revolvers cover most correctional work, though do not include any parts that need replacement, such as a hand on an out of time weapon.
5) To me, a “J” frame smith is a “J” frame smith whether double action only or double/single action, so any of these models such as a model 649 would fit.
I’d be interested in sending one or two 442s in for this deal depending on when it happens and what other crazy unexpected expenses pop up. Definitely one.
@RevolverRob do we know how much extra a 442 will be over a 642 for any refinishing required on the barrel?
Last edited by sharps54; 11-17-2018 at 03:04 PM. Reason: To add a question
Reply With Quote