Going home next week on vacation for two weeks.
Ordered the Apex J-frame kit and will be installing it while I'm home. I'm planning on polishing the bearing sides of the hammer and the three bearing sides of the rebound slide. Anything else I need to touch up while I have it apart?
Note: I have access to wet/dry sandpaper but not stones, and by "bearing sides", I mean those sides that are contacting the frame or sideplates. Just wanted to make sure I was clear in what I was saying.
Last edited by mnealtx; 04-20-2013 at 02:24 PM.
Mike
I installed everything on the Apex kit except for the firing pin (it had issues and I was sent a replacement but was pleased enough without it to not bother taking it apart a second time.)
In my opinion lots of dry fire and proper lubrication should be enough. My trigger has gotten really pretty nice, though I do wish I had kept the factory rebound spring as the reset is a bit weak with the Apex spring. I think just some light polishing on the parts you mention will be suffice. Dry fire will take care of the rest.
I have the Apex kit in all of my J-frames. I didn't do any extra polishing, and the results were quite satisfactory. I did lube the internals as recommended. I'll be curious to hear your results when finished.
What issues? What was the difference in the firing pins?Originally Posted by Nephrology
Skintop - what recommendations did you have for lube points? I'd be appreciative if you could share them, I've not found much regarding *where* to put lube on the internals.
I'm planning on a light film of grease on bearing surfaces of the hammer and rebound slide, and a drop of oil on pin locations like the center pin of the hammer.
Mike
Scott Folk of Apex Tactical put out a set of Youtube videos regarding installation of the J-frame kit.
Disassemble: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JIUfmg1JulE
Even more important, reassemble: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ATrz7SSbpAk
Scott offers some advice on some simple smoothing on a few parts. We had a Spyderco Sharpmaker sitting on the kitchen counter, and used the ceramic stones from it. Nothing resembling aerobic activity, we just smoothed the internal parts a wee bit.
The only lubrication was a Shiner Bock beer after the shooting irons were put away. I did not add anything slippery inside the guts of the 642.
Grease as shown in the video, light oil on other moving surfaces. Slip EWL, to be precise.
The reset is to slow for me with the weaker rebound spring if the rebound slide isn't polished. The rebound slide is the only part I intentionally polished on the inside of my 442 (others have been polished through use).
I've seen the videos, but I don't recall him going into much detail on smoothing/lubrication other than the rebound slide. I'll have to look at them again...and have a Shiner ready after the work is done and the guns put up.
Mike
Thanks, josh - did you find the same reduction in overall trigger weight with the stronger rebound spring in place?
Mike
No, but on a jframe I feel the lower pull weight is worth the slower reset. On a full size revolver, I prefer the stronger reset.
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