Hard opening frame question.

[D. Sanders]

All the frames I own are easy opening. I've never seen a hard opening frame. Can some of you guys give me an idea about the difference between them. On a scale of 1-10 I would consider an easy opening frame to be about a 1 or 2. I recently passed on a good deal on a frame because I didn't want to buy a frame that I'd have to wrestle with to get it open. Am I over-thinking this? Thanks in advance.

[tred1956]

I would say most pre-easy open are 5-6 (just my opinion) Some are reasonable easy and some are annoyingly hard. I have always stayed away from pre-easy opening frame until my last frame. It is a 1978 Faltside and I decided it would be worth the trouble. I haven't shot a non easy-open in decades so I guess I will see LOL

Sage shooting
Doug

[Iowa Fox]

treed I like that wood!

Back to the original question. Between the Encore, G2, and Contender I have 25 frames. The only reason I bring that up is over the years I've squeezed a trigger guard or two all mine . Out of that bunch only one is a early Contender that I bought brand new. It was a frame with wood in a box and within two months I purchase two barrels for it. Honestly the squeeze pressure between my first frame and the rest off the easy open legacy contenders is virtually undetectable. The frame has thousands and thousand and thousands of rounds through it. Never a misfire or failure that I can remember. The only thing I did to it was turn the set screw in a little to lighten the trigger pull, that's it. Boy those were the days 2-300 rounds a weekend.

[J A XSP]

I've had several "hard opening" frames and most were not drastically different from the EZ open ones I've had. It depends totally on the lugs and springs. Some older frames will have a particular barrel they don't much like and that can be a bit of a bear to open. It's still never a matter of having to "wrestle" with it. If a frame requires more than a firm squeeze, you've got extraction issues from hot loads. I'd never pass up a decent deal on an original non-EZ frame. :)

[Normrep55]

I would say most pre-easy open are 5-6 (just my opinion) Some are reasonable easy and some are annoyingly hard. I have always stayed away from pre-easy opening frame until my last frame. It is a 1978 Faltside and I decided it would be worth the trouble. I haven't shot a non easy-open in decades so I guess I will see LOL

Sage shooting
Doug

Doug - nice wood on your Contender. Do you know who made it and where I can get it? Love the flatside. I got a nice one from Ed's Contender a couple of years ago. It was a special IHMSA run. Only $330.00. Those were the days!

And to the original poster: I'm with the other responses. I like the easy open frames partly because they were later made and a few years ago you could find some practically unused ones at reasonable prices. But I also have non-easy opens and some converted non easy opens. As others have mentioned, some barrels and frames like each other better, but they all function well and I wouldn't pass on a nice frame because it was a non-easy open. I have a .22 LR barrel and non-easy open frame that is smooth as butter and easy to pull as anything out there. And of course, now it looks like the SSK-50 frame is going to be a reality for many of us - and at a decent starting price (compared to what everything else has been going for the last few years).

[D. Sanders]

Thanks for all the input guys.

[BobT]

I'm a little late to the party here but I actually prefer the original early frames to the easy open ones. Over the last several years I have concentrated my efforts to seek out the early frames in good shape and most of my small collection is the non easy open variety. There are also a few frames floating around that were converted at the old Fox Ridge TC custom shop to easy open. In my experience it's impossible to tell the difference with a good fitting barrel. I prefer the original frames because I think the triggers are a little "cleaner" and I like them light on my target guns.