Project Alpha Model 9261 Review - Updated with Picks of the Trigger Mechisms

[VanMan]

Project Alpha Model 9261 Review - Updated with Pics of the Trigger Mechisms

Project Alpha Model 9261 Review

9mm D/A Revolver with 6" barrel purchased from Rusty Wood @ $559

Thought I would consolidate my initial impressions after 1 week of handling and dry firing into one thread.

Updated Feb 7, 2014 after a quick range trip. Updates shown in red
Will be taking off the side plate and checking out the trigger mechanisms this weekend. Will add that update later.
If there is anything specific you want me to check or comment on, please let me know.
Took the plate off the side and cleaned and greased up the trigger mechanisms. Updates in blue

Updated Feb 13th after ~250 rounds and a trigger polish and adjustment. Reduced S/A & D/A to 3lb 9oz & 9lb 15 oz. Still have not put in the lighter spring kit yet! Updates in brown


Verdict:
· A great double action revolver at a very good price that I can enjoy without having to stock up on another calibre of ammo. Makes an easy entrance into the D/A revolver world.
· Not perfect out of the box, but a few simple improvements like the lighter spring kit and replacing the stock grips with the stippled wood grips will make a significant improvement.
· Overall quality is on par with my Ruger revolvers. Sorry don't have any S&W's to compare it too.

Finish
· Overall Finish is a little bit below that of my Ruger Blackhawk.
· Bluing is a nice even satin.

o Starting to develop some slight drag marks around the cylinder from dry firing ~200 times. I have them on my Ruger Blackhawk too, so assuming this kind of wear is pretty normal.​

· Most of the edges are nicely finished. The only sharp edge I found was on the barrel lug cut-out for the cylinder ejector rod.
· Some of the lettering and proof marks look a bit crude.
· Machining marks:

o Barely noticeable on the outer surfaces of the revolver and very even.
o Areas under the grips are well finished too.
o Haven't taken the side plate off yet, so will update later what I find there.
o Just a little rough on the face of the cylinder. Some visible machining marks, but not too rough and all edges de-burred.
​

· Barrel bore is nicely crowned
· Internal surfaces nicely machined too - see pics below

Fit
· Cylinder lockup is a little looser than my Rugers.
· All the rest of the moving parts seem really solid and well mounted. Time will tell how it holds up after a couple thousand rounds.
· Cylinder gap is .07mm in front and .08mm in back and consistent for all chambers in the cylinder

Sights
· Rear sights are pretty basic, adjustable for windage and elevation.
· Front sights - I am LOVING the bright orange plastic insert. Much easier sight picture for my tired old eyes. Going to see if I can get something similar for my Rugers.
· In a two handed grip, there's very little gap between the front sight and the inner edges of the rear sight blade.

o For target shooting, this should be fine, but for anything requiring fast target acquisition, may be a challenge.
o Probably easy to fix with a little judicious needle filing of the rear sight blade.
​

Trigger
· Really like the grooved trigger

o well finished edges
o small grooves that help hold my finger pad from slipping
​

· Single Action:

o Nice clean break at just under 5lbs (10 tests ranged 4lb 12 ozs to 5lb 2 ozs)
o Reduced to 3lb 9oz after trigger and moving parts polish (see video below)
o Has just a bit of creep in it.
o For reference the single action pull on my other revolvers:
​

§ Ruger Blackhawk is 3lbs, 10 ozs (think it had been worked on by the previous owner). No creep
§ 4 lbs 5ozs on my stock Ruger Super Blackhawk. No creep.
​

· Double Action:

o Couldn't measure the double action trigger pull as my Lyman Trigger pull scale only goes up to 12 pounds. Seems like maybe 14 pounds and fairly smooth out of the box, and even smoother after dry firing ~200 times.
o Reduced to 9lb 15 ozs after trigger and moving parts polish (see video below)
o For reference, the only other double action handgun I have is a CZ Shadow. That measures out at 11lb 8ozs in double action and noticeably smoother.
o Trigger return is gritty and can lock up the trigger pull if not fully returned:
​

