Putting my gun back together...

[brockgl]

Okay, I bought a 642 a few days ago, and yesterday I took it apart and removed the flag piece so that my gun cannot lock accidentally. I had not read much at all about taking these guns apart, but since I work with small parts every day (I am a computer technician and soldering and handling minuscule parts is an every day occurrence for me) I figured I would undertake the task without specific training. I read about disassembling these guns AFTER I had already done it, and I took the side plate off by gently prying/lifting from inside the hole in the grip where the main 'hammer spring' comes down (Which I now know is NOT the recommended way to do this =) ). The plate popped up and off, and luckily I did no damage to the side panel (The panel is now securely back in place on the gun and is perfectly flush with the frame, so no bending occurred). Anyway, I have also read (after the fact) that you are not suppose to bring the hammer back too far when removing it from the frame because it might misplace the spring inside it. Anyway, my question is this: The disassembly and reassembly went perfect as far as I could tell. No springs went flying, and now the gun is back together, and everything seems to be functioning just as it should. The gun dry fires perfectly, the cylinder rotates perfectly with the same tight tolerances, and the side plate is perfectly flush with the gun. If I would have made a mistake, would it be noticeable by now? How could I tell if I did something wrong? I really have no reason to doubt, however I just don't want to take the side plate off again to check. So any sage advice would be great! I plan on buying a manual before attempting that again, but it was definitely a fun and rewarding experience. And it was a HUGE relief to get that debilitating lock out of there!

Thanks!

 

[rcmodel]

If the cylinder turns with the muzzle pointing straight up, all is well.

The spring you referred to is the hand spring, and it forces the hand into engagement with the cylinder ratchet.

If the spring slips off the hand arm, it is free to fall back off the ratchet when the gun is pointed up.

rcmodel

 

[9mmepiphany]

did you get the hammer block safety back in place.

you can see it moving up and down when you cock the hammer

 

[brockgl]

did you get the hammer block safety back in place.

you can see it moving up and down when you cock the hammer

My gun has an enclosed hammer, so I can't see that from the outside I don't think. It is also Double Action Only, so does it still have a hammer block safety?

 

[9mmepiphany]

my bad...brain fade

i couldn't think of anything else i've ever left out.