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Found my dad's favorite gun yesterday.
- Thread starter hillman
- Start date
hillman
NES Member
That is an assembly number, used to keep major parts together during manufacture.
My first was to leave it alone and shoot it.
as for rust , i have good results using a light oil , like 3in1 or sewing machine oil and a stiff nylon brush
just focus on the rust. I will use the brush until the oil no longer takes on a rusty look.
After that if the rust is still visable a small swatch of 0000 steel/ bronze<my first choice, wool or 3m ultra fine finishing pads and oil worked into the rust spot. Work it again until you cant see any more "rust" in the oil.
Or treat the thing to a day at the spa and have it professionally detailed stripped and cleaned then go get it dirty again!
Why Bronze wool, well for starters its sheddings wont rust like steel wool. Steel wool especially 000,0000 will almost turn to powder and get in places it does not need to be. You can keep using bronze long after the steel pads have rusted up.
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citoriguy
NES Member
You may consider doing a 3-1 oil and an ultra-fine sandpaper for a bit and see if that goes anywhere. 1500 or 2000 grit to start. Cut a piece off in the shape of a small rectangle, wrap that around a flathead screwdriver, and go very slowly back and forth, adding oil as needed.
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- Jul 28, 2016
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You have a great old gun. I am pretty sure it is pre-WWII, probably from the 1930's. That narrow barrel style with no rib on top is pretty uncommon and was not made for very many years. The hammer is also an earlier style which went away around the end of WWII. If you post the serial number with XX's for the last few characters, I have a book where I could look up the year.
There is good advice in this thread for gently removing the rust so that it will not get worse. If you are not sure about those methods, then asking a pro is always a good idea. It also would not hurt to have someone who knows revolvers look it over, but I would be pretty surprised if there are any issues with it. Except for finish issues, nothing happens to a revolver from sitting in a drawer for decades. Sometimes old oil congeals into goo, but that is about it.
I will offer another vote against having this fine old gun refinished. I would much rather have a gun with character and history unless the original finish is absolutely trashed. Some people have suggested that whether or not to re-finish is a matter of opinion, which is true. However, what is not an opinion is that removing the original finish is irreversable. If you decide not to refinish, you can always change your mind later, but once the gun is refinished, it can never be original again.
There is good advice in this thread for gently removing the rust so that it will not get worse. If you are not sure about those methods, then asking a pro is always a good idea. It also would not hurt to have someone who knows revolvers look it over, but I would be pretty surprised if there are any issues with it. Except for finish issues, nothing happens to a revolver from sitting in a drawer for decades. Sometimes old oil congeals into goo, but that is about it.
I will offer another vote against having this fine old gun refinished. I would much rather have a gun with character and history unless the original finish is absolutely trashed. Some people have suggested that whether or not to re-finish is a matter of opinion, which is true. However, what is not an opinion is that removing the original finish is irreversable. If you decide not to refinish, you can always change your mind later, but once the gun is refinished, it can never be original again.
jct61765
NES Member
That is possibly where your father held the barrel when he shot it. MY opinion is leave it alone and shoot it. It seems to be in pretty good shape. Maybe have it looked at, but leave it alone. It's not a museum piece. Enjoy it the way your father did.
His dad must have had it in a nice dry place with little air movement as that rust was contained by the lack of moister and oxygen.
i had a bad rust event many years ago and started using VCI products. I switched to Zrust products a few years ago and use thier VcI emitter s, bags and I like the vci "string" to put in barrels.
used cortec for a long time as thats what my dad was using. my new house does not have the moisture challenges as my last but i used the large cilica cans also.
Heres the tubes
Amazon product ASIN B071DQL1XSView: https://www.amazon.com/Twin-Pack-Zerust-Barrel-Protector/dp/B071DQL1XS/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?keywords=zerust+vci+tube&qid=1579522175&sr=8-1
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Examples with a couple in MA
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hillman
NES Member
hillman
NES Member
Someone here identified the serial number range as 1933 or 34. That's amazing to me. I wish I knew where my father got it from. His father was a WW2 vet but I know very little about him or if this was a hand down.
