My new revolver
- Thread starter castile
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Sistema1927
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Ought to get you $100 bucks at one of them guv'mint "buy backs". They can then brag that they got another weapon of death off the streets.
ontarget
Member
Heck. For 10 singles you did pretty good. I'm sure it's worth more than that for parts alone.
WheelGunMan
Member
A little background on it please.
OP
OP
castile
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My wife had to use a bathroom and there was an antique store near by. So as I was wondering around there was a case with this in it for 10 bucks. I thought Heck even if only clean it up and sell it to someone who has need of it to repair or hang it on the wall in my garage. This AM a lot of the rust is off sitting in White vinegar. over night. It needs a hammer, hand, hand spring and the ejector, and a hammer spring. I can not tell if its 32 or 38 S&W, I thought it looked a bit big for a 32 but will mic it today. The firing pin is fine, and it was hard as heck to get it open but after sitting in vinegar over night the spring on the barrel release is now functioning again. If the parts are not too much I don't think I would refinish but only get it working. Next step is let it set in break fluid over night. Then try to tear it down.
the Black Spot
Member
Very cool find!
Wouldn't you need a baking soda rinse to neutralize the vinegar? Or will the brake fluid handle that?
Wouldn't you need a baking soda rinse to neutralize the vinegar? Or will the brake fluid handle that?
tark
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How many parts do you have that aren't in the pic? Do you have the hammer spring?
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castile
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I think a good rinse off will work. Even salt comes off nice in water. I checked the bore and it measures .355 so 38 S&W I think. Got it all apart after the vinegar bath. Now its in the oil. I think 60 bucks worth of parts and I can have it working.
ApacheCoTodd
member
I've made some great gate and shed-door handles out of point-of-no-return guns like that.
Top-break craptackular relics beyond any saving are thick on the ground in Arizona.
Todd.
Top-break craptackular relics beyond any saving are thick on the ground in Arizona.
Todd.
AK103K
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If you dont get it working, its not a total loss, eBay of all places, can help you out.
I sold off about a half dozen guns like that there a few years back. Just disassemble them completely, and sell the parts as a lot (no frame). I got between $40 and $100 for those parts, depending on the gun and the shape it was in.
I sold off about a half dozen guns like that there a few years back. Just disassemble them completely, and sell the parts as a lot (no frame). I got between $40 and $100 for those parts, depending on the gun and the shape it was in.
Speedo66
Member
What brand is it, the usual H&R, Iver Johnson, or an actual S&W? Wish I knew more about them so I could determine that myself.
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castile
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So I believe this is an old model. Even though it has the two ear latch. The parts seem to be old model. So far I bought a set of grips and a hammer. Numrich does not have many parts so I am looking at places like eBay. It will be a long term project. Not sure how to finish it if at all. The bore is not really all that bad. Not sure what putting nickel plate on it would cost. Or if I should just cold blue it after removing the nickel what is left. If anyone has any extra parts for the 38 old model I would be interested.
Monac
Member
If that's an Iver Johnson, then it is a Second Model, made from 1896 to 1908, because it seems to be made for flat spring to power the hammer. (The First Model had a different top catch, and the Third Model used a coil hammer spring). The Second Model was made in the largest numbers and would be the easiest to get parts for, although also the least valuable.
It would be an interesting project to fix, although not much more, IMO. These things were made in huge numbers, and as ApacheCoTodd says, a lot of them are still around. For $10, it's a nice relic.
It would be an interesting project to fix, although not much more, IMO. These things were made in huge numbers, and as ApacheCoTodd says, a lot of them are still around. For $10, it's a nice relic.
Targa
Member
Very nice!!!
SwampWolf
Member
Looks like somebody took "hammering the hammer" very seriously on this revolver. It'd be interesting to know the history of the gun but, for ten bucks, you should've at least gotten adjustable sights with it. 
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Regarding the cylinder retention, According to Bill Goforth (RIP)
“most first models and all second models use the threaded cylinder bushing to retain cylinder (1895-1908). when the thrid model was introduced in 1909 one of the changes was an automatic cylinder stop was added. these use the rectanglar postive stop and the cylinder stop is a seperate part. in 1911 a new type of cylinder retainer was introduced, having a lug on the bottom of the forcing cone that had to be match up to a slot on the cylinder bushing. this is very postive and did away with the threads on the cylinder bushing which tended to wear with age.”
Copied from https://www.thefirearmsforum.com/threads/iver-johnson-32-cylinder-differences.85568/
So if yours is a second model, once installed the cylinder has to be rotated in the direction opposite of normal rotation to drop down into its final position. I assume you got to this point as I don’t think one can close the cylinder unless you reach the fully installed position.
These are fun revolvers and I have a few of them as well as a couple H&R, H&A, and a Forehand. I’ll try to look over some of my IJ’s tonight to see if I can glean a possible solution. Don’t hold your breath though.
Hope that helps.
“most first models and all second models use the threaded cylinder bushing to retain cylinder (1895-1908). when the thrid model was introduced in 1909 one of the changes was an automatic cylinder stop was added. these use the rectanglar postive stop and the cylinder stop is a seperate part. in 1911 a new type of cylinder retainer was introduced, having a lug on the bottom of the forcing cone that had to be match up to a slot on the cylinder bushing. this is very postive and did away with the threads on the cylinder bushing which tended to wear with age.”
Copied from https://www.thefirearmsforum.com/threads/iver-johnson-32-cylinder-differences.85568/
So if yours is a second model, once installed the cylinder has to be rotated in the direction opposite of normal rotation to drop down into its final position. I assume you got to this point as I don’t think one can close the cylinder unless you reach the fully installed position.
These are fun revolvers and I have a few of them as well as a couple H&R, H&A, and a Forehand. I’ll try to look over some of my IJ’s tonight to see if I can glean a possible solution. Don’t hold your breath though.
Hope that helps.
AZAndy
Member
I'm really impressed that you were able to collect the parts and get that put together. I hereby award you the Serious Person Certificate for March. Hats off, gentlemen!
GeoDudeFlorida
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