New Project

The pistol pictured below is an ARMSCO  59 22 caliber revolver. It was made in Nashville TN somewhere between late 1940's and  1950's by Freidmans Army Navy Store. They originally sold for anywhere between $12 and $25. The revolver is strange because you pull out the pin that the cylinder is on and remove the cylinder to load/unload the gun. The pin on mine is just held in by a small clip. Later models had a threaded pin. I guess the pin could fall out. I bought it from a guy at the range and got the pistol, a holster and some ammo for $45. There is a screw missing and one grip is broken but other than that it's all there. I did not buy it to shoot it, I bought it to see if I can fix it up.I'll shoot it a couple of times and put it away.

The gun was very cheaply made. I am not sure but the barrel is not rifled. This thing probably is as accurate as throwing bricks at someone. The trigger pull almost took two hands but after I took it apart and cleaned and oiled it it is better but still very stiff. The gun was sold to me as a working gun so I am gong to the range and shoot it before I really start working on it. I have actually found a place to get parts.

This is the gun as purchased. Note missing screw.

This shows how to load/unload.

This is it apart. There was a lot of rust and gunk on the inside.

Here it is back together with the holster and ammo.

I have found a place to buy parts and will replace all screws and springs. Possibly a new hammer in case I screw up the old one trying to get the trigger pull down to a manageable level.

UPDATE (3/27/14) - Took it to range today and it worked fine. Tough to figure out how to aim it but it shoots straight. It is now completely broken down again and sanding/polishing has started.

More changes to the Ruger Blackhawk

First off I love the gun. I can shoot it very accurately and even in 357 it is loads of fun to shoot. I have this problem of not being able to leave things alone so I have taken the gun completely apart, which is fairly easy compared to a Smith & Wesson, and made some changes. First I replaced the existing hammer with one from a Super Blackhawk. That hammer is a bit lower and eaiser to reach for cocking the gun. It was a pain holding everything together to get it back in the gun but it went in eventually.

Next is some trigger and hammer shims. Rugers are well built, strong and dependable and at $150 less than a comparable Smith & Wesson there are corners cut. The fitting of moving parts, while servicable, could use some work. A couple of .003 or .005 inch shims and some lube smooths everything out. While the gun is apart some minor polishing also helps.

Next are the trigger and hammer springs. I haven't done this yet but I am for sure going to lighten up the trigger spring. The hammer spring is another story. The experts say a lighter hammer spring adds to the time between the trigger being pulled and the hammer striking the firing pin. This could make the gun less accurate.

Since I am getting a thrill out of working on the gum I will reduce the hammer spring and if it hurts accuracy I will put the old one back in.

Here is a pic with the new hammer. Hopefully you can see the difference from the picture from previous post. This pic also shows the grips I made. The originals were a bit short and slippery. This was my first attempt at making grips. I have bought a set of Hogue grips and usually have them on the gun as they are really comfortable and absorb most of the recoil.