.950jdj
Member
So a co-worker has had what she said was an "old gun" sitting in her closet for the last few years. I said I would identify it if she wanted. The next day she sent me a picture of a K-frame Smith and Wesson I was able to identify as a model 15-2 mfg 1965. It had rust on the handle around the grips from an accidental spill which she tried to clean off with water a long time ago. It had a good amount of lost finish as well. I said that if it was for sale I would like to inspect it and make an offer if it is mechanically sound. She happily obliged and brought it over to my house where I began to inspect it. Now, I am relatively new to firearms being only 23 I haven't had any experience "appraising" a firearm so this was a shot in the dark. I only have 1 revolver, a Ruger LCR, which is a far cry from this classic beauty. But, I decided to do my best, I checked the cylinder and barrel, both appeared to have no internal rust and the barrel had excellent rifling, no turn ring on the cylinder either. I checked the cylinder for any shake or movement, none. I checked the cylinder gap which seemed to be around .001 as only my smallest feeler gauge would fit (is that too tight)? I firmly grabbed and wiggled the hammer in single action and it did not release. It appeared to be in working order, just a bit rough on the finish side. What I could tell from just this inspection was that I loved it! Everything felt so tight and the trigger was a dream. I had to have it. I offered her $180 and we were both happy. I spend the next 2 hours cleaning it up and inspecting it further. I even opened the side plate to make sure nothing was rusting internally. Everything seemed fine there.
Now, sorry to bore some of you with the details but let me get to the reason for this post. As stated before I am a newbie with revolvers, especially Smiths and classic revolvers. So please enlighten me on a few things.
(I HAVE NOT SHOT THIS YET)
1. What should I watch out for on this model?
2. I understand this is a classic and parts are hard to find, but I want to shoot this! Can I expect a long life from this piece if used with mild loads?
3. Sometimes when I try to pull the hammer back the cylinder seems to bind up, its only 1 in 50 or so pulls and it corrects itself when I spin the cylinder clockwise into position. (UPDATE: It was the snap caps... :/)
Comments are appreciated!
Now, sorry to bore some of you with the details but let me get to the reason for this post. As stated before I am a newbie with revolvers, especially Smiths and classic revolvers. So please enlighten me on a few things.
(I HAVE NOT SHOT THIS YET)
1. What should I watch out for on this model?
2. I understand this is a classic and parts are hard to find, but I want to shoot this! Can I expect a long life from this piece if used with mild loads?
3. Sometimes when I try to pull the hammer back the cylinder seems to bind up, its only 1 in 50 or so pulls and it corrects itself when I spin the cylinder clockwise into position. (UPDATE: It was the snap caps... :/)
Comments are appreciated!
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