practical_man

@Squirrel45 Have you checked ejector rod run out? Also, is the proximal end of the crane actually square to the axis?

Bench The hammer pin had to be squared to the frame. That level maintenance is above my comfort level so I sent it out to a pro

Bench i had a similar issue. In my case the hammer stud was not completely square with the frame. That angle caused the hammer to rub on the right side of frame. Being feint of heart I had to consult a pro to make the adjustment. It runs fine now and hammer looks centered in the frame. YMMV.

First, pattern your shotgun on a pattern board. See where it’s hitting from a snap shot. Chances are you’ll need to make some minor changes to the stock to get the POI you want. Second, keep your head on the stock. You may be missing because you’re looking for the bird to break. This would put you behind and below the bird. Skeet has always been better practice for me to get on target. YMMV. There’s a gun mounted camera in the market that’s supposed to help diagnose misses. Can’t recall the name right now.

My experience bears this out. My 617 works much better after reaming. I have a seldom used 317 that might benefit from reaming too. As to ammunition, I like CCI SV, Blazer, and minimags. Generally in that order. Varies from lot to lot. I’ve had some Federal automatch that does very well and some that does poorly.

@eboggs re: springs the stock mainspring is a superb part. A little bend here and there will help tune it to your liking. rebound slide spring is balanced to match the main spring. Wolff makes a good package to try out which one you like best, varying from 11 pounds up to stock weight. Brownells and others sell them. I like the 13# rebound spring when set up for factory ammunition. as always, a little judicious polish when parts rub together is helpful to smooth things out. A lot of dry fire can accomplish the same effect.

@perttime I bought some a few years ago when VZ was all the rage. I do not like them at all. I’ve gone back to Hogue conversion grips for my N frame.

It’s a small job to mill off the front sight and install a DX-style base. That would allow you to swap front sights easily. I had this done to my 586 some years ago. It was money well spent. @Toolguy did a fine job with the work.

@Couch-Commando enjoy your new revolver. Hope to see it at the next match.

@Couch-Commando Dave offers some pretty good advice. I wouldn’t dismiss it out of hand. I like blue steel and walnut too. It’s what I grew up with back in the days when all police carried a Model 19 in a leather holster. Time change. I still enjoy the older revolvers. For competition it’s hard to beat stainless guns that you can easily source repair parts. @Toolguy makes a very versatile and secure rig. I have one that I use with K, L, and N frame revolvers interchangeably. It’s the only holster I have that will accommodate tube style optics or a Wichita rib (yeah, I’m showing my age). Anyway, let me know if you want to try out the holster. I’ll happily loan it to you.

@Couch-Commando @Toolguy is the local guy to talk to about moon clips and cylinder relief for the big bores. He’s been shooting the 44s and 45s a long time in silhouette, pins, and such. I just tool the plunge into Limited 6. I listened to everyones advice and bought moon clips from TKCustom. They’re decent for 38 special mixed headstamp brass. No complaints. TK clips are head and shoulders above the Ranch Products clips and whatever S&W sends in the blue box. On barrel length. I’m a fan of the odd inch lengths. I really like a 3” K frame for convenient carry. My hunting revolver is a 5” 629. It’s more accurate than I can hold using 240 grain bullets. Long ago I owned a 5” 625. I like the way it balanced and transitioned, but I’m old and slow. That said, I shoot ICORE with 6” and 2” barrel .38 special revolvers. To sum up, I don’t think barrel length matters all that much for normal humans of average skill. Longer sight radius definitely helps with precision and making power factor with less powder. PF won’t be an issue if you stick with 44. My best advice if you’re buying another revolver is to get what the best shooters are using. Seems that most are using 627s or 629s. If I were buying a new revolver for ICORE I would get a 5 or 6 inch 627 because they’re available and I’m fairly set on 38 Special after decades of messing around with the caliber. A 629 would be good too, if you can find one. like others have said, get what you really want and shoot the heck out of it. If you rationalize any other decision you won’t be happy about it for long. Hope to see you at the next Mill Creek match.

I loved the 140grain version of the China Camp bullet. Worked great in the lever gun. Who is making them these days?

@wanttolearn I’ve had good results from the Bayou 160 round nose at moderate velocity. They group well at 25 yards. I also like the Bayou 135 Wadcutter for PPC loads where one doesn’t need to as load fast. For 50 yard accuracy I get better results with a decent JHP bullet. XTP are always good performers in my guns but pricey. Zero JHP and Precision Delta JHP have also been good, tho occasionally difficult to source .357’diameter.

Great problem solving!

That might be the understatement of the century. Factory ammo isn’t very consistent in my revolvers. About 1 time in 50 I will get a click instead of a bang. Annoying as hell and tends to add considerable time to my already slow run.