Trouble Shooting Handguns

WELCOME TO THE NO BS ZONE OF TEDDY JACOBSON

Added the following Saturday, Feb. 26, 2005 - 9:30 am central time
This is from a customer who sent me a description of a SS - SA mil-spec pistol I totally refined a while back, this is the first time he ever fired it. It goes as follows;

I FINALLY GAVE IN TO TEMPTATION AND TOOK OUT A NEW MISTRESS THE OTHER DAY. WE WENT TO THE ADULT PLAY GROUNDS. SHE IS FAIR COMPLECTED AND VERY WELL PUT TOGETHER (KNOW WHAT I MEAN) . SHE WAS A TREASURE, SCUPTURED BY A REAL CRAFTSMAN. TOGETHER WE PUMPED OUT MANY POWERFUL EXPLOSIVE ROUNDS AND SHE HANDLED EACH ONE LIKE AN OLD PRO. SHE WAS SMOOTH TO THE TOUCH AND GAVE PLEASURE AT EVERY CLIMATIC EXPLOSION. THE PLAY ENDED AS WE WERE BOTH SPENT BUT THERE IS ANTICIPATION IN THE AIR FOR THE NEXT TIME WE CAN GET TOGETHER. MAYBE WE CAN PLAN IT OUT AND YOU CAN BE THERE ALSO.

ANDREW


I am back on track trying to help the gun owner separate the BS from reality. It really bothers me a great deal that the average gun owner is dependent on getting help from the Gurus in the gun business when they need help. I agonize over this delema because as a young man I was in this very same boat and I just did not know who to believe. I think a 1911 is a wonderful pistol but there is a world of handguns out there that must also be thought about. The fact that a Pistolsmith is dedicated to working on your 1911 pistol DOES NOT qualify him to fix your revolver or CZ or HK P7 or Kahr or Seecamp or Guardian or Beretta or Sig Sauer, etc, etc, etc, etc. I can name many machinist that are Smiths that do exceptional work that is beautiful like Chuck Rogers and I can not do or say anything but admire this kind of craftsmanship. It is truly beautiful.


My world is different, I am into fixing and refining internal action designs, even though I will not be doing any great quantity of work anymore it was a sad choice I was forced to make. As for a 1911 pistol I have learned to be able to make an upgrade kit that will work in most any frame using my skills with out having the frame to look at. I do not need to measure the holes in relationship to the parts.
I have been doing this for a very long time. When I used to fit a frame to a slide it took me a long time as my good friend Bubba made me special plates to use to get everything straight using hand tools. I never banged anything beyond what was absolutely necessary. I will no longer make any custom 1911 pistols and the ones out there will increase in value and believe me they have never been worked on by anyone but me, regardless of any BS claims by the masters of deception in the chat rooms that come out at nite in their black ninja pajamas after they get home from their regular job. Now all of a sudden they are the master gurus of gunsmithing.


I want to discuss other type weapons other than 1911 pistols here and now. I have no written script, it is typed as I see things. I have very strong political views and very strong Bible prophecy views but not today.

Revolvers can cause you a great deal of problems just as semi autos but by and large less frequently. Speaking of Ruger current production revolvers my emails consists of complaints of a poor trigger return on the SP101 and the GP100. The Redhawk is a different animal than the others because there is no separate trigger return spring as in the Super Redhawk. Can this be improved ?? yes it can but its not as easy as working on a SW revolver. If you want a real strong revolver that will handle most any load its hard to beat a Ruger revolver. Timing a Ruger revolver is more difficult because there is no side plate to watch the action and observe the problem. It is diagnosed by symptoms. The fact that a Ruger has a frame mounted firing pin is not a problem. I like a Ruger revolver and they are strong enough to last you a lifetime. I some times see a slight endshake problem which is front to rear cylinder play, but not near as often as the other brands of revolvers.


The new SW revolvers are a mere shadow of their ancestors. This again is my opinion and I have worked on a great many new SW revolvers and I would say I have to change at lest 50 % of the sears because they are ground crooked by the factory assemblers. I always check the sears in every revolver because if they are improperly cut you will feel a skip or hesitation as soon as you take up the trigger in the double action mode. It should be very smooth with no obvious hesitation of any kind. If you have a timing problem that could be caused by a number of factors but in many cases its the hand that is the problem and its not the length of the hand as many people would believe its usually the thickness and there are a few remedies for this. The problem usually lies in the "J" frames where you have 4 chambers that index properly but then you have that 5 th chamber that will not lock up properly. It must be corrected very carefully and its not easy. You will often see an end shake problem on SW revolvers that have been abused with +P+ ammunition. Before you ever buy a used revolver you must learn how to check certain areas so that you will not wind up with a big repair bill.


Buying used handguns anywhere that you do not know the exact history of that very handgun is a mistake unless you know what to look for. You can not put metal back on frames and feed ramps and sears and hammers. For the average person buying a handgun its best to buy a new one from a dealer you know. The money that people make in sales are from used guns because there are people that are constantly looking to buy collections from widows whose husband just died and they want to sell all these guns. Well a dealer will come along and offer this widow, "X" number of dollars for the entire collection including the reloading equipment or what ever. The widow thinks shes making a killing and does not realize what everything is worth. The dealer who knows what he or she is doing comes along and really is going to make major money by reselling these guns.
So, to sum it up, the money is made in used guns. I assure you that many dealers in many towns accross the country read the obituaries. In my case my son is not going to sell anything to anyone. My wife and son know how this game is played.


