I have owned and shot several Detective Specials, and mine did not show the extraction issue mentioned by the op.
I have owned and shot several Detective Specials, and mine did not show the extraction issue mentioned by the op.
I have three D-Frames. None show the described extraction issue. When the cylinder is open it should very nearly touch the frame. As in, not even a business card could fit between cylinder and frame. Just a few thousandths of clearance that allow the cylinder to turn. If you still are hitting the cylinder release, I would guess Malamute is correct that you have a thumb piece from a larger framed revolver installed.
Grips: A tricky thing with D-Frames. The best options I have used are all discontinued. You might try some Altamonts or Badgers with an open backstrap. The Pachs tend to put too much rubber between yourself and the gun, that is partially your shooting high reason. The other way is thin panels and a grip adapter. Which is my preferred approach these days.
The other problem is also as described, most Colts shoot too high with the hideous 3rd gen ramp front sight. Grant Cunningham had a nice solution, where he would machine away the bulk of the ramp, turning it into a post. Then weld onto the post as necessary to regulate the sights.
A much easier solution, today, would be to mill the ramp out entirely and have a slot milled to fit the sight of a modern Cobra or some other dovetailed option.
OR workup an ammo load that shots POA. In my experience 148-grain wadcutters over ~3.4gr of N330 works well in my 3rd Issue Agent. That gun also shoots well with 158-grain +P Remington LHP, it's about a 1/2" high at 25.
The other possible fix is to file the rear notch down slightly, giving you a deeper rear notch.
The third issue guns are probably the most common Colt D-frames out there. But unfortunately, they are also some of Colt's worst guns. Like a Bangor Punta Smith or an AMF Harley...The name is there the parts are there...but it just isn't right.
It doesnt have quite as much character as it may appear at first, its one of the dull grey finished guns from the 1980s. It was like new when i got it about 4 years ago. Ive mostly pocket carried it daily since then, sometimes in a plastic milk jug holster, mostly just in the pocket with a speedloader. The finish has suffered from my use, the dust where I normally live is very abrasive, every table and holster seems to get enough to seriously harm blueing that comes in contact, and I think it gets in my hands, lever carbines that are hand carried start to show blue wear on the edges of the receiver in a couple months or so. Windshields that are outside constantly when it gets windy will start getting slightly frosted looking over several years depending on wind direction and exposure angle. Oh well, life on the frontier.....Originally Posted by Bruce Cartwright
My little Colt hits within about 1 1/2-2 inches of point of aim at I think 20 yards, I dont recall exactly what range I shot it when checking zero, 15 or 20 yards I think. I painted the front sight with Traffic Cone orange fingernail polish with white undercoat, its a huge help. It quickly displaced a 640 for daily pocket carry once I got it.
“Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure, than to take rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy much nor suffer much, because they live in the gray twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat.”
― Theodore Roosevelt
Numrich has cylinder latches in stock, I'll order one and see how that works out.
Does yours look different than the picture I posted shows?
Last edited by Malamute; 01-13-2022 at 02:17 PM.
“Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure, than to take rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy much nor suffer much, because they live in the gray twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat.”
― Theodore Roosevelt
If the entire sideplate is potentially for something other than a correct-generation D-frame, then perhaps that side plate should be examined for proper fit?
Yeah, mine covers more of the case rims.
If thats the case, I suspect you are going in the right direction.
“Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure, than to take rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy much nor suffer much, because they live in the gray twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat.”
― Theodore Roosevelt
I dont think the actual sideplate is the issue, just the cylinder latch. On the Colts, what would be the recoil shield on a Smith is part of the cylinder latch on the left side.
We still dont have proper visual media support for this thread, no pics of the gun in question.
“Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure, than to take rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy much nor suffer much, because they live in the gray twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat.”
― Theodore Roosevelt
Damn...I just got out my Official Police to check the latch dimension as compared to the one on the DS, and now I want to take the OP to the range.
The DS is going back to the 'smith; the sideplate is proud of the frame now and wasn't prior to the repair. I didn't notice it until after I had put the 130 rounds through it and it works fine, so I don't know if it's a result of the shooting plus the sideplate screws coming loose or if it was there before I shot it. The ejection issue was there prior to the repair. I'm going to see if he has checkering files and if so have him make the smooth front sight into a serrated one.
Last edited by revchuck38; 01-14-2022 at 10:54 AM.
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