Hammer Power Test

[hdgun]

The primers are loud (like a cap pistol on steroids) but the real problem with that is the primers back out of the primer pockets and make cycling difficult. When the case is loaded (powder, bullet, etc.) the ignition of the powder forces the case back onto the primer, and thus the primer is seated back into the pocket.

Bubber;

What I do so primers don't back out is, Take an empty case, deprime it and stick it in your vise and drill the primer flash hole out. use a bit a couple thousands over what the flash hole is.

This leaves room for the gases to get out instead of underneath the primer.

NOTE: do not go too big with your drill bit. Too big of a hole will result in the primer anvil to be pushed through the hole, which will result in a false test.

[8shooter]

The funniest part of this topic is that at last years IRC, Mark Itzstein and Ryan McQuilty asked me how we check for reliablilty of ours guns workingl. After I told them how to check, Vic Pickett walked up and confirmed the process. Mark and Ryan probably thought we were BSing them. Now there suspicions are confirmed.

hey Randy, did you get Vics gun working again??? i don't think he liked it when I was cheering every time his gun light hit at the spring steel match at Rio. Maybe we can form a cheering section for him at the SW regional next week. If I decide to go.

Ha........I was reading down the thread thinking I only learnt this from John last year at IRC

Thing is Mark had been giving me a hard time for weeks that my loads won't go off in his gun and it was because I use a 650 and not the "Super 1050" he has.

Well we tried the BIC test and guess who's made the 40inch height and guess who's didn't. Big girl went and installed a Randy Lee hammer so he didn't have to wind the tension back up......haaaaaaaaaaaa.

[AFDavis11]

OK, well I"m obviously doing something wrong. I've got a trigger pull in under the 3 pound range and am getting only 3 inches of fly on the pencil trick. But I'm getting good primer ignition. So I'll just stick with what I've got, unless you guys were just pulling my leg, I'm getting no where near the distance you guys were talking about.

You guys were talking about bobbed hammers right, not that factory stuff?

[Bubber]

OK, well I"m obviously doing something wrong. I've got a trigger pull in under the 3 pound range and am getting only 3 inches of fly on the pencil trick. But I'm getting good primer ignition. So I'll just stick with what I've got, unless you guys were just pulling my leg, I'm getting no where near the distance you guys were talking about.

You guys were talking about bobbed hammers right, not that factory stuff?

You probably have soft eraser on the pencil, which takes up a lot of the energy. try a Bic pen and see. And if you are getting reliable primer ignition with 3 lbs double action pull.....GOOD JOB.

[Badkarma]

Tried the pencil trick with my 627-5 when I finished bobbing my hammer, did a nice launch of about 20 inches. Trigger is running right about 6 pounds. Now for my problem... broke my extended firing pin ( have new one on order) replaced broken pin with original factory part. Tried test again... pencil won't even clear the barrel (5"). Put back original mainspring and screw, have a trigger pull near 10 pounds, but the pencil still doesn't leave the barrel. I've checked the firing pin tunnel and its clear. Does an extended firing pin make that much difference?

The original factory firing pin along with my modified mainspring and screw pops federal primers (????) it just won't launch a pencil for beans. Any ideas from the revolver forum?

[Waltermitty]

Tried the pencil trick with my 627-5 when I finished bobbing my hammer, did a nice launch of about 20 inches. Trigger is running right about 6 pounds. Now for my problem... broke my extended firing pin ( have new one on order) replaced broken pin with original factory part. Tried test again... pencil won't even clear the barrel (5"). Put back original mainspring and screw, have a trigger pull near 10 pounds, but the pencil still doesn't leave the barrel. I've checked the firing pin tunnel and its clear. Does an extended firing pin make that much difference?

The original factory firing pin along with my modified mainspring and screw pops federal primers (????) it just won't launch a pencil for beans. Any ideas from the revolver forum?

I have found that some stock S&W firing pins are very short. In these cases the extended firing pin does make a dramatic difference. Having said that, I also find that my testing device (aka pencil/Bic Pen/etc) has to be changed out periodically due to wear.

[Carmoney]

Just a note: I was doing the Bic pen test after doing a trigger job on an EAA Witness recently, and the damn pen wouldn't move. I was certain I had gotten something back together wrong when re-assembling the firing safety parts in the slide. I took everything apart and put it back together at least three times before I noticed the Bic pen had a nice FP sized hole in the end!

I am thinking about sending the pen back to Bic with a QC complaint to let them know their pen is giving false readings.

[Waltermitty]

I am thinking about sending the pen back to Bic with a QC complaint to let them know their pen is giving false readings.

That's the Spirit! Somewhere there's a QA guy/gal living on the edge of sanity that would really enjoy that letter!

Like the time a major Hospital rep called me for specific information on a product my company made. She started vaguely enough, asking me what the IR transmission rate was on a PVC film we made for the foodservice industry to wrap cookies, sandwiches, and the like (similar to Saran Wrap but a different formula) to keep foods fresh.

I assumed they were wrapping foods of some sort for patients or a cafeteria and were doing some kind of high-level analysis for how effective IR heat lamps would be at storing foods at correct temperatures or whatnot. Being the inquisitive sort, I asked how they were using it and why the IR transmission rate was important.

To my horror, she explained that the Chief of their Neo-natal unit (a DOCTOR) had discovered our product in the Cafeteria and was using it to wrap the bedding and enclosures for extremely premature infants. The reason was that they used IR heat lamps to keep the preemies warm and the heat was dehydrating the infants; they wrapped everything in our film as a moisture barrier to increase humidity in the enclosure and reduce the hydration load on these severely at-risk children. They called me from their planet to ensure the film wouldn't block the IR energy and thereby unintentionally allow the infant to become too cool.

I managed to stifle the scream that formed in my throat as I realized what they were doing, and in my best suicide-intervention voice I told her that the use she had just described had not been forseen and was not approved by my company. I explained that while the chemicals and composition of the film was FDA compliant and suitable for wrapping sandwiches and similar food contact, it was not intended to comply with medical device standards and regulations and likely contained one or more components that we would not recommend for concentrated exposure to premature infants; particularly if the film came into very close proximity of a heat lamp and began to decompose or melt.

What fun I had describing the story to Executive Management at the next Staff meeting! Just for fun I turned to the VP of Marketing and said something like: "The size of the opportunity is staggering, we could call it Baby Wrap 2000 and have a pink tint for girls" (the product was already tinted blue). Imagine my delight as I saw him seriously consider it for a split second before coming to his senses.

As yes, customers can be creative!

[Carmoney]

To my horror, she explained that the Chief of their Neo-natal unit (a DOCTOR) had discovered our product in the Cafeteria and was using it to wrap the bedding and enclosures for extremely premature infants.

Plus, you guys would've been charging a helluva lot more for the stuff and it would have had a different name.