Getting back to revolvers for a few minutes, many revolver companies will not sell certain parts. Deal with it and let the factory install what they refuse to sell, their prices are usually fair. Many people that call me want to reblue a SW revolver and I always tell them to send it back to SW. I have no illusions that the real craftsmen at some of these factories are dead and in cemetaries but these factories are still capable of repairing most handguns. The old Colt revolvers are not easy to work on and parts are hard to find for some models. If you think you are a handgun guru then try timing an old Colt python that needs work. That will separate the men from the boys. Its not that easy, because if it was Colt would still be producing that very same revolver today. I can't remember how many times Colt has changed revolver designs for one reason or another. The old Colt revolvers were superb but they are a part of history now. I have never been a fan of single action revolvers of the old wild west. I have always been more interested in street survival guns that I would need for a social engagement at a moments notice. Some day some one may want to rob this ole bird when he goes to his neighborhood walmart, boy would they be in for a surprise.


Semi autos can cause a world of misery especially if you play with your springs. I have no desire to carry a 3 lb. handgun anymore. Its very difficult to conceal a large frame semi auto pistol. Its also not that comforting to carrying a mouse gun unless you know the proper location to place your bullet and what kind of bullet to carry. Many people have so many problems with current production handguns for one reason or another. DO NOT just change weight of springs because some one told you to, in a chat room. If you install too strong a recoil spring you could be out of sync with your magazine spring. Now in the 40 caliber handguns like the Glocks and Berettas and the Sigs I would use a stronger recoil spring because the 40 SW cartridge is really tough on these pistols. Its safe to go up 2 or 3 lbs on your recoil spring but no more because other wise your bullets will not come up fast enough to feed with the greater slide speed. You must then consider using stronger magazine springs. I had one Sig pistol in here last year that another Smith cut all the springs including the magazine catch spring, everytime the owner shot his Sig pistol the magazine fell to the floor. Do not let anyone fix a problem that does not exist. If the white paint comes out of your dot sights, you do not need a new sight, email or call me and I will tell you what to do.


I just want you to use good judgement with your handguns. You must keep them clean as your life depends on it. My friend Mr. Camp and I have come up with some very new ideas regarding latest technology chemicals that are proving to be unique as well as superb. Look at Mr. Camps new primer sealer, it has multiple uses and sealing your primers is job number one. Check out his website at www.hipowersandhandguns.com
email him and ask to see his primer report s.camp9@charter.net


In a world that has changed so much and has become so dangerous now is the time to get your handguns clean and buy extra critical parts for the ones you will rely on. You need to take me serious and Mr. Camp can tell you more about current production self defense ammunition than any one I know as he checks everything. Should any of you need to speak to me you can call me most any day after 10 am central time or just email me. I am here to help any decent gun owner that has not caused me any grief or flamed me in a chat room.


I WANT TO ASK A FAVOR. IF ANY OF YOU HAVE A DISCARDED RECOIL SPRING OR A MAGAZINE SPRING FOR AN HK P7 - M8 or M13 PLEASE LET ME KNOW AS I NEED A SAMPLE IN ORDER TO HAVE SOME MADE USING AN EXOTIC TYPE OF WIRE THAT IS SUPERIOR TO WHAT IS AVAILABLE TODAY. I WILL BE SURE YOU WILL BE ABLE TO BUY SOME IF I CAN GET THESE MADE. THIS IS A PROJECT BEING DONE BY A FRIEND OF MINE WHO IS A SPRING ENGINEER..... HE WILL BE SELLING THE SPRINGS NOT ME.... TSJ

ON ANOTHER NOTE THE NRA SHOW WILL BE IN HOUSTON - APRIL 15 - FOR 3 DAYS AT THE GEORGE BROWN CONVENTION CENTER. THAT IS 20 MILES FROM HERE, IF I FEEL WELL ENOUGH I WILL TRY AND GO WITH MY SON CHARLES ON SATURDAY APRIL 16, FOR A COUPLE OF HOURS AND I WILL BE AT THE MILITEC BOOTH. I WILL BE UNABLE TO WALK AROUND. THIS IS JUST A POINT OF INFORMATION.

AUTHORS PERSONAL NOTATION:
This commentary as well as all my previous commentaries are my personal opinion and my personsal viewpoint only. MOST OF THESE "CHAT" ROOMS ARE POISON TO ME AND THE COMMENTS FROM THE BRAIN DEAD MORONS THAT HAVE NEVER AND WILL NEVER OWN MY WORK IS QUITE OBVIOUS. THEY WOULD NOT KNOW QUALITY EVEN IF THEY SAW IT. THEY DESERVE TO BE TAKEN TO THE CLEANERS LIKE THEY HAVE. THERE IS A FOOL BORN EVERY DAY BUT IN THIS CASE THE REAL SCHMUCK IS IN THEIR MIRROR. YOU CAN NOT TRY AND HELP SOME ONE THAT KNOWS IT ALL, ASK THEM THE TIME AND THEY TELL YOU HOW TO MAKE A WATCH.


Teddy Jacobson / Pistolsmith (semi retired)
www.actionsbyt.com
281 277 4008
tjacobson@houston.rr.com
jaj45f@alltel.net
www.actionsbyt.blogspot.com/