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The only thing to do now is wait!

Posted: Tue Jul 23, 2019 5:01 pm
by geno
https://www.gunbroker.com/item/822085753

Wanted one for some time, I had luck with Gunbroker in the past, so I went for it.
It was made in 55-57 time frame from serial number, pictures aren't the best, but studying
them I think it was a sleeper as they usually go higher in good condition.
One late bid got me to go over my self imposed limit by twenty-five dollars; glad he didn't come back
as that was definitely my last bid.

Re: The only thing to do now is wait!

Posted: Tue Jul 23, 2019 5:05 pm
by YankeeTarheel
Sorry! That's what happens in bidding. I went through a lot of that on eBay about 20 years ago and had it happen on GB, too. GB tries to prevent sniping but eBay it became a black art to get the winning bid in seconds before the auction closed.
But don't go over your allowed price. If you win the auction, you win, if you lose, you lose. There will be others.

Re: The only thing to do now is wait!

Posted: Tue Jul 23, 2019 5:15 pm
by geno
I wasn't bothered by the extra $25; I had purposely set myself a low limit to give myself some wiggle room at the end.
The funny thing was the guy that bid on it was another retired carpenter; this is his handle "Carpenterretired2010".

Re: The only thing to do now is wait!

Posted: Tue Jul 23, 2019 6:46 pm
by senorgrand
Nice. I still kind of want a 50's vintage Model 12...

Re: The only thing to do now is wait!

Posted: Tue Jul 23, 2019 7:49 pm
by geno
Model 12 is a nice gun, I had one early in the seventies, that I sold to buy a Model 1894 in 38-55.
I like the older look of the 97 with its exposed hammer, but this will have the advantage of being almost 60 years newer than the early production.

Re: The only thing to do now is wait!

Posted: Tue Jul 23, 2019 8:15 pm
by lurker
geno wrote: Tue Jul 23, 2019 7:49 pm the advantage of being almost 60 years newer than the early production.
newer is an advantage?

Re: The only thing to do now is wait!

Posted: Tue Jul 23, 2019 8:27 pm
by geno
To me yes.

Re: The only thing to do now is wait!

Posted: Tue Jul 23, 2019 8:30 pm
by geno
geno wrote: Tue Jul 23, 2019 8:27 pmTo me yes.
All the improvements they made over sixty years of production and sixty less years of use.


(Guess I quoted myself instead of editing.)

Re: The only thing to do now is wait!

Posted: Tue Jul 23, 2019 8:51 pm
by Marlene
Nice! I don’t think I’ve seen one that new.

Re: The only thing to do now is wait!

Posted: Tue Jul 23, 2019 9:39 pm
by nigel
The finish looks good in the photos

Re: The only thing to do now is wait!

Posted: Wed Jul 24, 2019 8:46 am
by highdesert
Very nice, congrats.

Re: The only thing to do now is wait!

Posted: Wed Jul 24, 2019 12:13 pm
by featureless
Tom Petty sang it best: "The waiting is the hardest part."

Re: The only thing to do now is wait!

Posted: Wed Jul 24, 2019 4:32 pm
by geno
featureless wrote: Wed Jul 24, 2019 12:13 pm Tom Petty sang it best: "The waiting is the hardest part."
It appears the wait won't be long; its scheduled for delivery to my FFL tomorrow, according to FedEx tracking.
I wasn't considering how fast it can be, paying through Gunbroker, they also immediately sent the seller my FFL's info
when I selected him while checking out. That plus the seller's only about 300 miles away.
Not like sending a Postal Money Order, it seemed like that use to take anywhere from two to three weeks, if the seller dawdled.

Re: The only thing to do now is wait!

Posted: Wed Jul 24, 2019 7:09 pm
by K9s
Looks beautiful! Great catch!

Re: The only thing to do now is wait!

Posted: Thu Jul 25, 2019 8:37 pm
by geno
The wait is over; the new baby is home; no surprises as far as condition, almost no bluing loss even on the high edges. One small screw that looks to me like it might be a replacement, but I need to check that out more. Its a very clean 62/63 year old for sure.

Re: The only thing to do now is wait!

Posted: Sun Jul 28, 2019 8:38 pm
by K9s
Pics?

Re: The only thing to do now is wait!

Posted: Sun Jul 28, 2019 11:06 pm
by geno
I'm going to try a some point; the gun is lightly used (made '53), most dings and scratches seem to the storage variety.
But there is a problem with Slide Lock release after studying videos and parts diagrams for a day and half, I believe the
"action slide lock" is slightly bent and it doesn't release the bolt when the button on the receiver is pushed. At this point of don't know if I don't know if I might try to fix it myself or take it to a gunsmith. Other than that everything works fine.

Re: The only thing to do now is wait!

Posted: Sun Jul 28, 2019 11:11 pm
by K9s
If you aren't sure, take it to a gun shop and ask them. Better safe than sorry.

Re: The only thing to do now is wait!

Posted: Sun Jul 28, 2019 11:28 pm
by Marlene
I suggest a very deep clean and lube as the first step.

Had a similar problem on a model 12, but I can’t remember whether the 97 has the same pivoting lock part pinned in to the receiver wall. Old gunky oil making the movement of that part stiff was the culprit.

Re: The only thing to do now is wait!

Posted: Mon Jul 29, 2019 12:01 am
by geno
Marlene wrote: Sun Jul 28, 2019 11:28 pm I suggest a very deep clean and lube as the first step.

Had a similar problem on a model 12, but I can’t remember whether the 97 has the same pivoting lock part pinned in to the receiver wall. Old gunky oil making the movement of that part stiff was the culprit.
What I can see without removing the carrier, is less gunk than I would expect on a gun this old, but I know what you mean, crud could be the culprit.
On this diagram:
https://marauder.homestead.com/files/97parts.htm
part #71 is slightly bent outward and doesn't seat in the carrier #68 the way I'd expect it to. I think the "action slide " #17 is sliding behind
it instead of making contact.
At this point I'm going to think about it for awhile.
Thank you for your input.

Re: The only thing to do now is wait!

Posted: Mon Jul 29, 2019 1:00 am
by Marlene
Aha!

17 is the equivalent to the much smaller pivoting part i was thinking of in a model 12. If pulling it is a serious chore, you might see if you can get some serious penetrating oil like Kroil in to its pivot area to dissolve any varnishy buildup and see if it behaves any better.

I was sure I had serious wear and it turned out to just be sticky.

Re: The only thing to do now is wait!

Posted: Tue Jul 30, 2019 12:44 pm
by geno
Marlene wrote: Mon Jul 29, 2019 1:00 am Aha!

17 is the equivalent to the much smaller pivoting part i was thinking of in a model 12. If pulling it is a serious chore, you might see if you can get some serious penetrating oil like Kroil in to its pivot area to dissolve any varnishy buildup and see if it behaves any better.

I was sure I had serious wear and it turned out to just be sticky.
Thanks, I appreciate your advice. That will be my next step; but it might be several days till I can give it my full attention. Although I did watch a 2+hour
gunsmithing video on the 97 last night, learned a lot, but it seemed like he spent more time on the front end of the gun than the entire receiver, bolt, and carrier.
I must say watching that video and comparing my gun to what he showed, mine has definitely seen light use in its life so far.