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Gunsmith in Western Mass
- Thread starter Sf Becket
- Start date
usp45ct
NES Member
Used to be a guy in Palmer that worked at S&W. Actually, perhaps cll the gun shops with gun smithing in the area around Springfield or ask around at a gun club. Gotta be more than a few in the area that worked at SW. I will ask around as well.
boilermaker
NES Member
Paradis is who you are thinking of I think. He has a gunshop in New Briantree I think now.
If it's K L Hooton in Palmer, avoid!
Below link is someone's recently botched pin and weld job.
https://www.google.com/maps/uv?pb=!1s0x89e6c0bdc57bbdbd:0x5686867ebec7cd55!3m1!7e115!5sGoogle Search!15sCgIgAQ&hl=en&imagekey=!1e10!2sAF1QipNkAXzJJQPGxnyZt3MuznddTRu0Ykdqtu-ZlXbR&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjoj7rWguCCAxVxlYkEHUVXDvkQ9fkHKAF6BAgBEDM#
A friend recommended Hooton to have one of my O/U stocks shortened a little. Besides being VERY rude and arrogant while I was there for a measurement and to drop off, I could have done a better job with my zero experience shortening stocks. There were chips in the finish at the edge of the stock from cutting. He could have at least made an attempt to smooth and refinish or at least give me a call how to handle. The butt pad was very poorly matched to the cut end of the stock, with either some stock or some butt pad hanging over depending on which side. The friend was going there anyway and picked up for me so I let it go. If I picked up, I would not have accepted.
Supposedly he knows what he's doing, so he's either passing off the work to someone who lacks the skill sets or there's something wrong with him. Also I have zero issues with someone being rude and arrogant so long as their work is solid.
413dan
NES Member
Hooton is a nice guy.
But he put a front sight post on a build I did for an m16a1 replica. It wasn’t on straight and was slightly canted. Even with windage drifted all the way to the extreme left on the rear sight it was still shooting off. He fixed it but had to use larger pins to correct it and it looks “off”. The replica build wasnt perfect but that wasn’t a part that needed to be off. I’d have to dig up photos on my laptop. Posting from my phone
OP it is not that hard to take the side plate off and change the spring in the grip. I’d lend a hand if you’d like. Did it to my model 60.
But he put a front sight post on a build I did for an m16a1 replica. It wasn’t on straight and was slightly canted. Even with windage drifted all the way to the extreme left on the rear sight it was still shooting off. He fixed it but had to use larger pins to correct it and it looks “off”. The replica build wasnt perfect but that wasn’t a part that needed to be off. I’d have to dig up photos on my laptop. Posting from my phone
OP it is not that hard to take the side plate off and change the spring in the grip. I’d lend a hand if you’d like. Did it to my model 60.
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On S&W revolvers, the single action trigger weight and the double action trigger weight are affected by very different factors. There is some overlap, but broadly, changing pull weight for one action won't affect the other too much.
I am going to assume that you want to lower the double action pull weight. But unfortunately, on a rimfire J-frame, the double action pull weight cannot be made much better than mediocre. The issue is that J-frame revolvers never really have great triggers because the leverage is not as good as in the larger revolvers. And rimfire rounds need a stronger mainspring to have reliable ignition. The mainspring has a big effect on the double action trigger pull, and with rimfire, you can't reduce the mainspring strength much at all.
That doesn't mean there is nothing to be done. There are always things that can be polished, and springs may be able to be adjusted a bit. But J-frame triggers can never equal a well tuned K or N frame. And a rimfire J-frame will be worse than a centerfire.
A gunsmith who can do this work should mention this stuff when you tell him you have the model 351. If he does not mention it, you could tell him that "some idiot on the internet" said what I said above, and see what he says.
If I guessed wrong, and you are looking to have the single action trigger pull improved, that is easier. The single action pull is mostly controlled by the trigger return spring. And that spring can usually be reduced a bit without causing issues.
thalife
NES Member
Have had multiple excellent experiences with Pioneer Valley Arms in East Longmeadow and their gunsmith is a solid guy. Plus their t-shirts are free if you head up there.
KC Small Arms in Easthampton is attached to Yankee Hill and they do gunsmith work as well. But my bill from them was significantly higher than what I was quoted at over the phone and wouldn’t go back. Am loyal to PVA.
KC Small Arms in Easthampton is attached to Yankee Hill and they do gunsmith work as well. But my bill from them was significantly higher than what I was quoted at over the phone and wouldn’t go back. Am loyal to PVA.
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426wedge
NES Member
I second that...Took a 90 year old Stevens model 200 pump shotgun to them for jamming up. Shoots like new now..20 gauge. 80 bucks
I've got a 351PD. Double action is stout but smooth, and single action is very light and crisp. I think the DA feels so much heavier because the gun is so light weight. No grit whatsoever though. BG Sporting had a few of them a couple of weeks ago.
Agnotology
NES Member
Second this. I'm one town over and the only thing people bitch about for the past 15 years is the 6 to 12 months they are without their gun. I don't know a single other gunsmith who has been that busy for that long.
