Thanks, but in the final FAQ that I put on the web, I caught this and changed the wording. It looks somewhat different than the post I made a day or so ago in this thread. It obviously took a while to distill all this input and wade through the right - left problem.:rolleyes:

When I was in the Navy and force to march in boot camp, right and left was in issue then too.:whistle:

Really?.....

Had a look at two dismantled VH's. The left side screws bearing the "-" mark include:
Cocking Crank Pin Stop Screw
Hammer Screw
Hammer fastening screw
Floor Plate screw (front)

The corresponding right side screws are not marked.

Both have the longer rear floor plate screw, so there is no need for a "+" mark. I have had three apart and have not seen a "+" mark on any of them. All have had the longer rear floor plate screw.

Cheers,
Jack

Good to see you are "in step" here.

Cheers,
Jack

Jack, what year is the newest of the three?

Jim

150146 (first I took apart with a lot of issues - all gone now) 1909
This is the gun that got me deeply into PGCA forums
145522 (family gun that is now a very good paper weight) 1907
This is the gun that made me find PGCA
108603 (affectionately known as "second chance gun") 1902
This is the gun with lots of pictures in my albums in bits and pieces

Last two are still in pieces. I suffer from way too many things on the go and next to nothing finalized. My good wife occasionally suggests that one thing should get done. Those are red letter days because I actually finish something. She has not suggested yet that I finish the guns, just things like the garage door not working, all sorts of audio/video hookups that she wants so old stuff can become reborn as digital. She has a grand music collection and I know there cannot be enough time left to hear each track once. And then there's the broken china doll and the list goes on. but I do get some gun time and she feels it is most of the time. I'm sure I'm not the only one here with such a dilemma.

Cheers,
Jack

Jack, don't feel like you are alone. I turned 50 in August and figured I had a few years of working left. Well, my hands finally said 'no more' and I am no longer working. When the legal mess(es) are over with, I will call it my 2nd retirement. I am bored, to say the least, and find myself piddling with projects in my basement shop. I just picked up a Model 1871 Mauser carbine that will be a fun shooter. It was made in 1877, the same as my 12 gauge Lifter. I should be able to keep myself busy with this and that, but I am finding it hard to work up the ambition to attack household stuff when I have a firearm or cartridges that need my attention more! I hope this retirement thing gets better. There are almost 10 months 'til the Ruffed Grouse can be pursued. Cheers!

:bigbye: As Right as Rain.......

Yes, Jack. That dilemma somehow seems very familiar.

Regarding my question and your answer, I was just trying to find a mid-20s gun or later with the longer screw in the rear. I restored a 2-frame VH 12 for a friend of mine from that era, but I can't for the life of me remember if it had the longer screw. The owner was present for most of the work, as he wanted to learn, and did some of the work himself with me advising. I'll ask him if he remembers, but I kind of doubt he will either. The majority of the guns I've worked on are earlier, and all of mine are.

Another good data point would be an earlier 00-frame with a longer rear screw. I'm trying to determine if the equal-length rear screw is a "later gun" thing, or a 00-frame thing. Thanks for the info.

Jim

When I read this I thought of the feeler gauges they sell at auto parts store. You get 20 or 30 different sizes and the incrments can be as small as 0.5/1000th or one half of a thousanth or 0.0005". Joe Wood made some shims for the pins of my off face shotguns out of the feeler gauges. Of course they are steel. But as someone pointed out there may be a galvanic corrosion problem if copper is used. But in my opinion unlikely.

Best,

Mike