Dad's old Gun

[rcmodel]

303Tom
We need to talk.
I have some old rusty guns in the basement I would like to sell you!

:

rc

 

[Guillermo]

I guess we are not going to see examples of 303tom's amazing work.



one has to wonder why that is

 

[easyrider604]

wrs840 said:

Dad's service BUG? Priceless.

Right on! I will not even re-blue or check pricing on this piece. It will stay as is, if it were my Dad's. My great grandchildren will inherit this bad boy.

 

[joed]

That gun needs refinished is all. If I owned it it would be heading back to S&W for a refurb. But that's just me, I won't own a ragged looking gun. I can't think of a better way to keep your fathers old gun then having it refurbed.

 

[303tom]

I guess we are not going to see examples of 303tom's amazing work.



one has to wonder why that is

I am not done, but here is a taste, its the barrel of a Winchester model 370.......Before & after.

 

[jad0110]

Refnishing? I am up in the air about that.. True it will then not be original, but will it help it last longer? I keep it cleaned and lubed, so I am debating on the refinish. Even the current finish tells the house fire story..

The only way I would consider refinishing it is if your father expressed interest in getting it restored, but never got around to it. Otherwise, I'd leave it as is; it does tell a story. Just keep a light film of oil on it and it will be fine. You can always buy a mint, LNIB 36 later as a companion.

 

[Guillermo]

its the barrel of a Winchester model 370.......Before & after.

thank you

from the pic I can't see exactly what is going on.

the "after" pic looks like it has been reblued, but not as dark as one typically sees.

If this is the case it is not one typically sees. Useful for restoration projects.

 

[bluemax01]

Good Morning guys..
quoting Radagast,
"Technically it is a Chiefs Special, not a Model 36 as there is no model number." made in 1958.
Thanks for all the input, It will NOT be refinished. It will be kept clean and oiled, and passed down the line.
I was using it for concealed carry, but I am gonna switch to my Bersa Thunder.. It fits in a pocket as well.

 

[Guillermo]

seems like some of the greatest revolvers ever were produced in the 1950s.

Quality still mattered.

 

[roaddog28]

Your revolver looks like my 36 no dash. Mine shoot ok but is rough and has some pitting from rust. I paid $125.
Regards,
Howard

 

[OldCavSoldier]

I have several old revolvers (both Colts and Smiths) that were previously "cop guns." All of the Colts had rust and pitting on the externals, and next-to-unfired internals. All of the Smiths had ZERO rust or pitting on the externals and the internals showed moderate wear.

Could it be that the cops who didn't know diddly about guns or shooting carried the Colts (either by department issue or purchased because of the Colt name?) and the cops who DID know about how to take care of a gun and how to shoot carried the Smiths?

I know lots of departments in the 30's - 60's issued Colts. It is very strange that, at least for the guns in my collection, of the Colts and Smiths that are of the same ages, the Colts show lots (and I do mean LOTS) more rust and pitting than the Smiths.

Just my observations............

 

[jhvaughan2]

If it were mine?

I wouldn't even consider refinishing it.

Right now, you have a free gun your late father left to you.
And a living piece of family history you can hold in your hand while telling your kids about thier grandfather the cop someday, and the fire that burned the house.

Refinished, you have a refinished S&W worth maybe three bills that you paid at least two bills to have the living family history erased forever.

Tell that story to your kids.

rc

I completly agree with RC - forget what it is "worth" to others. It is YOURs and your father's legacy

 

[sixgunner455]

If I were you, I'd keep it clean and oiled. I'd even pack it once in a while, maybe on a Sunday to church or to the cemetery when you go visit dad. One of the kids or grandkids would inherit it.

But I'd also probably buy another S&W jframe to make new memories and legacy with.

I have a really finish-worn old revolver that was issued by the department my dad worked for when I was born, that he later retired from. I bought it as a surplus police gun, and gave it to him. He gave it back to me a couple of years later because it's too big to pack around, after he got himself a stainless, snub-nosed .38.

It stays clean and gets shot a couple times a year, but there's no way it's getting refinished. One of my kids will inherit it.

If my dad had left me that old Chief's Special, it'd get the same treatment.

 

[SaxonPig]

I would never shoot any gun subjected to fire or intense heat. Can un-temper the steel and make it unsafe. If it got hot enough to burn the stocks and corrode the metal it is unsafe in my book.

Mount it on an oval plaque with a photo of your dad in uniform.

 

[sixgunner455]

Saxonpig - weren't pre-1930 S&W .38 revolver cylinders un-heat-treated? I think I remember Colt SAA, the originals, weren't heat treated, either.

If that is the case, would it really be dangerous to shoot a mild .38 target load through a revolver that survived a house fire, if it were otherwise in reasonable shape?

I have to think that you'd have some symptom that the temperature got too high- perhaps the springs aren't springing anymore? Small parts, like springs, are likely to lose temper a lot sooner than large parts, like cylinders, frames, and barrels. Temper color running, etc.

Just thinking. And how hot does a house fire get, anyway? It takes some pretty intense, concentrated heat anneal a piece of steel. I grew up in a blacksmith shop, making knives and tools and springs out of different kinds of tool steels, nails and such out of junk/mild steel, etc, so this kind of question always gets me wondering and thinking.