§ Note: this is my first D/A revolver, so not sure if these observations are typical of this style of trigger.
§ May be able to polish out the gritty feeling trigger return later onl
§ There are 3 distinct clicks on my revolver (see attached video)
​

· 1st click midway is fairly loud
· 2nd click when almost fully returned is softer
· 3rd click just after the 2nd click is much softer
· If I miss the 3rd click, the trigger locks up and won't pull back in D/A.
​

o Can probably train myself around this as I'm only target shooting.
o May be a problem for anyone using this for action shooting.
​

Loading, Shooting and Accuracy:
· The moon clips are pretty easy to load.

o I don't have to use the included tool to press in the rounds. Can just squeeze them in with my fingers.
o Removing empties is a little tougher. I can do it, but am afraid of bending the fingers on the moon-clip so I use the tool for that. Makes it really easy and quick. (hmmm, maybe take off the plug at the bottom of the tube and velcro a small cloth bag around it. I'm not reloading yet, but I started saving my spent cases anyhow)​

· Can load the rounds into the cylinder and fire them without using the moon-clip, but I probably won't do this too often

o Using factory and reloaded rounds, spent casings don't all fall out easily from the cylinder, confirmed on range outing. Tested with reloads from Custom Reloading and American Eagle ammo).
​

§ out of 6 spent casings per load, maybe ~2-3 will fall out with just gravity (after ~250 rounds without cleaning most will not fall out now)
§ so far the rest will come out easily if I rap the cylinder with my knuckle.
§ only had 2 spent casings out of ~48 that needed to be poked out from the throat end of the cylinder (after ~250 rounds without cleaning most will need to be poked out now)
​

o I shoot in an indoor range that has a strict rule about guns always being pointed down-range. So I don't like to get in to a habit of pointing the gun up when manipulating it - even though I know with the cylinder open it's completely safe.
​

· Accuracy (10 yards, 6 shots per per 3" dia target. Have attached target sheets below)

o Single Action, two handed:
​

§ off the bench - ok, turns out I suck at this. Managed one 2" group, but a couple of 4" groups in there. Going to have to look up some Youtube videos on how to do this properly.
§ off-hand - can manage 2" groups, very happy with this performance. Right now about the same as my CZ Shadow, but think I can do better if I adjust the sights to a 6:00 target hold.
​

o Double Action, two handed off-hand
​

§ off the bench - 3" to 4" groups with a slow double action pull
§ off-hand - can manage 3" groups, not bad for a heavy double action pull. Probably because the D/A pull is pretty smooth.
​

· Shooting experience

o Have to consciously adjust my hand to these wood grips. Finger grooves feel great, just need to adjust my hand up to get my grip higher to cover the top back of the grip, and make sure I've got a comfortable reach to the trigger. I mainly shoot semi-auto's so probably just need some time shooting a D/A trigger.
o Kickback: Very manageable, sorry don't have a good frame of reference for this. Much softer than my Ruger Blackhawk in 45acp, and feels softer than my CZ Shadow. Think that's because I can position my right hand much higher so it's much closer to the axis of the barrel. Don't feel as much muzzle flip, a little more direct push back. Although I'm not totally comfortable yet with these wood grips, I'm really liking them.
​

Side plate removal and Trigger Assembly

Side plate takes off pretty easy by removing 3 screws. It's in pretty snug and needs a little bit of wiggly and careful prying to get it off.
​

• 
  [*=1]Very well oiled. I cleaned it all up anyhow and relubricated with some lithium grease.
  
  [*=1]The trigger assembly cavity and side plate are very well finished. No rough machining marks, and cast surfaces have a very fine grain. A very good sign of quality.
  
  [*=1]To put the side plate back on, you have to push in and block the pin that pushes against the arm that indexes the cylinder for firing. There's no mention of this in the included manual - wich is pretty skimpy actually. It takes a very small paper clip. I just used a safety pin that was handy. Be very careful here! If you accidentally let that pin loose, it and the spring fly about 10' .....

