Shims to Tighten the Action

[Smokin'Joe]

Reproduction B/P handguns can come from the factory with excessive clearances. Shims can tighten the action and give the gun a crisp feel.

For my Open Tops I cut shims from copper shim stock. Brass will work well also. The hammer shim is .008" and completely eliminates hammer wiggle without any noticeable friction. The rectangular hand shim is .012" and has the effect of making the hand seem slightly longer while keeping hand in close contact with the hammer. The trigger and bolt shims on my gun are each .012". By mixing and matching trigger/bolt shim thickness you can slightly reposition the bolt to correct for Cylinder/Barrel alignment issues. Shims can also be used to eliminate loading lever rattle.

 

[Bill Akins]

Excellent. Thanks for those tips SmokinJoe.

You can also make a shim where the barrel meets the two pins on the frame to give more barrel to cylinder gap if the cylinder is binding against the forcing cone.

Moderator, could we get this post of SmokinJoe's up as a sticky? Because otherwise I won't remember those shim thicknesses he posted.



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