silicosys4
Member
- Joined
- Jun 29, 2012
- Messages
- 3,721
Hi,
I thought I'd start a thread for all the revolvers out there who will never be beauty queens, but have put up with use and abuse and are still on this earth.
My rusty revolver contribution is this Army Special in .38 special.
I bid this gun at auction for the grips, and only for the grips. The grips were original and SOMEHOW(?)pristine, and went on another Army Special. I paid less for the gun than I would have for a pair of original grips in the same condition off Ebay!
The gun was listed as non functioning, and I was expecting a parts gun.
When the gun arrived it was ugly as could be.
But that was what I expected. The cylinder was also very hard to open...the cylinder latch pin was broken, and when I got it open, a few of the chambers had been peened a little from forcing the cylinder closed against a broken latch pin and would not chamber shells.
What surprised me though, was the action was like glass. Absolutely no movement in lockup. And when I looked at the bore, it was surprisingly good considering the shape of the rest of the gun.
So I decided as ugly as she was, it was mostly cosmetic and had to be saved. A pair of repro grips that are on it now, a bit of work with a round file on the chamber lips and some steel wool and oil on the rust, and a new latch pin later, and she was shooting again! Light target loads only, of course
I think a refinish is out of the question though
So lets see your rusty, crusty, workhorse relics!
I thought I'd start a thread for all the revolvers out there who will never be beauty queens, but have put up with use and abuse and are still on this earth.
My rusty revolver contribution is this Army Special in .38 special.
I bid this gun at auction for the grips, and only for the grips. The grips were original and SOMEHOW(?)pristine, and went on another Army Special. I paid less for the gun than I would have for a pair of original grips in the same condition off Ebay!
The gun was listed as non functioning, and I was expecting a parts gun.
When the gun arrived it was ugly as could be.
But that was what I expected. The cylinder was also very hard to open...the cylinder latch pin was broken, and when I got it open, a few of the chambers had been peened a little from forcing the cylinder closed against a broken latch pin and would not chamber shells.
What surprised me though, was the action was like glass. Absolutely no movement in lockup. And when I looked at the bore, it was surprisingly good considering the shape of the rest of the gun.
So I decided as ugly as she was, it was mostly cosmetic and had to be saved. A pair of repro grips that are on it now, a bit of work with a round file on the chamber lips and some steel wool and oil on the rust, and a new latch pin later, and she was shooting again! Light target loads only, of course
I think a refinish is out of the question though
So lets see your rusty, crusty, workhorse relics!
Last edited: