help me diagnose this revolver.

1
i see we're obsessing over donald and germs and the dem party's ineptness lately, and i find it annoying. so i offer this distraction.
this is my latest purchase, a smith and wesson model 4 topbreak, circa 1890s i believe. the finish is entirely a rich brown patina, there's some rifling left and while it's obviously worn, it kinda-sorta works.
kinda-sorta.
at the range it had several misfires, light primer strikes.
there's some play in the hinge at the front of the trigger guard, so that there's a little wiggle between the frame and barrel-cylinder assembly.
the extractor star is slow to retract, maybe dirty?
the firing pin sometimes sticks in the hole through the frame. this would explain the semi-random light strikes.
i think it can be redeemed.

what do you experts say?
IMG_0467.jpg
IMG_0468.jpg
IMG_0469.jpg
i'm retired. what's your excuse?

Re: help me diagnose this revolver.

5
I'd remove any wood/rubber/bakelite and soak in a good penetrating oil for a few days and then tear down and detail. The soak may prevent broken parts and damaged threads. There's an outside possibility of a make and model specific tutorial online.
I: ALL GUNS ARE ALWAYS LOADED
II: NEVER LET THE MUZZLE COVER ANYTHING YOU ARE NOT WILLING TO DESTROY
III: KEEP YOUR FINGER OFF THE TRIGGER UNTIL YOUR SIGHTS ARE ON THE TARGET
IV: BE SURE OF YOUR TARGET AND WHAT'S BEHIND IT

Re: help me diagnose this revolver.

6
I'd like "Full Spring Replacement" for 500, Alex.

The wiggling between the frame and cylinder might be your problem though. If S&W no longer works on these types of revolvers, I'd check with Uberti to see if their gunsmiths can tighten things up for you.

1. What's she chambered in? Just out of curiousity.
2. If you ever want to sell, lmk.
If liberals interpreted the Second Amendment the way they interpret the rest of the Bill of Rights, there would be law professors arguing that gun ownership is mandatory. - Mickey Kaus, The New Republic

Re: help me diagnose this revolver.

7
MayhemVI wrote: Wed Mar 25, 2020 1:46 pm I'd like "Full Spring Replacement" for 500, Alex.

The wiggling between the frame and cylinder might be your problem though. If S&W no longer works on these types of revolvers, I'd check with Uberti to see if their gunsmiths can tighten things up for you.

1. What's she chambered in? Just out of curiousity.
2. If you ever want to sell, lmk.
Full spring replacement might be '500', worse yet it might be 'unobtainium'. Most Smiths like to replace parts, not fabricate them.
Once it's clean and oily I'd try it again, the light strikes might be gone. The wiggles may take a little more on a 130 year old pistol.
It is a handsome rascal.
I: ALL GUNS ARE ALWAYS LOADED
II: NEVER LET THE MUZZLE COVER ANYTHING YOU ARE NOT WILLING TO DESTROY
III: KEEP YOUR FINGER OFF THE TRIGGER UNTIL YOUR SIGHTS ARE ON THE TARGET
IV: BE SURE OF YOUR TARGET AND WHAT'S BEHIND IT

Re: help me diagnose this revolver.

14
Nice Smith. Take a close look at the firing pin since it sound like it is either bent or maybe peened. The slight wobble is normal and should disappear when the hammer is fully cocked and trigger pulled. Hold the hammer back and pull trigger and check lock up then. It was designed for smokeless powder so any modern 32S&W short should work.

Here are some of my Top Breaks:

Left to right: S&W DA Model 4 in 38S&W, Hopkins & Allen Safety Police in 32S&W (the cartridge is a 38S&W for size) and a Singapore Police Force Webley IV in S&W 38/200:
Image
To be vintage it must be older than me!
The next gun I buy will be the next to last gun I ever buy. PROMISE!
jim

Re: help me diagnose this revolver.

17
lurker wrote: Thu Mar 26, 2020 2:25 pm nice, very nice. "some of".
i also have 3, the smith and 2 H&Rs, one of them in '38s&w, the other .32. none of them works reliably. i'll get up a better post with pics in a while.
Here is a somewhat unusual H&R. It was before H&R assigned model numbers and before they settled on the "Defender" name and so most likely from 1937 or 1938. It is 38S&W and the serial number is 234.

Image

Image


similar one from Jim Hauff's book,
Image
To be vintage it must be older than me!
The next gun I buy will be the next to last gun I ever buy. PROMISE!
jim

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 1 guest