Revolver Gunsmithing - First Time = Super Fun!

[Sanch]

I have had some revolver mishaps over the years and have primarily been a semi auto shooter. This time, my pre-lock K-Frame snapped the hammer nub off. Moneys tight these days and I'm pretty handy in general plus I recently bought the 250 ish Magna Bit Brownells set that has like 100 different flat head tips so you can always get the right one.

So I decided to try my hand at it. First problem was getting the side plate off. I am fortunate to have watched YouTube videos first or I might have tried to pry it. On Youtube, I learned to hammer the frame with the back of a screwdriver and after 30 seconds of hammering gently, the slide plate builds enough looseness to fall off on its own.

I never saw the inside of a DA revolver before and I learned the names of the some of the parts, like the hand, which I've heard controls timing. Well, now that I've taken it apart and analyzed things up close, I can see how the hand controls timing and where it interacts with the cylinder.

In my experiments, my hand dropped out of my trigger and I spent 20 minutes figuring out how to get the spring back in, but everything worked out and the gun seems to be back together.

This isnt a gun I would rely my life on so I am using this as a learning experience. I really enjoyed it and I wonder how hard it is to get into revolver tuning? My understanding is that I can go to a place like Power Customs, get an oversized hand, or a few parts that control fitment like the nub that locks the cylinder in place. Those parts come "big" by a few thousands of an inch I think, and you very slowly remove material and test fit every 1/1000 of an inch you remove until everything fits perfect. Am I right about that?

Could someone like me who has a lot of free time lately being out of work, a basic competence in engineering principles, and a willingness to try, be able to tune my gun? And maybe if I got good at it, buy and flip used revolvers after I tune them? I assume thats how the famous old revolver gun smiths got into it. I dont have inclinations of becoming famous or getting rich off this but it seems fun and I enjoy working with my hands and honestly if I could break even buying a gun, spending several hours tuning it to perfection and selling it breaking even on parts, Id be a happy man just to get the experience and enjoy it.

I used to think Id need lots of specialized tools but it seems like I can basically take apart the Kframe with a screwdriver and misc tools like a punch to get some springs to fit into place.

[BN]

https://www.amazon.com/Trigger-Job-D...6696447&sr=8-1

You'll want to get this DVD. Lots of good info.

[Stephanie B]

If you're going to do much messing around with S&W revolvers, Jerry Kuhnhausen's shop manual is a good reference to have.

[okie john]

If you're going to do much messing around with S&W revolvers, Jerry Kuhnhausen's shop manual is a good reference to have.

Beat me to it.


Okie John

[Stephanie B]

Beat me to it.

The best thing about the Shop Manual is that, before doing something, one can read the procedure and then assess whether or not one has the necessary skills and equipment to do the task. It can prevent one from making costly mistakes, since YouTube videos often make things look easier than they are.

[Trooper224]

Before you get all happy with yourself and start wrenching on your gun, I'll echo everyone else and advise you to get Kuhnhausen's shop manual and READ IT before doing anything else. Frankly, at this point you can't even accurately describe the part that needs attention. Be smart enough to know what you don't know and take it slow. It's more complicated than you assume.