Lightening a Colt style mainspring

[flightsimmer]

I have a single action revolver with a flat mainspring that might benefit from a little careful smoothing and polishing to lighten the effort needed to cock the hammer.
I can buy a stock new mainspring but Wolf Springs don't offer a replacement for my model handgun so I'll have to re-work it myself.
How is this best done?

10mm, when you care enough to send the very best.

 

[rcmodel]

What brand of revolver is it?

Some of the aftermarket Colt springs work just fine in some of the Italian replica's.
About the only difference in all of them is length, which can easily be fitted to about any SAA.

And Wolff does make springs for Uberti's and EMF SAA clones.

Wisners also makes a medium strength one for Colt i like very much.
That probably will only need a little of the top end filed off to miss your hammer at full cock, or maybe not too..
http://www.wisnersinc.com/pistols/COLTpistol.html

Otherwise, you need a fine cut file to reduce the width and taper of your stock spring.
Then you have to polish ALL the file scratches off of it, or it will break.

All things said, you would be much better served by fitting an aftermarket reduced power spring then messing with the stock one.

The other major spring up-grade is one of the music-wire trigger/bolt springs.
They are a thousand times less likely to eventually break then the stock flat spring.

rc

 

[flightsimmer]

What brand of revolver is it?

It's a Cimarron, Lightning. It's about 20% the size of a full sized SAA model P.
It works fine, real smooth and timing is good, accuracy is real good. I just want to lighten the hammer up a bit so it doesn't feel so stiff.
It's possible that it uses a full sized spring. I could buy one from Wolf and see.

10mm, when you care enough to send the very best.

 

[rcmodel]

Oh! Thats a different breed of cat then a standard size SAA then.

I believe I might just call Cimarron and ask about getting a lighter spring from their custom gunsmith department. I'm sure they do action work on them.

rc

 

[CAWalter]

I would agree to get a second and leave the original as is. Can always go back.

CAW

 

[RKRCPA]

Seems I've seen it discussed that you can put a small piece of leather under the spring between the spring and frame, kind of like a washer, to lighten the force of the spring.

I've never owned/handled a SAA so I can't say for sure but something in the memory banks is kickin' in.

 

[Jim K]

Definitely buy a new spring to hack on and keep the original. You can taper those springs some but the best bet to reduce weight is removing stock from the sides. This is easiest done with an (!!!!)) Dremel tool which keeps the grind marks in the right direction (lengthwise) to reduce the danger of cracking. I don't like the old leather washer trick because the leather compresses or cracks and the spring becomes loose.

Jim

 

[Ron James]

The leather washer was discussed by both Elmer Keith and S. Skelton They both claimed it reduced trigger pull and produced a softer hammer fall, but then again they were referring to the full size SSA and you have the concerns that JIM K advanced.

 

[Cop Bob]

To lighten a spring, it must be done EVENLY.. not impossible to do with a Dremel, but dang hard...

Best way I have found is to firmly grasp the spring in a small vise IN SOFT JAWS.. and work it down with a #2 Mill Bastard Smooth Cut File.. Work each side evenly and the same amount... Try multiple fittings.. once you take it off, you can't put it back.

Good advise to work a replacement spring and not the original...

 

[Jim K]

The file is fine, just takes longer. Evenly is not as important as smoothness and working lengthwise so as not to have cross cuts that can be a source of weakness. +1 though on "once you take it off, you can't put it back". Truer words were never spoken.

Jim