Freaky Sunday, mine at least...LOL

[Coop Trawlaine]

This past Sunday I went to my first Annual Match for my SASS club, The Hole in the Wall Gang.  Now tell me if this wasn't a Sunday to remember.

To start off I just change the wheels on my gun cart, I had bought a 20" bicycle at a garage sale and cannabalized it for the wheels an axel hangers.   It looks great!  Then unloading it from my truck I got it out there on the range and in the matter of two feet I found my flaw in mounting the new wheels.   One end of the axels dropped out of the alignment hanger and wheel went out of camber, now it was an easy fix, IF I WAS HOME WITH ALL MY WOOD WORKING TOOLS.  So I had unload all my gear into a loaner cart.   Nice way to start the day.  

Here is the freaky part.  I was on stage 3 of 6 and this was an automatic proceedural, we were to fire 12 pistol shots, 10 rifle, and 6 + shotgun.   Since I fire Pieta '58 Rems with R&D conversions, I could not load 5 bring gun to firing line table and load the 6th as per instructions so what I did was load six in each cylinder and then load the cylinders into my frames at the table.  On ready, at the buzzer I picked up the first gun fired 1 round, cocked the hammer for the second and the trigger tripped but the hammer didn't drop, couldn't make it drop, so I picked up the second gun, taking the 5 misses, cocked the hammer and trigger tripped and hammer would not fall.   Weird that one does it but both guns at the same time.  I would never have believed it.

After the match we tore the guns down and found that the bolt spring was loosing tension, we crimped them and reassembled the guns and they worked perfectly.

Think I had a strange day?   Oh!  BTW, since it was an annual match, I was out of it the rest of the day as I was not allowed a reshoot and I cannot afford a pair of back up guns.   I think this was a Sunday I should have stayed under the covers and watched TV....ha ha ha ha ha

[Presidio]

Ohhhhh Man.  What a day (Sunday) fer ya, Coop.  Muh heartfelt feelin's are out fer ya there.  Been havin' some issues muhself with muh R & D's lately.  Winchester rounds ain't droppin' in fully leaving a gap in the plate and cylinder sorta thing.

Do believe ya woulda been better off stayin' bed.  Course, we all have 20/20 hindsight!

[Marshal Will Wingam]

That's too bad you had difficulties on the stage. At least you got it out of the way early. Good to find the fix so easily, too.

[Coop Trawlaine]

Thanks Pards, for the commissurations.....but it was such a freak of an eventful day I just had to share.

Presidio, I am beginning to think that the minor problems with the R&D is just the machining tolerances and the difference between their tolerance control and Pieta's tolerance control. Because I checked my cylinders with Mic's and they were within .002 of an inch.  So I think it is really the gun frame.  I even read that sometimes you have to lightly file a little clearance off the back of the barrel. 

Marshal Will, yeah it was just pure luck finding the cause.  Four of us were looking the guns over and couldn't figure out why it was happening, after tearing them down and removing the bolt & spring, one of the other guys said "Let's try this", dang if it didn't work but none of us could figure why it happened.  It was not a case of the first time using these guns, they are all I shoot and I am really really fussy about keeping them clean.  If it happens again I am just going to order new parts from vti and do a complete change over.

[Marshal Will Wingam]

Coop, a friend of mine had his bolt spring act odd just before it broke. Keep an eye on that for possible future replacement. You might want to pick up a spare or two, they aren't very expensive.

[Coop Trawlaine]

Thanks for the heads up,,,,,,I am going to order a couple replacements first thing tomorrow......That is on frustration I do not want to relive....LOL