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Installing Action Shields?

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So, I just did a search of the site after having effectively come up dry searching the web for action shield installation instructions, and I didn't find any such instructions here, either.

I can see from a picture that @45D posted that it is a strip of metal the width of the hammer channel, but I can't see how it's attached. How is the action shield actually attached into place?
 
I believe I posted this in another thread a few days ago? Work was done by Mike Brackett of Goon's Gun Works (45D here) and shows both the action shield (brass strip at bottom of hammer) and cap rake (post at top of hammer slot).
Shotgun Dave is correct; shield is inserted into the base of the hammer and follows hammer travel in spring-like fashion. Every Colt repro should have both.

50522925682_ca39e5dcf4_c.jpg
 
I believe I posted this in another thread a few days ago? Work was done by Mike Brackett of Goon's Gun Works (45D here) and shows both the action shield (brass strip at bottom of hammer) and cap rake (post at top of hammer slot).
Shotgun Dave is correct; shield is inserted into the base of the hammer and follows hammer travel in spring-like fashion. Every Colt repro should have both.

50522925682_ca39e5dcf4_c.jpg
So, this sounds like something requiring a little more shop capacity than I have right now. Can Goons do the action shield if you just send in the hammer? I have SlixPrings nipples en route, so a cap rake would be redundant. I think the better nipples and action shield would suffice quite nicely.
 
Not sure, you would have to ask Mike. It doesn't look like too hard of a job, but I had Mike do the Full Monty on my Walker including fitting and timing a spare conversion cylinder (45LC) so I can shoot either/or. You will not get the same gun back you send...a totally different creature in performance as well as durability and brute strength.

http://www.goonsgunworks.com/
 
Hey guys! Dave is correct with the hammer mod. What I do is drill a hole and grind a slot down to it. The brass shield gets a curled end which goes into the hole ( acts as a roll pin) to positively retain it. It then gets a 90° bend towards the front and follows the hammer contour to just short of where the trigger contact begins.
On cap guns, it curls up and back to form a "hook" of sorts to catch and retain any debris. On unmentionable guns it remains flat and ends.

Mike
20211005_224011.jpg
 
Hey guys! Dave is correct with the hammer mod. What I do is drill a hole and grind a slot down to it. The brass shield gets a curled end which goes into the hole ( acts as a roll pin) to positively retain it. It then gets a 90° bend towards the front and follows the hammer contour to just short of where the trigger contact begins.
On cap guns, it curls up and back to form a "hook" of sorts to catch and retain any debris. On unmentionable guns it remains flat and ends.

Mike
View attachment 107332
Can I send you my hammer for the upgrade, or do you need the whole gun?

Actually, the gun might need a little lapping depending on what you think of something I saw in the bore when I was cleaning it after taking it out of the box. There was what I thought was a persistent greasy streak across one of the lands, but it never went away. It almost looks like a machinist pulled something through the bore that left a minor scrape. I don't know if that will affect accuracy or if it might even smooth out with some use:


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I believe I posted this in another thread a few days ago? Work was done by Mike Brackett of Goon's Gun Works (45D here) and shows both the action shield (brass strip at bottom of hammer) and cap rake (post at top of hammer slot).
Shotgun Dave is correct; shield is inserted into the base of the hammer and follows hammer travel in spring-like fashion. Every Colt repro should have both.

50522925682_ca39e5dcf4_c.jpg
Nah, Colts don’t really NEED those modifications… I have one with a cap rake and the shield. It’s fine, doesn’t really take anything away from the gun but it doesn’t suck caps and it’s plumb full of Mobile 1 so the guts are safe. None of the others have either modificatio and they don’t suck caps either. Mikes tuning and timing are probably his most important modifications. In my humble opinion of course…:cool:
 
Can I send you my hammer for the upgrade, or do you need the whole gun?

Actually, the gun might need a little lapping depending on what you think of something I saw in the bore when I was cleaning it after taking it out of the box. There was what I thought was a persistent greasy streak across one of the lands, but it never went away. It almost looks like a machinist pulled something through the bore that left a minor scrape. I don't know if that will affect accuracy or if it might even smooth out with some use:


View attachment 107341View attachment 107341View attachment 107343View attachment 107343
You should shoot it a coup thousand rounds. It’ll smooth that bore right out…
 
Nah, Colts don’t really NEED those modifications… I have one with a cap rake and the shield. It’s fine, doesn’t really take anything away from the gun but it doesn’t suck caps and it’s plumb full of Mobile 1 so the guts are safe. None of the others have either modificatio and they don’t suck caps either. Mikes tuning and timing are probably his most important modifications. In my humble opinion of course…:cool:
A day at the range can be ruined by a cap sucker. I usually bring more guns than I intend to shoot, but if you have your heart set on one particular or only have one to shoot it can really irritate you.
 
A day at the range can be ruined by a cap sucker. I usually bring more guns than I intend to shoot, but if you have your heart set on one particular or only have one to shoot it can really irritate you.
That’s true. If any of mine were doing that it would get fixed or shipped off to Mike or Sergio toot sweet!
 
Action shields are great. None of my Colts have them but the TC Scout pistol i had did. If i go shooting it is usually a '58 Rem i do it with or a single shot or some unmentionable. Got too many guns, nauhhh. Most of my pistols have Slix Shot nipples so seldom have a problem.
DL
 
If your not running competition do you really need the shields? The rake I get just for convenience but the shield? If you get one I would say get them both, but as a casual plinker like me I don’t see it.
DL
 
If your not running competition do you really need the shields? The rake I get just for convenience but the shield? If you get one I would say get them both, but as a casual plinker like me I don’t see it.
DL
That's a good question. Part of the reason I got into black powder was to learn a new type of weaponry. I'm a firm believer in developing enough proficiency with any weapon I have that I can be able to use it in a defensive situation. I also like to set them up for that purpose. I have plenty of unmentionables, but I still think of my black powder weapons as fighting pieces if push ever comes to shove.

Keeping cap fragments out of the action is part of having them ready.

The reason for foregoing the cap rake is that I don't particularly like the idea of drilling into the frame, even if the hole is really small. Only the hammer, a readily replaceable component requires any cutting and drilling, something with which I'm more comfortable.

Accounting for all of that and what you just said, I might end up discovering that the SlixPrings nipples will address the problem on their own, obviating any need for the other upgrades. I'll see how things go in upcoming range trips.

By the way, this revolver is pretty tight on tolerances. When I pulled the wedge to take it apart for ots first cleaning, I had to really pull to get the barrel off of the arbor, and I had to apply some pressure to get it back together. Looking at the base of the arbor hole, there was some wear that looks like actual contact from the arbor, and the two pins and holes where the lug seats at the bottom of the frame were very tight. Honestly, the whole thing, except for the change from case coloring to bluing, looks to have been fashioned from one solid billet of steel. There's almost no cylinder gap, something with which I'm just fine because that always opens up a bit with time.
 
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