[4V50 Gary]

The parts are a lot different from the 3 screw I was trained on!

On the three screw, the cylinder stop has a spring which is placed against the frame and provides tension for the cylinder stop to pop up. On the five screw, there's a plunger, spring and screw (in front of the trigger guard).

On the trigger of the three screw, a simple spring provides tension for the hand. On the five screw, there is a lever against which the hand is pushed up. On the opposite end of that lever is a spring. So, there's an extra pin that must be driven out to remove that lever. Talk about simplification of the design with the three screw.

The hand itself has a milled out portion that rides along the sideplate. It helps steady it and keeps it from wobbling. It is certainly requires a lot more machining than the one found on the three screw.

The sear on the five screw is a thing of beauty. It is like a tongue and groove arrangement with the groove being in the sear. The sear's tear drop shape gives a very gentle pressure curve when the hammer's tail engages it.

On the five screw, the hammer block does not ride on the rebound lever. Instead, it has its own plunger that is mounted in the sideplate. The hammer block remains in the sideplate and generally is not removed.

Seeing the insides of the older gun really makes me appreciate the engineering that went into making the three screw.

One of these days I have to look into a modern three screw with MIM parts. That's supposed to another animal.