Hillman great heirloom and way to remember your father.
I have many Smith's but like your dad
A K 22 is my favorite.
I make sure the kids know it too.
Here is a porn picture of it with some accoutrements of the day.
The cleaning rod I just picked up.
I have many Smith's but like your dad
A K 22 is my favorite.
I make sure the kids know it too.
Here is a porn picture of it with some accoutrements of the day.
The cleaning rod I just picked up.
rep308
NES Member
While there are many smart folks here, check out the Smith and Wesson Forum at:
Smith & Wesson Forum
I bought a copy of the Smith and Wesson bible,
Amazon product ASIN 1440245630View: https://www.amazon.com/Standard-Catalog-Smith-Wesson/dp/1440245630
It's worth $40 just to look at the pics and drool....
Smith & Wesson Forum
I bought a copy of the Smith and Wesson bible,
Amazon product ASIN 1440245630View: https://www.amazon.com/Standard-Catalog-Smith-Wesson/dp/1440245630
It's worth $40 just to look at the pics and drool....
A few years ago, I dug out my dad's old Winchester .22 pump (1913 vintage), the first gun I ever shot. I thought about having it completely redone, and then decided to just clean it up, get it functional, and enjoy shooting it.
As a side note, while having dinner with my uncle/Godfather one night this year, I mentioned it and it turns out that it was originally bought by my uncle when he was staying at a friend's for the summer and working on the South Shore of MA. My dad "liberated" it from him when he got home, as my dad was living on his own by then and he said my grandmother wouldn't let my uncle have it while he was still living at her house. I'm still keeping it, but in light of that, I've told my family it will go to my uncle's kids / grandkids when it's time to pass it down.
As a side note, while having dinner with my uncle/Godfather one night this year, I mentioned it and it turns out that it was originally bought by my uncle when he was staying at a friend's for the summer and working on the South Shore of MA. My dad "liberated" it from him when he got home, as my dad was living on his own by then and he said my grandmother wouldn't let my uncle have it while he was still living at her house. I'm still keeping it, but in light of that, I've told my family it will go to my uncle's kids / grandkids when it's time to pass it down.
MisterHappy
NES Member
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Toast: you're making it too easy. That sort of thing is what Thunderdome is for! ![[laugh]](/xen/styles/default/xenforo/smilies.vb/012.gif "Laugh [laugh]")
Smart to make sure that all are on the same page.
Smart to make sure that all are on the same page.
KBCraig
NES Member
I've inherited a bunch of guns, and I wish I'd known to follow my own advice: mitigate any rust, protect the finish, and shoot it.
In my inexperienced yoot, I just shot and didn't care about the rest, so my inherited collectables are now mostly rusty trade bait.
In my inexperienced yoot, I just shot and didn't care about the rest, so my inherited collectables are now mostly rusty trade bait.
45collector
NES Member
Another vote for cleaning it up as best you can and leaving the gun as-is. Shoot it and enjoy it! Take it for a walk in the woods some day, and reflect on your father's life.
I have the 1958 Colt Official Police .38 my father carried as a LEO in the 1960's here on the Cape. He bought it after his service in the YPD and kept it all those years. His last job before retiring was with a security service in Roxbury and he again carried that same Colt. It's not a very comfortable gun for me to shoot, as my hand has pretty much grown around the 1911, but I still take it to the range once in a while and shoot it. I have fond memories of shooting that gun with him at a very young age.
I have the 1958 Colt Official Police .38 my father carried as a LEO in the 1960's here on the Cape. He bought it after his service in the YPD and kept it all those years. His last job before retiring was with a security service in Roxbury and he again carried that same Colt. It's not a very comfortable gun for me to shoot, as my hand has pretty much grown around the 1911, but I still take it to the range once in a while and shoot it. I have fond memories of shooting that gun with him at a very young age.
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