Wire bolt/trigger spring

[longhunter 1776]

I have a wild west show,,We use the percussion revlovers all the time,wich always something on sp,eone un breaks.I found both Uberti and Piettas,will both work on a lot of parts,sometimes a fit has to be done ,file or wahtever,since we use both compmay guns over the years,,the parts always work with a liffle care,thats why i buy several of the hand and springs trigger springs and a couple triggers plus various screws,,,but the parts will work,i even made a remington one work with a helll of a lot of cussing because we ddint have one at the time,,when the correct one came in i changed it out,,,

 

[45D]

The guy on the phone at Wolff told me he has never heard of any of their springs fail in 20+ years and would give me a free pack if one broke.

Take him up on it!!
I've replaced a LOT of them!
The only "unbreakable" springs I've found so far are "coil-torsion" springs. The only failures on them were 90° bends where they hooked around the part. That was early on and I've gone away from sharp bends since then. Haven't had a problem since.

Mike

 

[M. De Land]

I wind my own coil and torsion/coil springs from piano wire for a good many different guns on the lathe and jigs I have made but the best fix I have come up with for single action revolver bolt/ trigger return spring is to make them from the stainless flat, drive spring , taken from a used Luftkin tape measure. The material is almost impossible to cut and drill with anything but carbide tools and cut off wheel but is perfectly suited in profile and flatness/thickness when finished to make a spring every bit as reliable as a piano wire spring with the added benefit of substantially lightening the trigger pull. The drive spring out of the Luftkin tape measure comes wound in a flat coil already shaped to work perfectly in any single action and is actually tougher material than is piano wire spring stock.
I have seen wire, coil and coil/torsion springs fail/break but never had one of the ones shown break.
They are a bit of a pain to make because of the stainless toughness but anyone with a Dremel tool cut off wheel and carbide bit could easily fabricate one for themselves.

I used the term coil/torsion above to describe a broken spring I had to replace but it was actually a combination coil/lever spring made of wire that broke in the coil. A real torsion spring gets it's "spring action" from a twisting motion not from a coil. Think of torsion bar suspension on a vehicle.
Flat springs have a faster response than does a coil or combination spring and so are better for certain applications , bolt spring being one of them.
I have converted several single shot rifles I own to a coil and strut system that is much smoother and more reliable than the flat spring it was designed with.
One of the most useful things I have learned in lathe operation is to mandrel wind coil springs of any size and length one needs.
Lever/coil springs require a winding jig made specific for that particular spring usually and is not done in a lathe but by hand in a vice.

 

[ernbar]

The springs came in and were a hair short on the Pietta trigger wire. I carefully straightened out the bend at the tip and works great now. Definitely smoother and lighter trigger pull than before. The picture shows how the spring sat before having the bend straightened. Forgot to take a picture of the modified spring.

 

[M. De Land]

The springs came in and were a hair short on the Pietta trigger wire. I carefully straightened out the bend at the tip and works great now. Definitely smoother and lighter trigger pull than before. The picture shows how the spring sat before having the bend straightened. Forgot to take a picture of the modified spring.View attachment 262560

Looks good to me. I know what your talking about to extend the length on the trigger return side. Make sure the end does not contact the bolt leg and scrub on it. It looks a might long in the picture.

 

[GYJ]

I still don't feel a single action no matter if from the 1800's that is a modern remake or a one from the 1900's or 2000's is a match for weaponry available today.

What do you mean by "match"? Unless the rules have changed, only hits count and your ability to make a hit is entirely dependent on YOUR "ability" to make a hit. The rapidity with which you can miss is irrelevant. Is there some rule that one must trade shot for shot with a gang banger, carjacker or armed robber? Or is it as it has always been, that only hits count?

You took the comments made out of context anyway.

 

[ernbar]

Looks good to me. I know what your talking about to extend the length on the trigger return side. Make sure the end does not contact the bolt leg and scrub on it. It looks a might long in the picture.

 

[Ed C.]

What do you mean by "match"? Unless the rules have changed, only hits count and your ability to make a hit is entirely dependent on YOUR "ability" to make a hit. The rapidity with which you can miss is irrelevant. Is there some rule that one must trade shot for shot with a gang banger, carjacker or armed robber? Or is it as it has always been, that only hits count?

You took the comments made out of context anyway.

The fact is, in a high stress situation, unless you are highly trained and/or experienced, you are going to have many more misses than shooting at a target at the range. 14 or 18 shots will serve you much better than 6. The three cap and ball revolvers I have hardly ever get past 3 cylinders without a cap failure. The three semi autos I have each has shot over 500 rounds without a single failure. Those are the features I'd compare in picking a self defense carry gun.

 

[GYJ]

The fact is, in a high stress situation, unless you are highly trained and/or experienced, you are going to have many more misses than shooting at a target at the range. 14 or 18 shots will serve you much better than 6. The three cap and ball revolvers I have hardly ever get past 3 cylinders without a cap failure. The three semi autos I have each has shot over 500 rounds without a single failure. Those are the features I'd compare in picking a self defense carry gun.

If you need 14-18 shots for a single threat, you need a hell of a lot more training. Remember, every bullet that leaves your gun is a lawsuit waiting to happen, you own it, wherever it lands.

 

[Ed C.]

If you need 14-18 shots for a single threat, you need a hell of a lot more training. Remember, every bullet that leaves your gun is a lawsuit waiting to happen, you own it, wherever it lands.

Single threat? How do you know how many perpetrators you may have to deal with? At what distance?....handshake distance or some guy with an AR that is 25 or more yards away. Statistics indicate that cops involved in a gun fight are only about 35% accurate. That is, they are missing the entire person 65% of the time. I'm down on the border in Arizona and New Mexico hiking around in the mountains at night several times a year by myself. I like at least two guns and plenty of bullets.

 

[M. De Land]

If you need 14-18 shots for a single threat, you need a hell of a lot more training. Remember, every bullet that leaves your gun is a lawsuit waiting to happen, you own it, wherever it lands.

I heard a fella say something similar," remember each bullet you fire is actually on a long string tied to the end of your trigger finger"!
I once watched an LEO cut loose with a string of pistol fire at some bad guys on a crowded street in NYC and cringed at sight on the video. It turned out as I remember it that he did clip a few innocent bystanders but no one was killed.

 

[GYJ]

Single threat? How do you know how many perpetrators you may have to deal with? At what distance?....handshake distance or some guy with an AR that is 25 or more yards away. Statistics indicate that cops involved in a gun fight are only about 35% accurate. That is, they are missing the entire person 65% of the time. I'm down on the border in Arizona and New Mexico hiking around in the mountains at night several times a year by myself. I like at least two guns and plenty of bullets.

Oh, so the running gunfight with a gang scenario. Got it.

 

[Ed C.]

Oh, so the running gunfight with a gang scenario. Got it.

It must be nice to be able to pick your own self defense fantasy. One threat, one bullet and you are done. Very nice. For anybody else out there lets go to real life. Would you rather have 6 or have 18 shots if you were facing the killer in yesterdays Maine massacre that was supposedly armed with an AR-15? Carry what you want..IDC. I'll stick with the idea that more bullets is better to have than less bullets.

 

[fishmusic]

Back to answer the OP's original question. I have tried the Wolff spring and found it fiddly to get it to touch the trigger surface. I went back to the a new flat spring and the took a 4mm flat washer and ground it down to a .015 inch thickness (I used my drill press and a magnet to do this. Polished it up and filed the OD to fit and put in underneath the spring. The idea is to reduce the amount of flex the spring undergoes to increase its life. I have not yet had the new setup fail so I'm crossing my fingers.

 

[ernbar]

Back to answer the OP's original question. I have tried the Wolff spring and found it fiddly to get it to touch the trigger surface. I went back to the a new flat spring and the took a 4mm flat washer and ground it down to a .015 inch thickness (I used my drill press and a magnet to do this. Polished it up and filed the OD to fit and put in underneath the spring. The idea is to reduce the amount of flex the spring undergoes to increase its life. I have not yet had the new setup fail so I'm crossing my fingers.

