Author Topic: colt nf out of time? (Read 789 times)

targetshootr · « **on:** May 30, 2003, 12:35:12 PM »

my new frontier shoots fine but the hammer pull is not smooth at all. you could say its 'choppy'. it has lighter hammer and trigger springs which has helped but it hasnt felt right since the day i bought it. i have another colt that bob munden slicked up but i cant afford to send this one to be worked on right now. the serial number is 16xxxnf. any suggestions will be appreciated.

Flint · « **Reply #1 on:** June 02, 2003, 05:17:43 AM »

There are several things to check in a Colt SA, but if you don't have the experience or tools, it's better to let a gunsmith do it. Bob Munden does a real smooth action job, but I don't personally like the results, it's too light to be safe. There are lots of gunsmiths who can smooth the hammer travel. It involves the hand and bolt mostly, making sure they have no rough edges, and don't overlap timing to "catch" and make a notchy pull. The bolt needs a ramp on the back corner to return smoothly. There are articles and books on many dealer's bookshelves on tuning Colts. A good article in the book "Gunsmithing Guns of the Old West" and others if you want to try it yourself. It's not hard, just got to be careful.

targetshootr · « **Reply #2 on:** June 02, 2003, 09:33:37 AM »

thanks flint. thats what i was wondering. i have a lot of tools and i've done
a moderate amount of work on my guns which i enjoy more than shooting.
i just ordered jerry kuhnhausens colt manuals and along with your info i should be able to fix it.
btw, when i took my munden colt apart for the first cleaning i noticed he used a dab of grease inside. when i removed it, the hammer pull was much more to my liking. at first i thought it was too light also.

Lloyd Smale · « **Reply #3 on:** June 02, 2003, 10:34:25 PM »

COlt retimed my detective special I think they charged me $75

Flint · « **Reply #4 on:** June 03, 2003, 05:00:26 AM »

Lloyd, the problem with sending a Single Action Army to Colt to retime and adjust is that they don't do it right the FIRST time......

targetshootr · « **Reply #5 on:** June 05, 2003, 12:40:52 PM »

my book came today. its good but complicated. meanwhile, i noticed i have a faint click right after the 3rd. the book says, 'the third click occurs as the left rear bolt arm slides off the front of the hammer cam. and the bolt head drops into the cylinder locking slot lead (approach)'.
but i think that refers to the action of the one-piece bolt. wonder where the extra click would be coming from.

Flint · « **Reply #6 on:** June 05, 2003, 02:40:03 PM »

Click one: safety notch
Click two: half-cock notch
Click three: bolt lock
click four: full cock notch

targetshootr · « **Reply #7 on:** June 05, 2003, 03:02:13 PM »

sorry flint, i shoulda said the faint click is right after the 3rd and before the 4th, and with the cylinder out. with the cylinder in, it feels like crap after the first click. this is not the first colt i 've had that felt that way.

i will probably send it off to be fixed. which i wouldnt mind except for the $35 shipping both ways and 2-3 months without it. despite the problems, it seems to be very accurate and today i had a second opinion on that at the range.