Unfired Model 36

[hinton03]

I picked up a late 70's unfired Model 36 with Nickel finish the other day and when wiping it down I noticed that the cylinder will rotate clockwise with very little pressure.

Once the cylinder is locked I can apply two finger pressure and with a small about of resistance it will break free and rotate clockwise.

Is this a real problem that should be corrected?

Thanks,

Mark

 

[dnovo]

Yes, it should NOT do that. Have a competent gunsmith look at it before you shoot it. Dave

 

[ArchAngelCD]

I agree, do not shoot that revolver until you have it repaired. You should not be able to rotate the cylinder with finger pressure alone. That is VERY loose. You might want to notify the seller there's a problem with the revolver before you have it repaired.

 

[SwampWolf]

Those Smith revolvers made in that era seem to been manufactured with a less than stellar attention to detail when it came to fitting and workmanship. I purchased a brand new Model 28 in the late seventies that exhibited the exact problem as you described. It took a Smith & Wesson authorized repair center to rectify the defect (under warranty, thankfully). A call to Smith's customer service describing the problem would be something I would advise.