The wire spring works great in my Pietta. Shot 50 rounds a couple of days ago and functioned 100% reliable and smooth. I’m very happy with the results.

 

[GYJ]

It must be nice to be able to pick your own self defense fantasy. One threat, one bullet and you are done. Very nice. For anybody else out there lets go to real life. Would you rather have 6 or have 18 shots if you were facing the killer in yesterdays Maine massacre that was supposedly armed with an AR-15? Carry what you want..IDC. I'll stick with the idea that more bullets is better to have than less bullets.

That's comical. I don't live in fantasyland. Why stop there, why not 150? Why not a plate carrier, five mags, a ballistic helmet and NOD's? Because it's impractical, unless you're a mental case. The FACT is that defensive shootings are an extremely rare occurrence. The need for 14-18rds is rarer still. Even more rare is the need for a reload. The statistics simply don't support your "fantasy".

Besides, it's totally irrelevant to my point. My point is that there is no need to match your opponent shot for shot. The idea is ridiculous. Only hits count. Lighten up.

 

[Ed C.]

That's comical. I don't live in fantasyland. Why stop there, why not 150? Why not a plate carrier, five mags, a ballistic helmet and NOD's? Because it's impractical, unless you're a mental case. The FACT is that defensive shootings are an extremely rare occurrence. The need for 14-18rds is rarer still. Even more rare is the need for a reload. The statistics simply don't support your "fantasy".

Besides, it's totally irrelevant to my point. My point is that there is no need to match your opponent shot for shot. The idea is ridiculous. Only hits count. Lighten up.

ONLY HITS COUNT? Well maybe not everybody can shoot as good as you....might need a few more bullets. I already told you carry whatever you want and so should everyone else. Just throwing in my 2 cents. MPO I practice quick draw and rapid fire with unmentionables and I know I'd rather have 15 shots at hand than five. Fact is sales and production all point to that is what most people want. Not going to carry this on any further.

 

[GYJ]

ONLY HITS COUNT? Well maybe not everybody can shoot as good as you....might need a few more bullets. I already told you carry whatever you want and so should everyone else. Just throwing in my 2 cents. MPO I practice quick draw and rapid fire with unmentionables and I know I'd rather have 15 shots at hand than five. Fact is sales and production all point to that is what most people want. Not going to carry this on any further.

And I said a lawsuit is attached to every bullet you launch that doesn't go where you wanted it to. Yeah, I know full well what sells and why. People who harp on magazine capacity over skill.......like you.

 

[Ed C.]

And I said a lawsuit is attached to every bullet you launch that doesn't go where you wanted it to. Yeah, I know full well what sells and why. People who harp on magazine capacity over skill.......like you.

No, people with common sense that realize that skill plus a good double stacked magazine is better than skill and a single stacked 5 shot .45. I own 4 semi's, from the little .45's to the larger 9's and .45's. Favorite carry is the sub compact 9mm-15 rounds. You have no idea of what my skill level is. Probably about average among frequent range users. I can't post the results of the unmentionables but here is some shooting with my Remington at 25 yards....all kill shots, yet I still want as many bullets as possible available. In 78 years I've never felt the need to shoot any animal or person and that includes dozens of brown bear encounters in Alaska and working in the Miami ghetto's during the Rodney King riots. BUT, should that unpredictable situation arise I'd like to be as prepared as possible....and it is very easy to carry the extra rounds.

 

[GYJ]

No, people with common sense that realize that skill plus a good double stacked magazine is better than skill and a single stacked 5 shot .45. I own 4 semi's, from the little .45's to the larger 9's and .45's. Favorite carry is the sub compact 9mm-15 rounds. You have no idea of what my skill level is. Probably about average among frequent range users. I can't post the results of the unmentionables but here is some shooting with my Remington at 25 yards....all kill shots, yet I still want as many bullets as possible available. In 78 years I've never felt the need to shoot any animal or person and that includes dozens of brown bear encounters in Alaska and working in the Miami ghetto's during the Rodney King riots. BUT, should that unpredictable situation arise I'd like to be as prepared as possible....and it is very easy to carry the extra rounds.

You're arguing against points I never made. Awfully defensive. Off topic anyway.