Trigger Assembly
​

• 
  [*=1]It's my first look at a double action trigger assembly, but could easily see the contact surfaces in play during the trigger reset. Couldn't resist, and did a very light polish with a fine ceramic stone. Trigger return is a lot smoother now. Have attached pic's below.
  
  [*=1]Will probably go back later and do a full polish on all the moving trigger parts (sides and contact areas). I did this on my Norinco 1911 trigger and while it may not have made a huge difference, it just seemed like a good thing to do.
  [*=1]Will leave the single action sear engagement point alone as the current 5lb break is just fine for me.
  [*=1]Have attached a short vid on the current trigger reset below.

· Trigger Polish and moving parts polish with fine ceramic stone and autosol

• polished all moving parts in the trigger (hammer, sear, trigger). Sides and contact surfaces (except the sear and trigger single action contact points)
  
• adjusted the trigger return spring to weakest position. There is an access hole in the side plate, so this can be adjusted just by removing the right side grip.
• polished sides and contact surfaces of internal parts (hammer block, hand, bolt)
  
• stoned the underside of the thumb piece that you push to release the cylinder (the underside was really rough - see pic below)

Plus's
· Great price @ $559 from Rusty Wood

o At least 1/2 the cost of the S&W 929
o At a price point that I can buy it easily. And if it turns out to be not to my taste, I can probably resell it on EE without losing a lot of $'s.
​

· Can shoot 9mm, so don't have to stock up on another caliber for ammo

o offset of this is that I need to use moon-clips for quick ejection of the spent casings.
​

· Great stock Single action pull @ ~5lbs, improved to 3lbs 9ozs with only a little effort
· Smooth Double action pull. No real problems with the 14lb pull other than getting tired after ~24 consecutive shots. Even smoother now and only 9lbs 15 ozs
· Really accurate - 2" groups freehand at 10 yards is pretty good in my book. The limitation is going to be my old tired eyes.
· Received it by mail 7 days after I ordered it. Great service from Rusty Wood.

Nits:
· Didn't like the stock grips. They are soft enough, but feel a little plastic to me and I was worried about slippage as my hands get a little sweaty.

o replaced with the stippled wood grips from Rusty Woods which feel great. Cost @ $60
​

· Stock Double action trigger pull is heavy at ~14lbs

o going to install the lighter spring kit from Rusty Woods, apparently drops it down to ~10 lbs. Cost @ $10.
o looks like pretty hefty primer strikes with the stock main spring. Don't think I'll have to worry too much about light strikes with the lighter spring kit. Have attached pics of the spent cases below.
o Reduced to 9lb 15 oz by trigger and moving parts polish - without installing the lighter spring kit yet
​

· Double action trigger return is gritty

o will see if I can polish that out when I install the lighter spring kit
​

· Needs a conscious full trigger release to reset in double action (see video)

o could be caused a bur as suggested by BCRider. Will have a look when I install the lighter spring kit.
​

· Not a perfect fit along the top of the backstrap for wood grips. Will see how they hold up over time.

And now for some pics:

Freshly opened box

With the stippled wood grips installed

Bore looks good with a nice crown

Really liking that front sight

Doh! These sights are a little tougher to use on the flourescent orange 6" dia stickers I like to use as targets. Good thing it shoots accurately enough that I can use the flourescent green 3" dia stickers.

Slight machining marks left on the cylinder face

Finish under the grips is pretty good. Hopefully an indicator of overall good quality

Loaded with spent casings using the moon clip. Bottom of the cases are flush with the bottom rim of the cylinder. Gap from the cylinder face to the back frame firing pin are is ~0.08mm measured with a slip gauge.

Proof target sheet shipped with the revolver (shot at 15 meters). This gun should be very accurate if I do my part right.

Small gap between the backstrap and the top of the wood grips I installed.

A quick video of the double action trigger nit.
http://youtu.be/ElFj9hdOYeY
Note, I took out the embedding so I could post another video. Just paste this link into a new browser session to see the vid.

