Anyone made a shooter out of an older S&W? Have my eye on a 63 kit gun from 1980. But does anyone have a contingency plan of their old Smith breaks? Does the factory even work on older pre lock models? If not do any gunsmiths?
Basically if I were to make it a regular shooter I’d want to make sure it could still be serviced if it does end up breaking a part or need adjustment down the road. Thanks for the help.
No offense, but I find this such an odd question/proposition. If you spend even a little time on Smith and Wesson forums you'll find a fair number of guys who won't shoot anything as
new as 1980. Everything breaks I guess, but one of the reasons that vintage S&W revolvers have become so iconic is that it's actually rather hard to find old examples that
don't work. They're out there, but it isn't anything like old Iver Johnsons or H&R's. In my experience, most S&W's are functional (or can be made so easily) even when the bores are pitted from neglect, stocks are cracked from dryness and age and the internals haven't been oiled in decades. And I'm really talking about guns from the 1930's or 40's. But as recent as
1980? (I.E., that's not old.)
I'm out of the mode of carrying revolvers for defense nowadays, but when I was, my optimum was an old model 36 three inch that had been sorely neglected to the point that I was able to buy it for $180 within the last 5 years. The exterior bluing was rusted beyond redemption from poor storage, but the bore had escaped any serious corrosion somehow. I took it apart and cleaned and oiled the modestly rusty internals, and voila: I now had a defensive revolver of extremely high quality that was totally reliable but I didn't worry about scratching or wearing away the bluing (I had sanded all the exterior rust off with 220 grit, then merely protected the exterior with oil.) AND I'd paid under 200 bucks for it! The ONLY reason I wouldn't carry my other model 36's was because I didn't want to put wear on the beautiful original finishes. As weapons, they can be counted on as reliable shooters for the next half century. Any used gun can need repair or adjustment, but I've had more brand new guns malfunction right out of the box than I've I've had vintage Smith revos malfunction. Also, I can't imagine a commercial gunsmith who couldn't work on S&W's - THE STANDARD OF DOUBLE ACTION REVOLVERS - but I'm guessing they're out there, too.