practical_man
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Posts posted by practical_man
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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
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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.
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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.
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1 hour ago, Toolguy said:
The have had tight chambers in 22s for at least 70 years up to the present time. They run the reamers too long on the production line and they wear down smaller and smaller over many cylinders. Then you end up with some cylinders that are the right size with a new set of reamers, some slightly smaller, some a little smaller than that, and some too small, etc. The way to fix that is to get a new standard finishing reamer and cut the chambers to the correct size they should have been to start with. Problem solved.
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.
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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.
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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.
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23 hours ago, Couch-Commando said:
Well, my evidence gun showed up. Overall way better than I expected. I suspect is was rarely shot. I've doubled the size of the turn line in a bit of dry fire and speed loader practice. The internals looks brand new. There is mild peening on the cylinder notches, and a bit of wiggle in lock up which completely went away when I test fit my second cylinder. I'm guessing someone flicked the cylinder open a few times. The only real curve ball here is that I am 99% sure that the front sight is integral to the barrel ramp and not pinned. I wasn't expecting that. How difficult/expensive would it be to grind it off and machine it for an interchangeable front sight? I hate the red ramp sight picture, and much prefer a skinny red fiber optic.
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.
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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.
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@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.
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On 10/31/2023 at 8:30 AM, PhotoRecon said:
This is a 154gr RNFP with a flat base from the old Bonus Bullets in Colorado. It was named the China Camp after a Cowboy Action shooter who designed it.
Works great in revolvers and lever actions.
Bonus is out of business but there are a couple other makers who have the same mold
I loved the 140grain version of the China Camp bullet. Worked great in the lever gun.
Who is making them these days?
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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.
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Great problem solving!
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7 hours ago, ysrracer said:
That's really the issue. Factory ammo has primers that are seated "softly".
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.
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I shoot an L frame and wear large gloves. I use the stock grips without trouble. I do grind on them a bit to reduce the finger grips which do not fit me.
The X frame stocks might work for you. I’ve tried the pachmayr presentation stocks that cover the backstrap and do not care for them. The difference is subtle but noticeable.
Stocks can be a cheap. Doesn’t hurt to try different options to see what you like.
Most revolver shooter have a box full of stocks they don’t care for. Wouldn’t hurt to ask around your club. Someone might have exactly what you want sitting in their spares box.
Re:action job. The revup action hammer is quite an improvement over the stock hammer. It’s engineered so that the trigger pull actually gets lighter as you get closer to releasing the shot. I’m thrilled with mine. So much that I’m waiting on the next run for N frames. See their web site: https://revupaction.com. Or message @Toolguy on these forums.
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Toolguy
i can’t tell you how much I like the RevUp hammer in my 686. It’s a world of difference from the factory set up. Really like the way trigger pull gets lighter as you near hammer let off. Genius! Very useful. Folks don’t know what they’re missing
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On 9/30/2023 at 8:45 AM, Joe4d said:
I see Kansas under your name, what game or where do you shoot ? I am in Marion.. The Desoto Icore is about 2 hours and capitol city steel is a bit closer. Although they shoot on same day so bummer.. Other clubs in area,, if they still exist dotn post much info online, so not really sure what they have, I may trade off the 627 for a 686 SSR 6 shot and set it up for classic or IDPA legal.
Seems I recall people talking about thailand made wood grips and that they were pretty well made. But cant find them now. I had some wood grips I returned lately on my 617 that blocked the speed loader... I also returned some high dollar g10 ? synthetic grip,, fit was garbage for what they cost.
I mean my current grips are open back strap, so maybe not much I can do. Maybe time for the dremmil and some wood.After a 12 year hiatus I just started shooting at the Desoto ICORE a couple months ago. I didn’t know a thing about it. Dave was helpful and welcoming about getting me started. I drug out my speed loaders from the PPC days and now shoot classic. Using what I already have until I figure out the sport a little. ICORE is loads of fun and the shooters at Mill Creek are a good crew; they are very encouraging to new shooters. @Toolguy has been really helping coaching me on faster loading; he’s really generous sharing his knowledge. I’m very happy that I took the leap into a new sport. It’s so much fun that I don’t mind being last when then scores are posted. Any day shooting revolvers is better than the best day working.
Classic is loads of fun with both the 6” L frame and 2” k frame. I’m going to try limited 6 next season. Should be fun and a way to loose less brass
All that said, I’d still encourage you to give the 8 shooter a serious try. I have a N frame 625. It’s a bit different than the smaller frame revolvers but not an impossible transition. Seems like a most of the serious ICORE shooters are using the 8 shooters in 9mm or some variation of 38 colt/ special. I’m old and heavily invested in 38 Special so that’s likely where I’ll stay and enjoy the hobby while I can.
