Thanks for the useful replies. Fortunately, the revolver seems to be fine as it is. The fellow that I got it from told me that it shaved lead and I believed him but after a total disassembly, cleaning and lubrication, it works fine with no evidence of any shaved lead. I hung a piece of white paper vertically and fired the revolver with lead .38 special loads about 6" or so from the sheet with no evidence of any holes or marks in the paper.
Also the reason I asked about how to fix it was so that I could do the work and learn something. Taking it to a "professional" is something I already know.

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Gazz