# Hammerli SAA 357 Magnum



## Sharps40 (Apr 23, 2017)

Yep.  Hammerli made SAA Revolvers.  For the American market, the Dakota 357 and 45 were made 1969 to 1972.  Nice ones too.  Pretty much like a Gen 1 and Gen 2 Colt SAA.  Much better quality than the majority of the imports and often compared to Colt SAAs as good or even better quality in some respects.

So.  It arrived with 7.5" of barrel and a 1/4" tall front sight.  Too much barrel to be useful or convenient.  Likeing the look of a 5.5" barrel where the barrel is just about .875" longer than the ejection rod, I scalled it down.

Selected the short cammed ejector rod housing from the 3.5" barreled Thunderers and adding .5" gives me the same look but with a much more convenient and useful 4" overall barrel length.  I'll finish up bluing the ERH now that its fitted and functional.

As for the front sight....original was 1/4" tall.  Decided to go with the percussion style Remington cone sight.  They screw on and it allows sight height changes.  I made the cone from extra brass cleaning jags on hand....setting the max height at .385" and the useful height at .185" via an undercut.  The groove in the topstrap is fine and colts are ment to be fired with 1/3 to 1/2 of the sight leaf above the topstrap depending on barrel length.  The .185" height of the undercut should get me close on proper elevation given the sight has moved back and up the tapered barrel.  We'll see at the range.

Cleaned up the wood grips by buffing back the finish with some rotten stone.  The brass triggerguard and back strap were in fine shape, so simply antiqued those parts.  

Here it is.  Ready to try fit in the cross draw desantis holster.


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## Sharps40 (Apr 24, 2017)

Oh yeah.....that should make for a good ride.  Now to shoot it and see if I even like it.  Got two.  Other one is about 40 odd away on the SN range and still has its long tom barrel.  Needs a hand though....colt hand is inbound and maybe I can get it running.


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## Sharps40 (Apr 25, 2017)

On the long barreled gun, a broken hand and a broken firing pin tip.  Fanning damage, I suspect.  Respect, respect, don't fan a gun.  Even the Hollywood prop guns didn't last long between overhauls.

So.  A factory colt spring and hand is a near perfect drop in fit.  Timing is perfect with the bolt droping into the lead and not onto the cylinder and if anything the new hand is just a RCH long as the cylinder locks just a whisker before the hammer and trigger enter the full notch.  A touch of stoneing on the hand should have the forth click, which is currently quite, spelling the letter T in short order.

Here the abused and broken Swiss Hand and bent spring......Don't know how ya curl a spring like that except by some abuse.






And overall.  I simply measured and dropped in the Colt factory part and gave it a gentle try with and without springs.  I'm quite pleased.  Good function that should be great with a touch more attention.  I'll try a firing pin repair but may also just get the Colt Frontier pin and balls (the hammerli does not use the Gen 1 or Gen 2 firing pins.) just in case.






Years and continents apart but I think Mother Colts parts will rescue this Swiss fire stick.


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## Sharps40 (Apr 26, 2017)

Sometimes it helps to take photos of small parts, specially with bifocal glasses.  Here both hammers, notches all in good condition.


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## Sharps40 (Apr 26, 2017)

Just finishing up some checks and tweaks.  Both look great inside and out.  Each received a .002" stainless cylinder bushing shim.  One tightened each gun nicely, it was not possible to install two (total of .004") and still install the cylinder.  So, plenty tight and the very small amount of endshake is now nearly eliminated.  

On the long barreled handgun, a light cleaning and tweaking of the trigger/bolt spring brought the T back in C-O-L-T.  Both guns are nearly 50.  I think it'll be prudent to replace, or at least have on hand, spare new and unworn Colt springs.  For now, both are running well, perfectly timed and clicking out Colt with each stroke of the hammer.  The new hand on the long barreled gun was thinned to run freely up/down and back and forth in the window.  The lower step received a couple three strokes on a stone to shorten it slightly to tweak the cylinder carry up.  

I think its about time to shoot the short barreled one, probably this weekend with Dad.  And, proper firing pins are on the way to do the final fixes on the long barreled gun.  With luck, it'll be ready for a test ride in a week or so.


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## Sharps40 (Apr 29, 2017)

Short barrel shoots like a champ.  Front sight is just right.  At 10m or so draw a bead with the rear sight aligned on the under cut of the front sight and the swingers swing every time with 38s.  So, It'll be time to finish the front sight soon and pinch it like the Remington sight.   I'm pretty pleased with this lil gun.  Time to get some 357s and try it out.


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## Sharps40 (May 1, 2017)

These are the replacement Gen 3 Firing pins, floating pin style.  Just like whats in both hammerli revolvers.  Diameter is right.  Hole location for pin and balls are correct, though somewhat different (smaller, which is good) but useable with a resizing of the pin hole.  As for the distance from pin hole to tip....no good.  They are both 10 thou shorter than the broken tip of the long barreled gun.  So.  Have to go old school.  

Option one is to drill out the pin on a new firing pin and replace with a proper length section of drill rod, red lock tight is fine, solder can work too.  Typically a two piece firing pin like this never breaks.  Used to do them this way quite often for Favorites, Rollers and Hi/Low Walls.  

Option two is to spin a new one up from a grade 5 or 8 bolt or a chunk of LaSalle Fatigue Proof steel.  All three are wonderful for firing pins, again, having use them many times in the past, including as new tips for the u-shaped Sharps rifle pin tips.  

But for now, I think tomorrow nigh I'll get rolling on a final bluing of Young Man....decided to try to make him all Rust Blue instead of brown and blue.  With luck, that handgun will be done by the weekend.

Tonight though, I'm going to clean the short barreled Hammerli.  Had it to the range, it just needs its front sight removed, pinched and screwed back on,  but its a keeper....for now.


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## Sharps40 (May 1, 2017)

I think the short barreled one is done.

Took off the front sight to finish pinching it, Remington style.






Sight polished and back on, the sail on top is what go's above the rear sight to put the bullet on out to 10-20 yards or so....about 1/3 of the sight height above the rear sight is the way these were meant to be sighted with shorter barrels.  About half the sight high with the long barrels.






The sight picture....easy and quick to pick up.






Everything cleaned up, polished, antiqued and done.


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## Sharps40 (May 10, 2017)

Firing pin repair on the Hammerli on the right compared to an unbroken and swiss original generation 3 colt style floating firing pin on the Hammerli on the left.  Old broken tip drilled out and a section of good drill rod soldered into place and fitted.  All is well.






A fine looking pare of brothers to come back together for a while.  47 digits difference in serial numbers.  Probably the last time they were together was on the assembly line is Switzerland way back in the late 60s.

Very cool.


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