Thursday, June 3, 2010

Colt Single Action Revolver Disassembly



When you think of a single-action revolver, this is probably what you picture. The Colt Single Action, Single Action Army, S.A.A., Peacemaker; these are all names given to this gun and it is one of the most well known guns in the world, thanks in no small part to Hollywood's love for it.

Most single-action revolvers you can buy today (with the exception of Ruger revolvers, which we will discuss later) share this basic design. Whether it was manufactured by Colt, Uberti, Beretta, Cimarron and so forth, they all use the same basic design. There may be a few differences here and there, but these instructions will apply to all.

What I will be working on today is a Colt that was manufactured in the 1980s. One thing about this design that shooters should be aware of is that models with the firing pin mounted on the hammer, like the Colt I am working on, are not safe to carry with a round in the chamber under the firing pin. If the gun is to be carried or otherwise not immediately shot, one chamber should be left empty. The Ruger SA revolvers can be safely carried with a round in every chamber, but you will get yelled at if you go to a Cowboy Action shoot with one loaded like that.

Before you get started on the disassembly, keep in mind that we will need several different sized screwdrivers or bits. There are a number of different sized screws in this gun, and using the wrong sized screwdriver will mar the screw heads. Choose a bit that fits snugly in the screw slot and goes as close to the edge as possible.

Tuesday, June 1, 2010

How do I remove rust?

Removing most surface rust is easy if you know what you're doing.

With a few simple items, we will go from this:



To this:

Monday, May 31, 2010

Complete Disassembly and Detail Cleaning of the 1911.



Today we will be disassembling the most popular handgun in America. The classic 1911. This is a Colt Commander model with a few modifications. This guide is for a Colt model 70 style pistol, some other models, such as Colt model 80s and Kimbers that have an additional firing pin safety that is not covered in this guide at this time. There are a wide variety of manufacturers out there for these pistols, and there are a wide range of variations, but all 1911s will follow this basic design.

Learning to completely disassemble your gun is the best way to learn how it functions, allows the gun to be thoroughly cleaned, and you will be able to see any broken or worn parts, or other potential problems.


These are the tools we will use. It doesn't take much to take apart a 1911: a screwdriver, a drift punch, a hammer and a bushing wrench should be enough to get it done.

Welcome to Warlock Firearms.

I know it isn't much to look at just yet, but stick around. I plan to update this page periodically with various posts about guns, gunsmithing and the firearms industry.

I am working on an article on how to hand-checker 1911 grips, and that should be up in a couple of days. I also plan to update this periodically with detailed disassembly and maintenance information for various firearms, shooting tips, and the occasional how-to for various gunsmithing tasks that you can do at home.

Stay tuned, and always follow the four rules of firearms safety.