1900 AE Heavy Wear Marks?

[Dwight Gruber]

I'd be interested in knowing the rate of tensioning of an old-model flat spring and a new-model coil spring.

--Dwight

[sheepherder]

Originally Posted by Karl

Would it not be more accurate and consistant to measure by inserting a soft aluminum or brass rod in the barrel and measure by pushing it against a scale?
KFS

I don't have a scale or a 30 cal squib rod long enough, so I tried a 1/4" wood dowel and my mechanical spring scale...It doesn't work...There is too much friction from the dowel sliding down the barrel...I got wildly erratic results, up to 16 pounds...(first pic below)...The pull was very 'jerky'...

If you're doing the rod in barrel 'push' method using a postal or bathroom scale, remember that those are 'zeroed' using gravity as a constant...If you use these, put the scale on the floor and push down against it...(Not from the side)...But I think friction would still affect the results...

Originally Posted by Dwight Gruber

I'd be interested in knowing the rate of tensioning of an old-model flat spring and a new-model coil spring.

--Dwight

Good idea; I re-tried the 1900 AE w/flat spring held in soft vise by the trigger guard, and then the 1937 S/42 coil spring held the same way...(second and third pics)...I got pretty much the same spring tension at full toggle travel; 10 - 10 1/2 pounds for the S/42...

I straightened out the clamping [no angle] so y'all wouldn't get so confused...It made the pic bigger...And I left the magazines out...

Interesting comment: Although the final spring value was essentially the same between the flat vs coil spring, the 'feeling' of pulling the toggle back was markedly different...I can't really describe it, except to say that if I was blindfolded, I would be able to tell which pistol was which by the spring pull...