The Arthritis Project

[Sharps40]

I am 52 and have author in every major joint in my body. Left hand is worst than right and in the left it is mainly in my thumb. I am having Back surgery the 23rd of this month to fuse L5-S1. and that is all my surgeon will touch and I am only 52yrs old. Working 16 hrs a day 7 day a week caught up with me. Now all the money I had is gone. Oh well at least I am still above ground. I am going to enjoy seeing this build. Good Luck.

Dr. Braggs Apple Cider Vinegar (raw/unfiltered/with the Mother enzyme). I take 3 to 6 tbsp. daily with 6 to 8 oz water. It helps me tremendously with arthritis pain, stiffness and dexterity. It also helps digestion. Since starting the vinegar regimen several months back, I have had minimal artritis pain in the hands and hips (no longer taking aspirin), the stiffness has improved and I have stopped taking Zantac for acid indigestion/reflux all together!

I was amazed at the recoil control and relative softness of this one. I was firing 125g JHPs from magnum cases....loaded about like the Rem Mediums.....say 1100 fps. 150 rounds and no sting and not tired. The Hogue grip, though it ain't purty in a traditional sense does a fine job of taming the beast.

 

[Sharps40]

One of the purtyest and slickest ejector buttons I ever did see! As usual, great job brother!

Sometimes ya find a diamond in the goats ass! If mom prefers the Bullseye button to this one.....guess I'll have to move this one to onna my guns!

 

[Sharps40]

A little cold bluing tonight to see some of the changes better and to help my old eyes see where more polishing and shaping needs done. That bright steel is hard to figger and if ya miss a spot, it glares when it gets blued.

Combine Ruger/Story ejector rods with a warm gun and thick brass and dirty chambers and the ejector rod can often pinch the case against the cylinder wall....ties up the rod and the extraction becomes a fumble fest.

I like to do two things. Back cut the ejector rod on the face that tends to pinch the case. Makes more room and a freer running ejector rod even in a dirty hot gun with thick brass. I also chisel point the tip of the ejector rod so it sticks less when it hits the cylinder face,,,,sorta cams around the edge and slides on in even if the cylinder is a bit too far in one direction or the other. (Sometimes ya even get a dog hair on the part yer working with.....dayum dogs.)

With the black on to hide the silver its easier to see how the new finger button is shaped. The under cut grabs the finger tip and at least my finger don't slide off the button like it does with the tiny ruger buttons.

A little better photo of the shaped part installed.....again, black shows up better. And if ya look close at the last photo ya can see I got a bit more polishin to do inside that index finger relief.

A better shot of the back and bottom of the button.

 

[Sharps40]

This is one of those repairs you should never have to make. The jig that positions the drill for cross pinning the recoil shield just should never miss like it did with this one leaving the recoil shield free to move forward with every shot or dry firing.

It was a big miss. I'd decided in advance how much I was willing to go and I had to go all the way on diameter to get the new recoil shield cross pinned. But its in and I now have a secure and neatly enough, stainless steel recoil shield.

Lovely. And I am quite confident in the repair.

Not for the faint of heart.

Here is the old recoil shield, after drilling clear to my larger bit choice....finally kissed the recoil shield and cut in the pin groove which positively retains the firing pin assembly.

I pushed it forward after each drill pass to confirm whether I hit it.....only drilling deep enough to just pass the shield. No need to go out the other side....its already got a hole and due to the angle at the bottom, its thin walled enough down at the bottom. No worries, the new pin can still be punched back out.

Removing the now obsolete and worn old carbon steel recoil shield, here it sits by the new SS one. Measurements indicated it would fit, need a bit of trimming and should be a light tap into place fit...it was.

After cleaning and inspecting the firing pin and spring, and reinstalling them, the new ungrooved recoil shield is started into place.

Light taps get it in straight and to the bottom. One good smashwack seats it. Check for firing pin function and ready for the next step.

I am running a drill into a hole that butts up against a half of a round surface....the drill bit WILL BREAK OFF IN THE HOLE. Run the drill slowely backwards and cut the groove in the recoil shield....when yer through, run it forwards for good measure in the now full diameter hole.

Push the recoil shield out slightly to ensure I did in fact make a groove in it for the new and larger diameter cross pin.

Reseat the recoil shield, check pin function and run in a snug fitting pin with a tapered nose to fully fill the half depth hole just drilled and to retain that recoil shield as the cross pin is supposed to. Just a whisker more stoning to do and it'll be perfect.

 

[Sharps40]

Just a quick update. Got Mom to try it out and lots of dry firing. I think we are at 80%. She loves it. She was able to palm the hammer back and dry fire it 50 times without tiring.

Yep. Palm the hammer back. Even wide and low the effort to engage the hammer in the full notch is still the hardest task with arthritis. She adores the fit of the large sticky grip and the balance and the glowing front sight and that she can easily press thru the trigger with one weak finger.

The Bisley hammer has its low scooped out shape and the meat of the off hand fits right in. So she practiced close side presentation in right hand. Pushed up and forward while palming the hammer back and down with the meat of the left hand near the pinkey side of the wrist. Worked every time. Very smooth and allowed her to go to two handed hold for the press of the trigger.

Before I cut a coil on the mainspring or potentially reduce reliability with a lower power trigger spring I will finish the cosmetics up and focus seeing if I can adapt a hammer extension to the Spur of the hammer allowing for even greater contact between the left palm and the hammer. If I can drill and tap that hard hammer steel, I should be able to solidly mount a stud on its left side that will never work loose or fall off like the set screw extension. And, I could shape it anyway I need to in order to engage her off hand. Got some mulling over to do while I work on the cosmetics a bit.

 

[Wallace's]

Just a quick update. Got Mom to try it out and lots of dry firing. I think we are at 80%. She loves it. She was able to palm the hammer back and dry fire it 50 times without tiring.

Yep. Palm the hammer back. Even wide and low the effort to engage the hammer in the full notch is still the hardest task with arthritis. She adores the fit of the large sticky grip and the balance and the glowing front sight and that she can easily press thru the trigger with one weak finger.

The Bisley hammer has its low scooped out shape and the meat of the off hand fits right in. So she practiced close side presentation in right hand. Pushed up and forward while palming the hammer back and down with the meat of the left hand near the pinkey side of the wrist. Worked every time. Very smooth and allowed her to go to two handed hold for the press of the trigger.

Before I cut a coil on the mainspring or potentially reduce reliability with a lower power trigger spring I will finish the cosmetics up and focus seeing if I can adapt a hammer extension to the Spur of the hammer allowing for even greater contact between the left palm and the hammer. If I can drill and tap that hard hammer steel, I should be able to solidly mount a stud on its left side that will never work loose or fall off like the set screw extension. And, I could shape it anyway I need to in order to engage her off hand. Got some mulling over to do while I work on the cosmetics a bit.

Cant wait to see it finished up!

 

[7pt62THOR]

Glad to hear an update and that your mom loves it!

 

[41mag]

Another fine piece coming together nicely. Will make any Mom that shoots envious, I am sure. Heck it will make any Dad green with envy for that matter ! ha!

 

[Sharps40]

Gotta start shaping topstrap and get going on the blue now. Kinda got a few days between hunting trips!

 

[41mag]

Yup I looked at the pimp cannon post...noticed it has been on hold while this one takes shape. But mom does come first, or should anyway.