Rogers & Spencer #2

[45 Dragoon]

First of all, great deal Mike!!

I don't do a lot of those but have had quite a few over the years .  .  . that said I think they are really well "thought out" revolvers. I can't put coil-torsion springs in them (because of their design) but tuning the flats  makes a nice revolver!!

 I'm pretty sure the main spring is a "drop in"  (doesn't have a screw for mounting) so the washer type "strain relief" won't work (good idea though Marshal Will) !!   You can thin the width of the main (the time honored way) using a grinder or  flat surface with course paper.  I use a different method by thinning the thickness of the spring and leaving the sides of the spring alone.  This method has worked well for years, I'll explain over in the "shop series".

Mike

[Marshal Will]

For a drop-in mainspring, my favorite way to lighten it is to make it narrower, except for the ends, with a Dremel and fine sandpaper to take the rough sanding marks out of the edges and make them longitudinal so the spring won't crack across a scratch. This keeps the fit exactly the same as an original spring. It might be a good idea to find a replacement spring to do this to so it doesn't leave you without an original.

[mike116]

Thanks Mike and Marshall,    yes it is a "drop in"  I realized that after looking up an old photo.     I may try to make one.   I have a forge for heat treating and an over to temper with.   I'll have to see what type of steel I have.   I do it all the time for knife blades.   I also have a belt grinder for shaping.   I'd rather not ruin the factory spring.   

Len,  it might come down to annealing it but I hope to make a new one instead.   I have some HC steel.

Probably won't attempt this for a few days.  I've got plenty to do as is.

[Marshal Will]

Since you have the way to make one, that certainly sounds like the way to go. It's good to not mess with original parts on things like this.

Thanks for posting the photo. I was wondering how things were inside the thing.

[Navy Six]

Mike, since you are going into "production" on the R & S mainsprings, I'll take six !!. A bout ten years ago mainsprings were still available and I bought a couple. They were thinner than stock and I tried to use it to replace one of mine with the very heavy mainspring. Turned out they were slightly shorter. It would fit but slip off the hammer roller when the gun was cocked. I am going to experiment and see if that spring can be "flattened" slightly to lengthen it. It is my understanding these guns--originals-- are highly regarded in France for target competition but I don't know how to go about checking for parts in France!

[mike116]

Navy Six ... I got you covered.    I'll put you first on the list! 

Marshall Will,   I like the reduced width spring idea,  If I had a spare one I might try it that way.

[Marshal Will]

Marshall Will,   I like the reduced width spring idea,  If I had a spare one I might try it that way.

If you make one and it's not light enough, that may be the solution. So you can make a big honkin' heavy one and still get the tension right.

[Navy Six]

Mike, early on I did reduce the width of a mainspring on one of my R & S as shown by Marshal will. It made all the difference in the world and really reduced the trigger pull and cocking effort to a very nice condition. That was about 20 years ago when I assumed I would always be able to find replacement springs. BTW, I wasn't joking about the acquisition of mainsprings if you ever decide to do so. I do use my R & S occasionally at Cowboy matches as the guns are not prone to fouling or cap issues.