Upcoming project: sherman roller bearing action.

A project I'm hoping to do soon is replicate the Sherman roller bearing action. Rather than have the strut and trigger sear in direct contact, he put a small roller bearing on it with the intention of reducing friction.

Given the right bearings, seems like a straightforward project (though the exact placement is perhaps slightly tricky). Unfortunately I've been having difficulty finding ones that look right; hopefully can chase some down this week.

It will be interesting to see how much it helps. For a well fit hammer strut, most of the movement happens when the friction is fairly modest. But, it's a fun thing to try. It's a shame there aren't writeups of all the old colt guys. Most have retired or worse. I've started buying guns just b/c they have had work done by someone good I haven't seen before. Not the cheapest way to learn.

Here's a photo that was helpfully sent to me by someone else showing the basic setup.




Here's the point I'm at now. Obviously I can't use an edgefinder worth a damn. Also, I was putting it in the hammer strut itself in the hopes of preserving the SA function. However, as things currently stand I think the bearing is too large. One option is to mill a groove in the back so the pin can sit there since the strut itself is too thin to support the necessary hole.