Colt frame wrench??

[cfllwsgn]

i grouped about a half dozen old revolvers at the range today. i have a nice little police positive in 38 colt new police caliber, (38 s&w). it shot very tidy groups equal to my best shooters but about 3 fingers left.

when looking the weapon over it's apparent that the front sight seems to be a fraction under rotated to the right, (when viewed from the rear). i haven't inserted a gap gauge but by eye the barrel/cylinder gap looks to be right within the range found on several other colt revolvers that i compared together.

i'm guessing that a tiny nudge clockwise would have an agreeable effect to the poi. brownells shows a rather expensive frame wrench with a colt i/e frame insert that is never in stock.

i was wondering if there is a source that one of the club here may be aware of which provides wrenches that conform to the d frame profile? i'd probably look into the other colt revolver profiles also,as tools for colts are rapidly becoming gone with the wind. perhaps there is a way that old skoolers use to create their own profile conforming wrench. thanks much!

[dfariswheel]

I don't know of anyone who makes the wrench inserts for the small frame Colt's.

You'll probably have to do what most of us did, which is to make your own inserts. You can have these machined from a hard, engineering grade plastic like Delren or Zenoy, or you can cast your own using epoxy.

To cast you have to make up a mold that fits around the front of the frame to hold the epoxy in place. Coat the frame with wax or any other really effective release agent, and cast one side of the insert. Then make up a mold for the other side of the frame and cast an insert for that half.
Use a more liquid epoxy like the old Brownell's non-gel type.

[cfllwsgn]

thank you dfarriswheel! i'd wondered about expoxy such as receiver bedding but was apprehensive. sounds like that approach will keep costs down also.

you know i had another question too....is there still a source for the thimble gauges referenced in the Kuhnhausen book used to true cranes to frames? Kuhnhausen had also mentioned that stainless bushing bearings, (kind of like the smith &wesson guys use to compensate for wear at frame crane junction) could be used on older, not newer style Colts. i didn't know if there would be a parts house remaining that had these sized for colt diameters, brownells has s&w sizes only. again thanks.

[A1A]

End shake bearing washers

[cfllwsgn]

thanks A1A. you and dfarriswheel have been a help to me more than once.