38 S&W needs some work

[billybob44]

Well-Yes+No...

STOP!!! Do not blow out with compressed air. You could easily dislodge a small part and never see it again.

Contact the Sand Burr Ranch. Experts with revolvers. It is worth a drive to get it fixed.

The only loose part inside of THIS S&W is the transfer bar. No parts to be moved with a "Dusting" of compressed air.

A person would have to be REAL aggressive with prodding with a blow gun to get any other parts to dis-lodge.

In fact, none of the assembled parts will come out of THIS frame until the Main Spring has been compressed, and the rebound slide is removed. Both of these parts are under a fair amount of spring pressure, and will NOT come/fall out with compressed air.

Thanks for the input, octalman, just how many S&W revolvers have YOU worked?? Bill.

PS: Great plug for Sand Burr Ranch=THAT goes back to my post on having someone familiar with S&W's, to service, for the owner of this Model 36.

 

[Capt. Jeff]

yes, i am going to leave any further work to a professional.

thanks for all your help guys

 

[JBI812]

I would recommend calling Smith Wesson and make arrangement to send the revolver to them. They will do a check-out, repair and saftey inspection for a very competitive price. Also, while its there......have them re-furbish or restore the finish to the factory original Smith Wesson Blue. While the gun is dis-assembled, they will strip it down to bare metal and send it through the factory refinishing room. You'll be pleased when its returned. It will be like new. And you will have very little invested maybe 200.00.

 

[Capt. Jeff]

i just got back from the gun range. i took my 38 with me. this is the first time that i have fired it.
i instantly noticed a few things.....
with double action it would miss fire.
single action did not miss fire at all.
i shot over 50 rounds through it, with 3 different kinds of ammo. i tried pulling the trigger slow, and tried fast, both double and single action. i never got it to miss fire with single action.
also, the cylinder spins while in the frame of the gun. it does lock up when the trigger is pulled, but with a little effort will spin when chambered.
the timing was good, i didnt see any issues with that at all.

other then that a good time was had!
here is a pic of the shells, the fired shell is on the left, notice that it is "dimpled" more then the unspent round.

 

[geronimojoe85]

I'm also in Hobart, I can take a look at it tomorrow if you like. I know the ins and outs of S&W round guns, new and old.

 

[billybob44]

I'm also in Hobart, I can take a look at it tomorrow if you like. I know the ins and outs of S&W round guns, new and old.

^^^There you go Capt.

Another Smith brought back to "New"...Bill.

 

[Capt. Jeff]

I'm also in Hobart, I can take a look at it tomorrow if you like. I know the ins and outs of S&W round guns, new and old.

SWEET!!

i will PM you and we can talk!
thanks!

 

[clelaj]

Congrats on the revolver. Nice to keep the family heirloom going. Good that you are having GJoe85 look at the revolver. Especially since apparently the cylinder rotates when it should not.

 

[snorko]

Sounds like an underpowered/worn main spring (the coil spring in the grip). In double action firing, the hammer is not drawn back as far as with single action, so if the spring is under powered, it may light strike in DA firing. Good luck and I hope it is an easy fix.

 

[geronimojoe85]

^^
This is what I'm thinking too. Or someone tried to modify it by clipping a coil or two off.

The model 36 factory trigger leaves something to be desired, it's not uncommon to find home trigger jobs like that.

 

[IndyGunworks]

Sounds like an underpowered/worn main spring (the coil spring in the grip). In double action firing, the hammer is not drawn back as far as with single action, so if the spring is under powered, it may light strike in DA firing. Good luck and I hope it is an easy fix.

thats what it sounds like to me. The rebound spring looked fine also.

 

[Capt. Jeff]

i decided to the the professionals at Down Range Dynamics fix my 38.
its a new shop, and i dont have any personal experience with them, but my brother-in-law said i should check them out.
here is their website.... Portage Gun Shop - DownRange Dynamics LLC

they said they charge $40 an hour for repairs, but also said it shouldnt even take that long. i will find out in a week or so what the damage is and how much it will cost me. i will let you know.

 

[Colt556]

S&W will do a safety check for a reasonable fee and get the gun back to factory specs. They can also reblue it to like new condition. I've seen guns that they had refinished and they looked factory new. Nice old Model 36 you have there. Those were made in the good old days of S&W.

 

[Capt. Jeff]

UPDATE:

i took my 38 S&W revolver to Down Range Dynamics in Portage. they have a gunsmith there, who replaced the stock spring, and gave the gun a good cleaning.

today i took the gun to a gun range and it fired every time. i am glad to have my gun back, and am glad it works again. i am very happy with the guys at Down Range Dynamics and will shop there again.

just wanted to let all you guys know. thanks for all your help!

 

[lon]

What did they charge you?

TIA

 

[Capt. Jeff]

What did they charge you?

TIA

it cost me $50 for the repair. they have a $40 an hour charge and the spring was $10.

 

[BE Mike]

After reading this, I must say that a little information can be dangerous. I would never tell someone not familiar with S&W handguns to remove the side plate, unless I also provided detailed instructions on how to do it. The revolver was misidentified at least twice. I'm glad that the OP decided to take it to a pro.