Pietta Smith top strap issue

[hawkeye2]

I'm back again, a medical issue and some house upgrades put this project on the back burner. I didn't mention in my earlier post but my lifter projects about 3/8" when all the way up, no issue there. I took the top strap off, placed it upside down on a flat surface and holding one end down flat measured the gap between the strap and the surface at the opposite end. The photos will show what I'm talking about. With the barrel end held down the gap is just under 3/16" and with the locking lug end held down the gap is slightly over 3/16". I'm not sure if this tells me anything as I don't have any other Piettas to compare that with. I tried loosening the screw a little at a time with no noticeable reduction of effort till I got to the point where it wouldn't lock up tight reliably and was just unsafe. For some unknown reason I had a washer laying by my monitor and it just happened to fit the screw and the dovetail. It was .031" thick so I tried it. It did lock up OK but still took changing my grip on the gun and using 2 fingers to open it. The dovetail (actually not a dovetail) in the barrel is only about .037" deep which might limit the thickness of any shim but I will try thicker ones.

[Keith Williams]

hawkeye2


Did you use a caliper to measure the strap thickness? I got rid of the shim effort completely as I thinned my strap down to .125 or 8th inch with a file. There is no problem with my index finger opening it anymore. It has been reliable upon opening and staying locked. S&S replacement straps are very thin...as it was my backup plan.

A file, cold bluing, and a Dremel polishing wheel will work to ease your finger pressure...did you check for burrs around the locking lugs and within the slot itself? Polish the lugs and interior slot...I noticed when my strap was stamped the slot walls were not true vertical or a clean punch through...so a little bit of filing and polishing there does help to ease the pressure.

Good luck.

Keith A. Williams
15th. Reg VA Vol Cav

[Keith Williams]

hawkeye2


Did you use a caliper to measure the strap thickness? I got rid of the shim effort completely as I thinned my strap down to .125 or 8th inch with a file. There is no problem with my index finger opening it anymore. It has been reliable upon opening and staying locked. S&S replacement straps are very thin...as it was my backup plan.

A file, cold bluing, and a Dremel polishing wheel will work to ease your finger pressure...did you check for burrs around the locking lugs and within the slot itself? Polish the lugs and interior slot...I noticed when my strap was stamped the slot walls were not true vertical or a clean punch through...so a little bit of filing and polishing there does help to ease the pressure.

Good luck.

Keith A. Williams
15th. Reg VA Vol Cav

[hawkeye2]

No I haven't measured the top strap thickness but have thought about thinning it but that probably will be the last thing I try. This is a low priority project and I'm just trying ideas. I hadn't gotten far into this when it became apparent that there is a fine line between easy opening and opening on its own. Right now with the shim I can change my grip and use two fingers to push up the lifter almost far enough to open the gun, it does close tightly though. I've been skirmishing for a long time but I have no experience with a Smith, chalk it up to a learning experience. The opening in the strap and the lugs are free from burrs and machine marks but I haven't checked them for square, thanks for that tip.

Random thoughts: I could de-arch the strap some to see if that might help and that would be reversible. That would lengthen the strap slightly, enough to cause a new problem, I wonder. If the strap is a spring it could be annealed and tempered again but that would really be a hit or miss thing.

Keith I have kept this thread separate from yours as what I post here will, for the most part, be strictly my observations and ideas related to this Smith and didn't want to cause confusion. The only part of my body that has arthritis enough to bother is my trigger finger (wouldn't you know it); not enough to hinder pulling the trigger but it does limit the strength I have to push on the lifter. Some are probably wondering why I don't just sell this and buy a carbine I could skirmish with but I have to reply I have a Maynard with a Hoyt barrel and a Shilo Sharps and everything I need to shoot either. I got the Smith because they are good looking guns and I like the principal of operation, just not the ease. Really it's more of a toy to me than anything.

Allegedly this has a Hoyt lined barrel but did he mark any of the Piettas he lined? This has no markings other than factory. Does anyone remember the serial number range for the barrels that were bored backward? This one is 20xx, 1993 date code.

[Keith Williams]

You are correct the strap is a spring and tempering is a trick. A Hoyt reline has the crown cut off...I did not quickly notice, nor did I see an additional stamp from Bob, I was not searching for one before assembly...A good question for someone else to answer, I would have to disassemble three weapons to find the same stamp mark.

There are several threads about the reverse Pietta barrel serial numbers. If you had one, then Bob corrected it when he relined the barrel.

I agree, the Smith looks cool.

Take care, and good luck.

Keith A. Williams
15^th. Reg VA Vol Cav

[hawkeye2]

The muzzle of mine is absolutely flat and bare metal, no blue, guessing it's relined.

[Keith Williams]

Roger that, so was mine...cold bluing cured it.

Take care.

Keith A. Williams
15th. Reg VA Vol Cav

"The fear of God makes a hero; the fear of man makes a coward." - American Hero - Sgt. Alvin C. York