First Range outing shooting results 10 yards, 6 shot per 3" dia target (turns out I suck at shooting off the bench)

Tried some other guns for reference during this range trip (Ruger Blackhawk 45acp, Ruger 22/45, CZ75 SP01 Shadow)

Some pretty deep strikes on these primers using the stock mainspring

Side plate removed

The Trigger Return Spring post is cut with an eccentric cam profile

Looks like the Trigger Return Spring can be adjusted, but going to leave it set in the factory stock position for now.

The trigger parts and surfaces I gave a very light polish to

A quick video of the trigger reset after the light stoning above

Locking back the pin that pushes against the arm that indexes the cylinder. Needs to be done for putting the side plate back on.

Field stripping the Alpha apart for a good clean (you need a small diameter pin to keep the capture nut from rotating when you unscrew that pivot bolt)

So far the only sloppy part I've found on this revolver. The underside of the thumb piece was just as cast and a little rough. A little stoning makes it nice and easy to release the cylinder

A few shots of the forcing cone and firing pin/shrowd

Detail strip of the trigger mechanism - before the stoning & polishing

A retest of the trigger pull (S/A & D/A) after the trigger and moving parts polish. Also had the trigger return spring set to it's weakest position

 

[cableguy]

Awesome breakdown VanMan.

I can't stop handling mine while at home or at the range...just fell in love instantly.

The same grips are on the way, I'll let you know if I have the same gap as well.

 

[Lobster_pot]

Nice review!! Thanks. Looks really nice with the wood grips. I was thinking about ordering one of those in .22
I don't have a DA .22 but the 9mm is also very appealing. 9mm should be very light recoil.

 

[TyK]

I know I don't need it.. but I will be damned if I don't want a 9mm revolver.. Looks like a ton of fun. Wish they made a 45ACP as well.

 

[geologist]

Great review, thanks!

 

[lejarretnoir]

...9mm should be very light recoil.

Not really.
I have a 9mm 1911 and a Tokarev 7.62x25. The 9mm only feels slightly less than the 7.62x25 because it's a heavier gun with better ergonomics.
Watched this vid with the 6" 9mm revolver and it looks like it snapped more like a .357 Magnum recoil wise.
That reminds me, where do you get the short cylinder 9mm 6" revolvers from?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=z7gDUYGTGLk

 

[geologist]

Unless there are large differences in frame weights, there is no way that the 9mm will recoil anywhere near what a full house .357 magnum will.

 

[Lobster_pot]

Not really.
I have a 9mm 1911 and a Tokarev 7.62x25. The 9mm only feels slightly less than the 7.62x25 because it's a heavier gun with better ergonomics.
Watched this vid with the 6" 9mm revolver and it looks like it snapped more like a .357 Magnum recoil wise.
That reminds me, where do you get the short cylinder 9mm 6" revolvers from?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=z7gDUYGTGLk

I guess I should've specified I meant lighter than .357
I have a Tok and a Taurus pt99 (92f clone). I find the Tok has more snap for sure. I like them both tho. Tok is a great budget pistol.
I've never shot a 9mm revolver but I've shot a .357 mag revolver plenty. I have a python and a ruger blackhawk. I would think there's quite a difference between 9mm and .357. I don't know for sure tho. Maybe the OP can let us know.
9mm is a bit cheaper to shoot than .38special.

 

[lejarretnoir]

...there is no way that the 9mm will recoil anywhere near what a full house .357 magnum will.

I didn't say that.
I forgot, this is CGN. You have to very specific about what you say.

The revolver in the vid sure recoils like one though from the first shooter. The second shooter makes it look like he's shooting .38 Special light loads.

 

[VanMan]

Project Alpha Model 9261 Review - Updated after Range Trip

Updated review with results of 1st range outing

 

[BCRider]

Don't sweat the poor results from resting the wrist shots. I found the same thing. The gun I tested shot BETTER in free style standing. That taught me that bench rest pistol shooting is a whole other skill with its own lessons and issues that is every bit as hard as freestyle. Nothing is easy, is it?

Have you shot much .38 and .357Mag before? You see what I mean about how punchy the 9mm is from the revolver? Way more than we'd expect.