I don’t have any experience with the 686 SSR. Some guys shoot them at Desoto. Nice looking revolver tho. Kinda looks like a miniature 627 Pro
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good advice from @gargoil66
I was once hesitant to start grinding on revolver stocks. When I started chasing DR points back in my Bullseye phase it became necessary to modify the grips for a better hold. You might be surprised to see how many revolver guys have JB weld on very expensive Nills grips.
Now that I’m trying to shoot fast and accurately I’m back to modifying stocks again. The large factory target stock is a good base to start grinding on if you like wood. Aftermarket grip like those from Altamont are also good for modifying. I’ve never use the Broomstick grips, but they do seem interesting.
As for the N frame not fitting, I’m sympathetic. I shot K and L frames for years. I wear a large size glove, so hands are definitely average size. Still getting used to the N frame. For me, I think it’s mostly mental. I’m sticking with it till I figure it out. I’m not competitive at all, so there’s that.
I’d like to encourage you to stick with it till you figure it out. Of course if you want to sell off that 4” 627 for a song I’ll happily take it off your hands. I’m a 38 special shooter and too old to change now.
Hang in there. You can whip that chunk of stainless steel and make it your own.
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I need to have a look at current CMORE options. Haven’t seen one in years.
The SRO is outside my budget but it looks attractive.
I’ll have a better idea after visiting with Dave this weekend.
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7 hours ago, Toolguy said:
The lighter hammers work the best on Federal primers. The concept is that in physics, speed is more important than weight. The same mainspring tension can move the lighter hammer faster, therefore hit harder. There are upper and lower limits to everything, so too light or too heavy is not good. You have to find the best balance. In my experience, (YMMV), the light hammers don't work as well on hard primers. All this is inter related to the lockwork mechanism of the gun.
That is why I invented and patented the RevUp Action hammer kit. With this hammer, unlike all the other aftermarket hammers, the fundamental leverage points have been altered to provide a toggle linkage type compound leverage of the trigger on the hammer. This way you can have a heavy hammer fall combined with a lighter trigger pull. Normally, you can't have both together. The hammer force can be dialed up or down to fire any primers that you have or can get, by using the strain screw. The starting trigger pull is whatever the mainspring is set at to fire a given type of primer. The ending trigger pull is whatever the rebound spring is without the hammer. There is a very smooth ramp down of trigger pull weight. I invented and built a special trigger pull gage to show all this and quantify the numbers. You can see videos of all this on the home page of www.revupaction.com.
Rev Up your revo game!
The RevUp hammer kit has worked out well for me in my 617, which was a pleasant surprise given the finicky nature if rimfires.
Looking forward to the next batch of N frame hammers when they’re available. The RevUp works better for me than modifying the stock hammer.
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Thanks to all for tour input!
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BLUF: who makes a mini red dot sight with large dot (4 or 6 MOA) suitable for revolver.
Details. Considering replacing my Holosun 2 MOA dot with a larger dot. Would like something easier to pick up when brightness isn’t maxed out.
looking for input from folks who’ve tried large and small dots. Advantages and disadvantages.
Dot would go a 627.
thanks
john
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Llou,
I’m no expert so take this with a grain of salt. I recently had my 686 cut for moons to shoot in Limited 6. I took a small burnisher to lightly break the edge on the extractor. Not beveled, just broken so it’s not a sharp 90. Seems to work ok for me. Granted, there’s a lot more meat on a 6 banger than those fancy high speed 8 shooters.
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On 8/28/2023 at 12:11 PM, Couch-Commando said:
I'm strongly considering ordering some, since none of the other competition loaders are made for 44 magnums. I finally shot my first match with my own 44 magnum yesterday, which was both really fun and went sufficiently well that I don't think the gun or the caliber will be a big hindrance. The only thing that was clearly slowing me down (other than dumb mistakes due to lack of experience) was the occasional sticking round in my comp 1 speed loader. I'll probably shoot ICORE for the rest of the year with what I have before making any decisions.
Nice meeting you on Sunday. I’m new to ICORE too. It’s great fun, and good practice. Really grateful to Dave for putting on the match and other shooters offering tips.
i had some trouble with my Comp 1 loaders when shooting my 2” k frame this week. They’re not ideal for ICORE.
627 end shake / gap
in Revolver Forum
Posted
@Squirrel45
Have you checked ejector rod run out? Also, is the proximal end of the crane actually square to the axis?