S&W police trade ins at J&G. Good Buy?

I got mine!

Swapped-out the DAO hammer with a new SA/DA hammer, and a new set of my favorite flavor of Pachmyr grip.



I can see no reason at all to install a .357 cylinder.

If you handload, you can load .38 Special plenty hot that you would gain little by having a .357.
If you don't handload, there is excellent +P .38 Special nowadays that should more than meet your need for speed.

My understanding (correct me if I'm wrong here) is that there is no official definition for +P+. Considering normal .38 is significantly lower pressure than the original loadings were...

My model 67 from J&G. Before...



New grips and a SA/DA hammer....



Amazing condition mechanically...

On a side note, would it be possible/safe to have a gunsmith install a .357 cylinder into a 64?

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Yes, but there is more involved than just changing cylinders assemblies and lining things up. The forcing cone part of the barrel on a .38 Special is protruding more into the frame to make up for the shorter cylinder.

In general, there is too much involved to make it cost efficient.

How hard was it to convert the M67 back to DA/SA? I might just have to jump on this!

balog

you are correct

I actually went to my local FFL and talked to them about these today. They said that they would do as many guns as you could buy for a 40 dollar transfer fee.... Awesome! Now I just need to organized a group buy!

a local THR member does $10 FFL transfers (He raised his price from $6 )

I would suggest that you shop around. Waterhouse is not the only nice guy out there.

Hehe I live near J&G... I gotta get in there and check these out. How much did it cost you to get the trigger back to SA/DA from DAO?

Bflobill69

Do the 67's J&G not have the red ramp front sight? I can handle a red ramp or black, but not invisible stainless. I was just on the cusp of ordering before I noticed.

I can't speak specifically to these guns, but don't hesitate to buy from J&G. As a Phoenix resident, i chat with these chaps at gun shows, and stock up on ammo when they are in town (they are based in Prescott, AZ). Good bunch of folks!

I only wish that they would give you the quantity discount (2+) on two different hand guns. I'm in red hot pursuit of a CZ82 and am also lusting after the SW64.... a couple bucks discount would really get close to sealing the deal :/

Hehe I live near J&G... I gotta get in there and check these out. How much did it cost you to get the trigger back to SA/DA from DAO?

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I found a couple of used hammers on S&W forum. I paid $25.00 for each one.

I'm actually thinking about putting the DAO hammer back in the 67. It was a breeze to shoot.

The Model 64's from J&G are true DAO guns.

There is no notch on the hammer for single action.
So no, you can't just grab the hammer, and force it to work in single-action mode.

I bought a used SA/DA hammer that was intended for some flavor of K-frame gun.
When I installed it in the Model 64, the hammer nose siezed-up in the bushing where the hammer nose is supposed to protrude through the recoil shield.

This went on several times until the hammer nose broke, and the hole in the bushing was made egg-shaped.





So, I ordered a "real" Model 64 SA/DA hammer from Smith and Wesson.
This hammer was correct for the angle of the hammer nose. However, the double-action sear on a "virgin" hammer is much too long for "drop-in" installation. I had never worked on a Smith and Wesson sear before, but these sorts of things don't make me timid.

I laid the DAO hammer/sear assembly next to the new SA/DA hammer/sear assembly so I could get my Mark I eyeball calibrated, then I commenced to whittle on the new sear until it looked like the old sear. Stuck it in the gun, and it worked fine.

I did dress-down the burr on the bushing with an Arkansas stone.
The egg-shaped profile of the hole does not (so far) seem to be any problem.
Although, it does say a lot for getting your hands on the CORRECT hammer, rather than just any old "Yeah, this here fits a K-frame hammer."

Sometime, when you are working on a S&W hammer, take a close look at the SINGLE-ACTION notch on the hammer. I find it amazing that such a teeny-tiny little bump can hold the hammer for single action. Really will make you think before you ever cock a revolver to single-action position, and let the muzzle cover something you might not want to shoot!

I don't recommend the average WECSOG'r messing with the single-action notch. There's just too little metal there to have any leeway for misjudgment. There's plenty of room for whittlin' though on the double-action sear. You'd have to be a real doofus to botch a fitting job on the double-action sear.

As the factory-replacement-part hammer comes from the factory will be significantly TOO LONG if you get one from the factory.
It must be shortened, and a clearance angle applied to the leading edge.
If you can compare it to an existing hammer assembly, you should have very little difficulty.

The method you use to shorten the double-action sear, is up to you. I used a needle file, and without removing the sear from the hammer.
It took longer than I cared for.
By the time I was done, I wished I had knocked the pin out, and worked on the sear without it being still installed on the hammer.



Now, here is a picture indicating the single action notch.
Look where the red arrow is pointing.
Not too bad a picture eh?
If there were something there - like a NOTCH - you should be able to see it, right?



Look at the vertical greasy line.
There is a "bump" there, that constitutes the single-action notch.
See what I mean when I say messing with the SA notch is not for amateurs?

I didn't mess with the single-action notch, and I discovered that the factory-configured notch (such that it is) works just fine in single action mode. If somebody ever was to get charged-up to work on that single-action bump, they better have a Mark IV eyeball, a steadier hand than mine, and a powerful microscope.

Here is a DAO hammer assembly.
Notice the complete absence of a SA notch.



In closing, let me relate this piece of information. I was AMAZED when the folks at Smith and Wesson told me they have ZERO replacement firing pin nose rivets for sale to yahoos like me. If you ever want to replace a busted firing pin nose (A.K.A. "firing pin"), you gotta knock out the rivet on the hammer to get the busted nose out. I bet Smith and Wesson has a stash of rivets, but they must be short, 'cause they sure wouldn't sell me one. I finally found some for sale in Canada on the internet at http://www.marstar.ca/swrevolvers.htm

I ordered three.

They sent me three USED rivets.
Funny no mention of "used condition" on the web site.

If you want a SA/DA hammer for a Model 64-5, you better order one tomorrow, 'cause I'm reckoning they gonna be "short" on those little jewels right soon.

There it is. The story of converting a DAO Model 64-5 to SA/DA.

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Nasser said:

When you got yours, could you grab the hammer and put it into SA mode? I only ask because I cannot and I also want to restore mine to SA/DA. And how is your revolvers lockup?

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I purchased two round-butt DAO Model 64's from J&G a few months ago. You really save on shipping when you order more than one.

The 64-2 had slightly worse finish wear, but could be put in SA mode - not that I'd want to make a habit of it, as there's not much to hang on to on that bobbed hammer. The 64-4 had very little finish wear, but would not go into SA mode - it's true DAO.

Both are very accurate and have good lockups - comparable to some new S&W revolvers I've purchased recently. I really think most folks will find these J&G trade-ins to be excellent buys.