What would it take to get this revolver working?

[BigBlock]

I have this American Bulldog (Iver Johnson) .38 circa 1897. Clearly, it has seen better days. It's a bit rusty, but no pitting. The cylinder pin and grips are missing, and the trigger has to be pulled back manually. Do you guys think it would be a waste of time trying to fix this thing up? I don't know much about the internal workings of a revolver, but there's no better way to learn than to tear something apart, right? Also, the ratchet on the cylinder is kind of worn, but it still seems to "bite" pretty well.





What do you guys think?

 

[Old Fuff]

I think its seen better days...

It would cost more to fix it then it's worth, but on the other hand you might consider it to be an "interesting" project.

You will need a set of cup-pointed pin punches (available at www.brownells.com).

Some parts are available from: www.e-gunparts.com

I wish you luck.

 

[BigBlock]

It would cost more to fix it then it's worth, but on the other hand you might consider it to be an "interesting" project.

Yeah, I know it's not worth anything, and it never will be, but it's a cool little gun, and if I don't fix it I might just buy another one.

 

[scrat]

i had a pistol that looked just like that. except the spring in the handle was broke. i tried to clean it up and tried to do something with it. ended up just throwing it away. way too much work was needed on it.

 

[Jim K]

"What would it take.."

Oh, about the same effort that went into those loaves and fishes. In other words, a miracle.

Seriously, get hold of a Gun Parts Corp. catalog or go to www.gunpartscorp.com. They have some parts for those guns. The toughest part will be the trigger return spring, which will be a repro and will have to be fitted. The cylinder pin can be made from drill rod if you have a lathe. Reassembly of those revolvers requires use of a "helper" pin (used be called a "slave pin" before we got all PC), and you need to know how to use that.

It could be an interesting "project" gun, but also easy to lose interest in, as others have found, when the costs begin to mount and you realize you are about to spend more time and money on a gun that will never be worth more than a few dollars.

Jim

 

[HammerBite]

If that gun were mine I wouldn't use financial considerations as a basis for making a decision. It looks to me like it could be restored (at least as a wallhanger or paperweight) and, like you said, it could be a fun project. If it doesn't work out you will least have some fun messing with it and learn something along the way. Parts will cost you some money. Refinishing the exterior need only require a lot of hand work and a cold blue job. You never know until you try. What shape is the bore in?

Putting more money into it than it is worth isn't a big deal unless you're purposely doing it for resale. My wife and I occasionally go out to dinner at a nice restaurant, drop around $150, and flush it down the toilet the next day. No financial advantage there either!

Have fun.