Randy Lee

Hi guys! Just to update you on what I found: No barrel/cylinder gap to speak of, but a lot of endshake and play in the crane and yoke. Duct tape and superglue used, M. Carmoney"s "The Dremeler's Bible" consulted. All repairs in effect, guaranteed to go bang...once...

I'll throw in a hammer!

Glad I can help! I need to make sure all the Apex revos are working for the Nats. I'll be there in spirit!

Nemo, give me a call- I'm in the shop still...

If I had to guess, one of two things may be happening: First is the B/C gap is a bit too tight. If you can see any rub marks on the cylinder face, that would account for the intermittent firing. The second thing that I have seen is the headspacing is too tight and the back end of the fired cases are dragging across the breech/recoil shield. This would usually show up on the first moonclip fired, so I don't think this is yor problem...but I could and have been wrong before...

Uh oh... Perhaps we can help?

Hi Chet, To me, it appears to be a Model 19 that is nickel plated. As far as I know, the hammers and triggers on the nickel plated versions were not plated- so if I had to guess, the plating was done aftermarket. Or, the gun has had some work and the trigger and hammer are polished. The M-19 is a carbon steel gun which usually were blued, but I had seen some nickel plated guns before too. Currently, the model # is stamped on the inside of the crane recess of the frame. If you open the cylinder and look at the frame (below where the barrel is screwed into) there may be a Mod XX stamped, and sometimes the serial # as well.

Still has a pulse...

Hi guys, To me crane lock bearings have a couple of benefits, however they can also be problematic in some instances. For really light trigger pulls, the drag on the front end of the ejector rod can come into play, so using the bearings in the crane helps to eliminate one drag point. Another plus that there's less chance of bending the ejector rod should it unscrew( that can really affect the trigger pull as well as the timing) For fast double action shooting, the front of the crane/cylinder needs to be secured in one fashion or the other. Too light or non existent front lockup will cause the cylinder to torque out and away from the frame as the cylinder stops and that can be detrimental to accuracy as well as cause irregular wear patterns on the cylinder stop slots, center pin, etc. As pskys2 pointed out, accuracy really isn't enhanced. One disadvantage to the crane locks is that it can make opening the cylinder more difficult because of the force necessary to overcome the spring load of the bearings. Smith PC guns with the front crane lock are often very difficult to open- but the factory has strict requirements on how much lateral force is required to open the cylinder- it may be a liability type thing from what I've been told. Personally, I use them-but again, it's a personal choice...

Hey, at least I'm not wearing a man-thong...

Thanks guys! And what do you mean... I WAS standing! FYI, did you guys see Lou F. at the IRC? He came out to watch the match.

Hey guys, Sorry it's been a while. With only me in the shop, I haven't had much time to do anything. I do know Fed primers are hitting the stores now. I just received confirmation that my order at Graf and Sons is in. Now on to the more intersting stuff. The typical trigger pull weight which I send out rated for factory ammo is 6-6.5 lbs. What many don't know is that I can set the trigger pull to pretty much any weight the customer wants (depending on primer choice of course). If someone prefers to use Remington primers, sub 6 lb is fairly routine. For feds, 4.5 lbs seems to be the best balance for most people. As Mike stated, short stroking can be an issue with the lighter pulls until your trigger manipulation becomes accustomed to that weight. I find for myself that recoil helps with trigger reset- so I haven't short stroked under live fire yet(knock on wood). At this year's IRC, I debuted my 2.5 lb trigger work for Shooting USA. I shot the gun at the Steel Challenge and the pull weight then was 2.75. No misfires with my handloads on a Dillon 650. Since then I refined a few things. I really wanted to know how low I could go. I would venture to guess that this pull weight would be totally impractical for most shooters, and it took me several months to get used to the pull/return because it literally feels like you aren't pulling anything. The implications of the 2.5 lb pull weight are far more significant- it translates to a 4.5-5 lb DA trigger pull weight that sets off factory ammo. This means that revo shooters won't have to be so dependent on only one brand of primer. Back to work now...

Hi guys, I figure the hammer nosed version will be available at the beginning of 2007. My big push right now is getting my new firing pins made. I can be contacted at apextactical@sbcglobal.net Randy

Hi Guys, Good luck to all of you. I'm curious as to how many of you are using my hammers or work? I've lost track and am trying to get an accurate count for my new and improved website. Please keep Cliff in line. Best to you all, Randy

Hi Guys, Just a quick note- if you cut either the center pin or extractor springs, be sure to close the open end. The open end can cause excess drag and scoring/wear in the inside of the yoke or worse become unseated and tie up the cylinder when you least expect it.

Hi Guys! Sorry I've been off the forum for a while. My website is down and I'm currenty looking for a new web host. Cliff, you're scaring me...a lot. I'm trying oto get a handle on my backlog so I won't be accepting any new work until the first of November. I literally have to throw the gunboxes in the safe(s) and shot the door so they don't spill out onto the floor. If anyone needs to get a hold of me directly, the shop email address is : apextactical@sbcglobal.net I'm not great, I just try to minimize my suckiness..

Hi Nemo, Good to know the gun went bang! I guarantee it to go bang at least once. I don't remember if the front was the .250 or .300 tall front either. I do know with the LPA sights, I've been using the .300 tall fronts. The Milletts sometimes don't bottom out - the elevation drum is too long and it bottoms out against the elevation stud. If you see a gap between the frame and the underside of the sight, this is most likely the cause.

Greetings one and all, Haven't been on the forum for a while- This one man circus has been in chaos since the IRC. For those still waiting for their revos, thank you for your patience! I've had a run of revos which had more than their share of oddities on the insides- which has slowed down delivery dates. One thing I wanted to pass on to folks using or contemplating Ti cylinders- avoid using Win. 231 to make major. The only cases I've heard of sticky extraction in the 625 w/ Ti cylinders has been when 231 has been used. Clays, Titegroup and VV powders seem to work fine. I test the guns with Clays behind a 230 gr fmj before they leave the shop and have not had the sticking experience. For chamfering both the Ti and steel cylinders, I use diamond burrs with a high speed dental drill. I can also fill cavities. :-) Oh, one other thing...Apex will be relocating to Oregon in the near future!

Uhhhh, Dave? Be careful what you ask for on this forum!

Now I know why you asked about another Ti cylinder!!!!

While Bubber is still wearing it?

See John, THIS is how many rounds I can fit into MY GUN!

Great, first it's Cliff in a thong, then Bubber in a speed-o! I'm going to shoot production....

Chris, Two revos headed your way next week For those interested in the West Coast course: For the course held at the Hogue Action Pistol Range in Morro Bay, CA, the proposed dates are Friday October 6th and Saturday the 7th. The fee for THIS class will be $250.00 for 2 days. Lisa and I will be donating our time, and all proceeds will be going to the San Luis Obispo Sportsman's Association for range improvements. Friday will be a full day of shooter diagnostics(video breakdown and analysis of each participant), technique reinforcing drills and the like. Saturday, we will be shooting as a large but efficient squad at our local IDPA match. This will allow us to look at stage breakdown and mangement as it pertains to revolver competitors. Post match Q&A and video after the match. Lisa and I hope the course will be fun as well as beneficial

I'm waiting for a crop circle to appear in the shape of a Hearthco. moonclip.