Help with High Standard Sentinel .22 Revolver

[<MoA]

I happened to read in an earlier THR post that disassembly of one of these cheap little revolvers is certanly easy enough, but the real test comes in re-assembly.

Question: is there perhaps an experienced gunny out there that can just "pop" this thing back together for me? I pay well!!

Ha ha ha, huh? The replacement hammer was nearly identical, except it's main axle hole was too big so I had to bush it down and then re-machine a correctly sized hole. That took a total of about an hour.

Then, on trying to figure out how to hold everyting in the correct position to insert the very snug hammer pin into place, the real fun began!

Three days into it so far, with several puncture wounds in my hands. So now, if I only had 3.5 or perhaps even 4.5 hands, I could possibly get everything aligned in that hammer axle pin hole, (along with depressing the main spring, which has no spring or pin retention hole as many better sidearms do. I have given up in disgust at least 5 times now, and am faced with the same problems tomorrow morning!

What a toad of a gun!

Anyhow, if you, or someone you kknow, has actually put a few of these together, or has the Magic Information, please PLEASE! Let me know.

 

[Doak]

Yeah, MoA ~
Just read a forum post that said, back in the day, High Standard did a brisk business, reassembling Sentinels, on factory jigs, for $5 a pop. Not good news.

Found several exploded views of Sentinels, they were all different. Several models?

Are you set up to make a jig? Maybe do a search for a foto of one?

Kindest Regards,
Doak

 

[rcmodel]

You need to use shorter "slave pins" to assemble & hold everything together in the grip/trigger guard outside the frame.

Then put the trigger guard assembly in place in the frame and drive the slave pins out with the real pins.

rc

 

[<MoA]

And so on...

I decided, late last night, that I'll have to make up a jig, probably of my own design (then, perhaps I can take out an Ad in Guns & Ammo magazine saying "Got any old Sentinel revolvers laying around in a bag? Send them to me, and for $50, I'll reassemble them for you!"

(hey: inflation, don't you know?)

Yeah, I also saw the Part Deux video on YouTube where he notes, with some audible disappointment in his harried voice, that he would need a slave pin. So I'm off to my local Ranch & Home to get a rollpin that I may have to lathe down to the right diameter & length, but again, I'll need something to hold that damned main spring down!

Thanks guys! I just knew it would come to this when I first popped it apart and a bunch of parts fell out. The biggest problem is that damned main spring!

 

[rcmodel]

If there isn't aalready a hole in the mainspring strut to hold the spring compressed with a cross pin??

Drill one.

http://www.gunpartscorp.com/Products/276870J.htm

Then compress the spring on the strut, and stick a short nail or paper-clip with through the hole to hold it compressed till you get it in place.

rc

 

[Jim K]

Whoa! Yes, there are two different systems. The regular Sentinel and the western style guns have a bushing that fits into the grip frame* and on which the hammer rotates. The hole in the grip frame is large enough for the bushing. The pin that goes through the frame goes through the bushing. When the long pin is driven out, the bushing keeps the hammer in place while the grip frame is taken out as a unit.

You have a hammer for that type. The hole is almost 1/4 inch in diameter.

The Sentinel Deluxe (and maybe some others) have no bushing and the hole in the hammer is about 1/8" as are the holes in the grip frame and the frame. That type requires use of a slave pin for re-assembly, as rcmodel says.

Now as to the mainspring guide. I always just drilled a hole in the end of the guide so the spring could be captured by a paperclip. I believe later the factory put in a hole. I would hold the grip frame in the vise, while I inserted the guide and spring in first, holding the top in a hand vise while I pushed the guide into the hole in the bottom of the frame. Then I would insert the paper clip in the hole in the guide, then drop in the hammer and when I got the bushing (or slave pin) in, pull out the paperclip.

*I used my own terms here to avoid confusion. H-S calls the bushing the hammer sleeve and the grip frame the trigger guard.

Jim

 

[hikerhunter]

I have one on my bench the neighbor showed up with (in pieces). After using all our hands and a slave pin we got it back together and it wouldn't work. Finally discovered that the trigger return pin was getting caught. We had to put the trigger group in most of the way and then finagle a small screwdriver in front of the hammer to push the pin down and forward to get it in place. That did the trick, bit it still will not reset the trigger. Now we will take it appart and turn the hammer strutt around and see it that does the trick. After approx. 6 assembly/disassembly routines we are pretty good at it and the pins go in a little easier each time.

 

[boom boom]

Thanks to all of the above posters, I have one of these but have not needed so far to strip it further than removing the cylinder for cleaning. Some good to know facts above if I ever do take it apart for fixing.