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LC Smith Top Lever Spring from Numrich

4575wcf

Aluminum
Joined
Apr 16, 2020
Hey all I received this top lever spring for my LC Smith build from Numrich. Notice the open bend in the top spring in the picture, versus the closed bend in the mainspring, below, ordered from the same source. This configuration flies in the face of what I know about flat springs, and this one is stout and gets a real workout. Any thoughts? DSC03583.jpg
 

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I think we need to know which is the replacement and which is original how two so different springs could even be considered.
 
Sorry. Two different new springs from Numrich. Top lever spring on top has open radiused bend. Mainspring on bottom has closed bend as usual. Will the radius bend hold up?
 
Sorry. Two different new springs from Numrich. Top lever spring on top has open radiused bend. Mainspring on bottom has closed bend as usual. Will the radius bend hold up?

I don't see why not. I've seen open radius bend springs used in lots of things and they seem to hold up. A top lever spring won't be worked near as hard as a mainspring.
 
I would agree that I would not see it failing under the normal operating conditions. Now that said if it were my choice I would not use the open end sping, it just looks like a hack replacement to me, and would drive my OCD off the chart just knowing it was there.
 
Yeah that is the rub. Numrich part photo is of a closed up spring previously offered but this is what you get now. I think I will put this spring in and treat it just as horribly as I can before I case color and time the screws. After that I am not going to want to go back in. Do you think a guy could black loctite a small piece of roll pin into the inside of the radius and get the long arm of the spring doing the bending like it should?
 
You are hitting on something that has occurred to me. The top lever spring is never closed up completely like a mainspring is, and unless stored long term with the barrels out and top lever locked up on the trip, it is unloaded. I have made the assumption that the OEM top lever spring had a flattened bend, but my frame came without it. Can you describe the LC decocking feature? Thanx.
 
I searched the web long enough and finally found a picture of an original top lever spring, regular frame circa 1905. This new made spring seems an accurate copy. I am an idiot, please to ignore my old wives paranoia.
 
You are hitting on something that has occurred to me. The top lever spring is never closed up completely like a mainspring is, and unless stored long term with the barrels out and top lever locked up on the trip, it is unloaded. I have made the assumption that the OEM top lever spring had a flattened bend, but my frame came without it. Can you describe the LC decocking feature? Thanx.

The design geometry of the mainspring prevents a bending stress in the bend on the spring. All the bending stress is stored in the length of the fingers.

The decocking feature, (three position safety slide guns,) allows the hammer main springs to be unloaded without firing the gun. Opening the action returns the safety slide to the center "safe" position unless the slide is already in safe. the slide can be moved to the rear, towards the stock butt, and the triggers pulled and held. the slide can be slowly moved to the safe position and the hammer springs are released without striking the firing pins.

These guns are a bit tricky to assemble and install the stock, with bending the mechanisms. Some may have had the gun assembled without all the components in place. One should try the decocking with empty chambers to verify operation.
 
Thank you. I see how that would work. My LC #2, the roller joint model from 1892 or so has the remnants of a three position safety present in the removable tang. The current LC, the FWT, circa 1927 I will put together with the 2 position safety so the decock feature will not apply. My father had an LC with the three position safety, I barely remember the gun from my very earliest memories. He was a bird hunter type and he hated it, considered it unsafe and subsequently sold the gun. I wonder now sometimes what kind of a gem it might have been had he held onto it.
 
The three position safety seems to have been misunderstood by many users. I have heard the front position allows one barrel to fire and the rear position allows the other barrel to fire. some have never realized that opening the action cocks both hammers and returns the slide to the safe position.
 
I’ve never heard of a Smith firing one barrel or the other by moving the safety to different positions, but may be wrong on this, maybe some where made that way. I have 5 and none do that. My Smith with the three position safety works like this; front position is off safe, center on safe and returns here automatically on cocking. Rear is no-safe and does not return to safe automatically, this for trap or in the old days live bird shooting so they didn’t need to remember to reset the safety all the time. While I don’t do the uncocking trick it should work fine. I would think the procedure would be this;
1. move safety to rear position of the three.
2. open gun to cock the hammers.
3. hold both triggers back, close the gun. The sears will not catch letting the hammers fall slowly with the closing. This is why the 2 position will not work. The 2 position automatically and mechanically goes to safe when open and you can not pull the triggers.
Bob
 








 
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