The Guns & Ammo Network

What’s the Best Stoning Fixture for Pistol Work?

by Reid Coffield • September 19, 2012 • 4 comments
Power-stoning-fixture-053012

Coffield likes the Power Series 1 stoning fixture so much he has two of them. It allows the gunsmith to accurately and repeatably stone the 1911 sear as well as other pistol parts.

Question: What would you recommend as a fixture for doing trigger work on handguns? I am nearing retirement and have always been interested in handguns. I just want to be able to do work for myself and my friends as a hobby.

Answer: By far, the very best hammer and sear fixture available for pistol work is produced by Ron Power, a legendary custom pistolsmith. His Series 1 stoning fixture is the absolute best, no question about it. The fixture takes a number of different adapters for various handguns and some rifles. It’s accurate, repeatable, and beautifully made. Like all good tools, it’s not cheap at about $158, but it’ll last a lifetime and it’s worth every penny. I like it so much; I’ve got two of ‘em!

In Ask the Gunsmith, Gunsmithing • Tagged
  • walter knight

    who makes a rifle in .404 jeffery?

  • Glen Linscheid

    The only way to improve it is to special order 8" long stones. I bought two, one a ceramic and the other one of the translucent natural ones. I've found ways to do sears and hammers from rifles that it wasn't designed to do, by making a special fixture that holds their sears and hammers perpendicular to the direction of stoning so I can get "blind" edges.

  • George Molby

    What is pistol stoning and what does it accomplish??

  • mogwan

    Stoning lets you customise trigger pull or correct trigger faults. Trigger and sear engagement is either 'positive'-'neutral'-or 'negative'. these terms relate to the angle of the sear nose to the trigger's sear face. Some triggers will 'creep' when pulled- caused by too much positive sear angle. A positive sear/trigger pull is heavy but they are safe. A negative cut sear can be 'pushed off' causing accidental discharge. The best balance for a gun such as a 1911 style semi-auto is a bit to the positive side of neutral. This angle, when properly cut, will give you a consistent 2.5 lb to 5 lb trigger pull and you can fine tune your trigger pull weight for target shooting or conceal carry. The sear stoning fixture allows the sear to be held firmly after the desired angle is set and tightened down. With a 6" square 600 grit 'India' stone, you gently pass the stone 3 to 6 times over the nose. For a real smooth job, finish with a few passes using a 1000 grit stone or Arkansas stone. The stone rides evenly on the nose's surface on one side, and a roller on the other to reduce drag when stoning. 3 to 6 passes is a 'rule of thumb' to be sure you don't go through Case Hardened parts where the hardened surface is approx. ,006 thick. Accidentally going through the case hardened surface will produce very rapid wear on the 'over-stoned' surface & you'll be replacing the part in no time…