having trouble breaking down a EAA Windicator

jborushko · October 7, 2009, 11:23 PM

my friend gave me this eaa revolver snub nose .357 (Windicator) to clean up. It looks like it comes apart by driving out two pins in the body (i've already gotten the cylinder, crane, and first pin in front of the trigger guard out) the second pin in the main body of the Frame is being... easily put, difficult to drive out. any help?

Im using this as a parts breakdown http://www.eaacorp.com/Manuals/windicator.pdf

obliviously its not for complete break down but the picture is all i usually need.

please let me know if any of you have worked on this before!

Dfariswheel · October 8, 2009, 08:30 PM

I wouldn't disassemble it any further.
These pinned type guns are often easy to get apart, but maddeningly hard to get back together. Often they're assembled at the factory with assembly jigs and slave pins.

In any case, there's really no need to fully disassemble it for detail cleaning.
Simply remove the grips and use a couple of cans of "Gun Scrubber" spray type gun cleaner and de-greaser.
This will flush out any dirt and all lubricant.
If you have compressed air, blow it out.
You can finish dry it by using a hair dryer to warm the metal until its dry. NO HIGH HEAT as in a heat gun.

After the metal is dry, give it a good spray with a spray lubricant like CLP Breakfree or Rem-Oil.
I prefer CLP Breakfree because its a little thicker.

jborushko · October 9, 2009, 06:37 PM

yeah, but i do want to take it apart to do a trigger job on it. its got the most horrendously hard trigger pull!

single action is like 6-7 lbs. i want it at my 3.25-3.5lbs

Dfariswheel · October 9, 2009, 07:23 PM

The internal parts are case hardened, (not color cased) and have a very thin, hard "crust" to prevent wear. You can't see this hardened "coat".

If you attempt to stone or even polish the parts you'll break through the cased coating and expose soft metal.
Result: Ruined parts that you may not realize you've ruined until the trigger job starts getting dangerously light or impossibly heavy.

On these guns, the "trigger job" is to install a spring kit if one is available.
Check Wolff Gun springs. You may need to actually contact them since the kit may also fit other guns and your's not be listed:

http://www.gunsprings.com/

jborushko · October 10, 2009, 12:08 AM

lame! well ill see about a spring set. wont do much for the single action pull but getting some of that terrible double action pull out of there will help.

thanks

jborushko · October 16, 2009, 06:50 PM

course we do have a case hardener furnace/capability in the shop... oh well. im thinking this thing is not worth the effort. im just gonna tell my friend to keep it under his pillow, and get a model 60 to carry!

Dfariswheel · October 17, 2009, 12:05 AM

A wise decision.
Its these "little jobs" on guns of this type that tend to balloon into big headaches.

October 7, 2009, 11:23 PM	#1
jborushko Senior Member Join Date: August 5, 2009 Location: Tacoma WA Posts: 469	having trouble breaking down a EAA Windicator my friend gave me this eaa revolver snub nose .357 (Windicator) to clean up. It looks like it comes apart by driving out two pins in the body (i've already gotten the cylinder, crane, and first pin in front of the trigger guard out) the second pin in the main body of the Frame is being... easily put, difficult to drive out. any help? Im using this as a parts breakdown http://www.eaacorp.com/Manuals/windicator.pdf obliviously its not for complete break down but the picture is all i usually need. please let me know if any of you have worked on this before! __________________ EDIT: yeah i always "edit" my posts

October 9, 2009, 06:37 PM	#3
jborushko Senior Member Join Date: August 5, 2009 Location: Tacoma WA Posts: 469	yeah, but i do want to take it apart to do a trigger job on it. its got the most horrendously hard trigger pull! single action is like 6-7 lbs. i want it at my 3.25-3.5lbs __________________ EDIT: yeah i always "edit" my posts

October 10, 2009, 12:08 AM	#5
jborushko Senior Member Join Date: August 5, 2009 Location: Tacoma WA Posts: 469	lame! well ill see about a spring set. wont do much for the single action pull but getting some of that terrible double action pull out of there will help. thanks __________________ EDIT: yeah i always "edit" my posts

October 16, 2009, 06:50 PM	#6
jborushko Senior Member Join Date: August 5, 2009 Location: Tacoma WA Posts: 469	course we do have a case hardener furnace/capability in the shop... oh well. im thinking this thing is not worth the effort. im just gonna tell my friend to keep it under his pillow, and get a model 60 to carry! __________________ EDIT: yeah i always "edit" my posts Last edited by jborushko; October 16, 2009 at 06:55 PM.

October 8, 2009, 08:30 PM	#2
Dfariswheel Senior Member Join Date: May 4, 2001 Posts: 7,478	I wouldn't disassemble it any further. These pinned type guns are often easy to get apart, but maddeningly hard to get back together. Often they're assembled at the factory with assembly jigs and slave pins. In any case, there's really no need to fully disassemble it for detail cleaning. Simply remove the grips and use a couple of cans of "Gun Scrubber" spray type gun cleaner and de-greaser. This will flush out any dirt and all lubricant. If you have compressed air, blow it out. You can finish dry it by using a hair dryer to warm the metal until its dry. NO HIGH HEAT as in a heat gun. After the metal is dry, give it a good spray with a spray lubricant like CLP Breakfree or Rem-Oil. I prefer CLP Breakfree because its a little thicker.

October 9, 2009, 07:23 PM	#4
Dfariswheel Senior Member Join Date: May 4, 2001 Posts: 7,478	The internal parts are case hardened, (not color cased) and have a very thin, hard "crust" to prevent wear. You can't see this hardened "coat". If you attempt to stone or even polish the parts you'll break through the cased coating and expose soft metal. Result: Ruined parts that you may not realize you've ruined until the trigger job starts getting dangerously light or impossibly heavy. On these guns, the "trigger job" is to install a spring kit if one is available. Check Wolff Gun springs. You may need to actually contact them since the kit may also fit other guns and your's not be listed: http://www.gunsprings.com/

October 17, 2009, 12:05 AM	#7
Dfariswheel Senior Member Join Date: May 4, 2001 Posts: 7,478	A wise decision. Its these "little jobs" on guns of this type that tend to balloon into big headaches.