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

Will be interesting to see how these hold up over time.

So far everything seems good, but quality of materials is going to be important for a revolver to maintain over time.

Not gonna jump in till I know they are good.
 
Good review. I read somewhere that you should not pry side plates off revolvers - remove the screws, then tap the butt with a plastic hammer until it pops off.
 
Good review. I read somewhere that you should not pry side plates off revolvers - remove the screws, then tap the butt with a plastic hammer until it pops off.

Thanks for the tip Geoff, I'll try that next time. I think honest wear looks good on a gun, but definitely want to avoid idiot scratches.

Regarding durability of the crane or overall, I'm open to suggestions as to what I should be measuring and/or looking for? As soon as I get the extra moon clips I'm up for putting a 1000 rounds through the Alpha in a range session. I could measure before and after, but 1000 rounds should be nothing to a decent handgun but a good break in (I hope).

So far my only comment on the crane is that I wished it would swing open another 15 degrees so the cylinder would stay open when I lay the Alpha down. It's a range rule that guns on the bench have to have the actions opened. The cylinder is still about half way out of the frame, but I notice the range officers occasionally having a closer look to make sure.

BCRider, if you want to meet up at DVC on a Monday evening you can help shoot off some of that and also compare against your shorter barrelled Alpha.
 
Updated the review after ~250 rounds and a light trigger job and polish to the internal moving parts. Trigger pull reduced to 3lb 9oz in single action, 9lb 15oz in double action. Should be even better when I install the lighter spring kit. Added more pics of the detail strip and a vid of the trigger pull retest.
 
Thanks for the detailed strip.

It's really nice to see that it's decent quality inside and out.

I'll be installing the lighter spring on mine this weekend and give her a go.
 
If I shoot 38sp in my blackhawk then shoot some 9 mm it tends to surprise me. The 9mm seems to have more snap than the .38 special push.
 
Great review, in the box is also good documentation and test target. This is the .22LR 6".

Alfa-22b.jpg


Test Target
Alfa-22-tgt.JPG
 
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VanMan, I would just like to thank you for starting this thread with such a superb and detailed review of what is otherwise an unknown make of revolver in this country. (Thanks also to the others who have supplemented your comments with their own comments about their own new Alfa revolvers.)

This sort of detailed information from someone who has decided to Take One For The Team is very useful for those of us still sitting on the fence and pondering. And it is especially valuable for someone who would be ordering from an out-of-province online dealer with no chance to fondle ... uhm, caress ... uhm, slobber over ... aha, examine (that's it "examine carefully" - knew I would find the appropriately mature phrase eventually) one before buying it.

IMHO, this sort of information exchange is one of the best aspects of CGN.

For the person wondering about the durability of the crane, to my eyes it looks relatively beefy from the photos; certainly no more fragile than the one on my older S&W 22/32 Kitgun for example.

One of my pet peeves has always been that many shooters treat the swing-out cranes on DA revolvers with far less care than they should. As much as possible, the cylinder should be eased open with a push of the fingers, caught and cradled with the other hand, then gently but firmly pushed all the way home with the fingers again. It may not be possible to use as much care when doing competitive speed shooting as when doing slow and deliberate target shooting, but even there, a shooter should avoid "whipping" the gun to jar the unsupported cylinder hard against the crane's travel limits.

If you watch revolver shooters like Jerry Miculek, they push the cylinder open and closed with their fingers rather than snapping it with their wrist.

If treated properly, I think I would expect the crane on these Alfa revolvers to last as well as those on most others; and I've seen fine S&Ws or older Colts with cranes that were trashed in short order the other way.
 
Fantastic post Vanman.

I was struggling with my Afla Proj 22lr and the picture showing the the pin hole for the side plate pin and at the bottom of the main spring arm for keeping the tension on the main spring was invaluable.
I have a different setup for the cylinder lock and I will post some pictures showing this.

As a side note blsolutions was the warranty company for Alfa Project in Canada and there customer service is very good, I lost the spring that applies tension to the cylinder lock and they replaced it free of charge.
 
Just a note on 9mm vs 38 Spl vs 357 mag. The 9mm falls between the two 'revolver' cartridges with regards to power - this was one of the arguments for the adoption of 9mm pistols in police service.
 
Looks like the moon clip supply problem has finally been resolved. Ranch Products is making them now. They can be bought from the US and shipped up here through UniqeTek for $19.95 US/8-pack
h ttp://www.uniquetek.com/ranch_products_moon_clips

Or looks like the local gun stores are stocking them too @ $5.95 each. A BIG improvement over the $10 they used to cost.
https://www.reliablegun.com/en/ranch-products-accessories-magazines-alfa-proj-moonclips-9mm

Too bad for Proj Alpha, the rules for IPSC have just changed to allow 8 shot minor in revolver, so I'll be running my S&W 929's this year. Would have loved to run my Proj Alpha 9261 last year, but a good supply of moon clips was going to cost more than the revolver, and that was if I could even find them lol
 
picked up the Ranch moon clips. A slightly different design than the ones originally from Proj Alpha, but they work ok. They do not hold the 9mm rounds quite as snugly though and are .030" (oem ones are .035"), so the rounds will flop around a little more. If you are using round nosed bullets, it doesn't really impact a speed reload that much.

The upside is it is much easier to remove the rounds and fired brass from the Ranch moonclips. I can do it without a tool and not have to worry about bending the moon clip.

OEM Proj Alpha on the left, Ranch Products on the right
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