CAS TOPICS > Gunsmithing
Increasing the life of Italian revolver hand springs
GeezerD:
Prof - I usually use 30w non-detergent motor oil because I have a lot of it and burn it off outdoors. The process seems to work well for taking the brittleness out of the Italian replacement springs - either Colt or Remington style.
GeezerD
45 Dragoon:
I 2nd CM's spring and plunger conversion ! Best setup ever - been doing that almost from the "get go"!
As for the Remington, I've been " Rugerizing " them for years. GA and AL state championships won with them!! The Remington converted to coil springs (hand, bolt and trigger) are about as close to a 19th century Ruger as you can get!
As for the hand setup, it is a little "involved" but it works beautifully!! Since my pics don't work well here I'll try to explain. (One of you tech savvy folks might be able to post a pic of it from my Instagram feed).
Anyway, you have to make the mounting end into a "clevis" meaning you remove the material from in-between the sides of the hand. This is where the 2 coil torsion spring will reside. The mounting screw will keep the spring in place. One thing you'll need to do is add a "stop" made of threaded rod for the mounting screw to tighten against. This will keep the mounting screw from going too far and allowing the outside leg of the "clevis" from escaping. I use .025" music wire for this spring and only 2 coils will fit. Of course you'll fashion a skinny loop to ride where the original flat spring rode and obviously the working end is pushing against the backside of the hand.
It sounds more difficult than it is and after a couple it's really simple.
- I use a cutoff wheel to eat away the center section to make the clevis
- the threaded rod is the same thread (sorry I don't have the size handy) for all makes of the Remington's. If you have an extra mounting screw you could use part of it of course. Use red L.T. on it.
Until I came up with this setup, there wasn't much sense in the bolt and trigger coils. The hand spring seemed to be more the "problem child". As mentioned the frame drilling won't be allowed for cowboy shooting. This, like the coil and plunger fix, is a permanent fix.
Mike
Coffinmaker:
:) HA !! ;)
WELL, Remingtons are like the Measles. I don't like Remingtons and avoid them whenever possible.
People are Hazardous to yer Health
Avoid Them
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GeezerD:
Remingtons can be a little tempremental but, I have been married to the same redhead for 49 years so what could a Remington possibly do to cause me grief. ------ GeezerD
RRio:
--- Quote from: GeezerD on October 15, 2021, 10:11:19 AM ---Most shooters of Italian made cowboy revolvers have experienced spring failure. Usually it is the hand spring or the trigger/bolt spring.
The reason that most springs break is they are too brittle. A spring must be hardened and then drawn back or tempered. In order for a spring to be properly tempered it must be held at the proper temperature for a long enough time to attain spring temper.
An old blacksmith told me an easy way to do this is to - put the spring in a metal bowl and then add just enough motor oil to cover the spring and set the oil on fire then allow it to burn itself out. The oil burns at a temperature { 650F -700F as I remember } for long enough to properly temper a spring.
I have been doing this for years with any Italian replacement spring I buy and have not had a problem since.
GeezerD
--- End quote ---
Great DIY tip. When I started as a machinist, my mentor told me the day I knew everything about being a machinist, was the day to sell my toolbox and find a different job, because you can learn something new every day. He was right! ;)
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