This shop-made jig turns a three-handed job into a 30 second snap.

by Dick Maheu

For some time, I had contemplated writing an article on a useful jig I made in my shop. A comment posted in the American Gunsmith Reader Forum told me it was the right time for it. I’m not sure exactly when I made this jig but remember the gun I was working on at the time that prompted me to search for a better way to disassemble High Standard Double Nine revolver cylinders.

This jig is adaptable for the full line of Charter Arms revolvers as well as the High Standard R- and W-series revolvers. This jig and its accessories were made with pieces of scrap metal I had on hand so no extra cost was involved. I keep on hand plenty of pieces of steel, brass, and aluminum I scrounge in various places just for projects like this and have done so for many years as a gunsmith. The pieces were as-is and all I did was drill and tap them in the manner I’ll detail below.

The purpose of this jig is to make simple the complete disassembly of Charter Arms and High Standard cylinder assemblies. Some of the parts will differ in name between the two makes of revolvers but their function will be basically the same. For those of you who have undertaken the job of completely disassembling these revolver cylinders, you will understand the frustration I speak of here. It is literally a three-handed job. This jig makes it easily a manageable two-handed job.

Read more in our August 2015 issue.

Don’t miss a single issue. Subscribe now or renew your subscription.