EDIT- Just saw the part where you said it was softer recoil than your Shadow. I'm running Custom's reloads just now as well. The 124gn stuff. Maybe it's the shorter barrel but I find that it's kicking far more solidly than my Shadow.

 

[lejarretnoir]

Updated review with results of 1st range outing

With a decent trigger pull and 6 0'Clock hold I think you'll do much better. The gun is capable I believe of fine accuracy.
Good to know as I'd like to get one of these myself. As BCRider said the 9mm round has some snap and recoil in a revolver and just something you'll get on to with practice. Your .22 and Shadow groups were tight.
Nice review, thanks.

 

[4x4junkie]

Glad your liking it! Thanks for the review.

 

[VanMan]

Thanks lejarretnoir, I've had a couple years of trigger time with that Shadow, and have the sights setup for a 6 O'clock hold. One of my favorite guns to shoot.

BCRider, I'll have to spend more time comparing the kickback between this 9mm revolver and the rest of my guns (it's a tough job, but somebodies got to do it ). Right now I'm mostly target shooting with deliberate aimed fire, so I don't have a good frame of reference for managing kickback in a rapid/fast fire scenario. Hoping to spend some time out at some of Slavex's Friday sessions this spring or summer to explore that bit of fun.

Subjectively, I'd say it's maybe the same amount of kickback as the Shadow, but it feels different. Partly because my grip is closer to the barrel bore axis, and because I'm not feeling an impact as the slide cycles back into action. I just feel a firm push back with some muzzle flip. The 6" barrel carrying more weight up front is probably helping too.

With a decent trigger pull and 6 0'Clock hold I think you'll do much better. The gun is capable I believe of fine accuracy.
Good to know as I'd like to get one of these myself. As BCRider said the 9mm round has some snap and recoil in a revolver and just something you'll get on to with practice. Your .22 and Shadow groups were tight.
Nice review, thanks.

 

[lejarretnoir]

I was out at SFRC today checking out the short cylinder 4.5". I'm liking the revolvers, but lacking the funds at the moment. I think I'll wait for the next batch though. I'd like to get one with the short cylinder and 6" barrel. The short barrel is fine, but I like the balance of the 6" better.
I did measure the bore on one and found it read .355" on that particular gun. Looks like they have made a true 9mm bore. Trigger could use a little polishing, but I didn't find it that bad actually.

Smithing the gun entered my mind immediately and some of the staff were amused at that. I noticed the top strap has three drilled holes in it under the rear sight and probably takes a base for optics. The ejector rod is not connected to the barrel, so if this barrel is threaded on, it will lend itself to a nice PPC heavy barrel with top sight rib or optics nicely.

 

[BCRider]

Different it most certainly is. The revolver has no recoil springs to spread out the shock. I knew that going in but didn't expect the sort of snap it gives. Again though this difference in our descriptions could be due to the barrel length.

Since you're local I hope to see you at the Mission Speed Steel events with your AP this Spring. It's great fun and a good way to spend a day combining some speed with accuracy. It's also as low key an event as you'll find if you're not usually into match shooting. And a great place to pick up pointers and try them right away. Having said that I've also heard nothing but great reviews of the Abby Friday night sessions. Just bring LOTS of ammo from what I've heard....

I'm also hoping that Peter gets in a good supply of moonclips shortly. The gun isn't going to be any use for matches until we get them.

 

[VanMan]

Updated with some observations and pics of the side plate removal and disassembling the trigger mechanism.

BCRider, that Mission Speed Steel event sounds fun. I'll have to look up some info on it. Have never done any match shooting - actually only been shooting hand guns for ~3 years now. But always like to learn new things.

 

[bigi]

Nice review, well done.

 

[Dexter Morgan]

Good review. But a couple of questions;

What do you think about how the crane is constructed? It looks very small and weak in pictures. But does it seem solid enough in real life?

What about spare parts? If someone does bend that crane, can they order a new one?

Can you get more moon-clips for it?

 

[luke s]

Great review. Makes me want one. There seems to be a lot of concern about the crane. Any comment on that?

I already priced one out, 620 shipped to Ontario from rusty wood