Hello all,

Once again I find myself on here trying to get some info from you knowledgeable folks.

I recently picked up a HEAVILY used (Finish all gone, beat up etc) Model 13-2 (also has a 3 stamped under the 2), I ended up picking it up for 150$ from a buddy of mine who's dad owned it for a long time. Anyways, I discovered immediately when opening the cylinder that if the revolver is held barrel facing downwards, the yoke will slide right off when you start to swing it open! It literally fell off into my hand when I first opened it when checking it out.

If I hold the revolver barrel up, or flat/level as long as I dont press forward while opening, I can swing the cylinder out fine with no problems and it will stay put. Once fully open the yoke stays put with not much back/forth play.

But as soon as I go to close it, if I dont keep my finger pressing rearward on the yoke, or tilt the barrel up while closing, the yoke will once again slide forward thus not letting it close back up. Or if I let it, fall off again right before lockup.

Any ideas why it would be doing this? I've never had this issue before, but then again this is the most well used revolver I've owned to date. I can confirm its shoots perfectly fine etc as my buddy has brought it to the range a few times in the past with no issues.

Sorry for the long post, I just wanted to make sure I get all the info out that I can, not sure if its missing a part, or if something too worn out or what. Sorry for the ****** pics, they were taken with my cell.


Thanks!

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So after doing a little research here I found someone with a model 36 with the same issue. He never responded to confirm wether or not he fixed his issue, but the general consensus was that maybe the front screw on the right side wasnt the correct length screw to hold the yoke in. I will be breaking the revolver down today when I get off work and checking the screw lengths. I am hoping I am lucky enough that my buddy put the wrong screw in the front!!

Will report back if this solves my issue.

Thanks!

That sure is a well worn 13! I think you are on the right track, that front screw is what secures the yoke. If I tighten that screw too much on my Model 19, the cylinder will not open. If the screw is too loose or removed the cylinder will open but will come out if the revolver is held at an angle. Perhaps the wrong screw is in ,or is missing. In that case a new screw will have her working great. As well as a Wolff spring kit - makes an old revolver feel brand new!

I am really hoping that its just the wrong screw or maybe the screw is broken etc. That would be a super simple fix! I am assuming I am looking to order a "yoke screw" when searching for the replacement part? It is definitely well worn, I am not sure if it was new when his dad originally bought it or not.

The front screw is supposed to in the rear most hole. It has a flat head to fit better under the grips. The front screw is fitted at the factory, so try the other two screws to see which one fits the best.

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John 3:16
WAR EAGLE!

Muley Gil is on the right track Many folks don't realize that the screws are NOT all the same. Each should go back in to the hole it came out of. Odds are whoever opened it up before put the wrong screw in that hole.

"Well-worn"? Looks to me more like someone gave it the Naval Jelly treatment and stripped the bluing.

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Pisgah

That front screw definitely looks like the wrong one to hold the crane in place.

Concur with posts 5,6,7.....that flat headed screw you have in the hole to secure the yoke should be under the stock panels.....the screw that goes into that hole will have a "domed" head, and a "shank" on the end of it to fit into the groove on the yoke arm, to hold it in place.

Just got home and wouldn't ya know it the correct screw was under the grips! Quick swap around and it's good to go now. Once again this forum has helped me out. Thanks for the info guys! It's definitely a beater gun but I'm excited to go plinking around with it now. Just gotta clean and oil it all up now and we'll be good to go shoot!

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Hi 00Glaz:

Welcome to the Forum. I'm glad your yoke retention problem got straightened out. I think you're going to have a devil of a time keeping your Model 13 from rusting out in the field until you apply some kind of finish to it. I'd love it as a project gun to cold blue, but in any event, before you get some kind of coating or finish on it, you may want to try degreasing it (acetone works well), and then applying a couple of coats of car wax to it. Afterwards, a wipe down with a silicone or oily rag should keep the rust at bay.

Good luck,

Dave

Yea I too am wondering about what to do with the finish. How much would something like cold bluing it run me on average? Thanks for the advice, I'll do that tonight!

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I love it!

Seems to me this "well used" has some history!

Enjoy it!

Cold blue is relatively cheap compared to other finish options. I have used both Oxpho-blue and 44-40. For your revolver, I'd probably use multiple coats of Oxpho. About $10 from Brownell's, enough to do several applications. Be sure the surface is totally free of any oil or grease (or wax if you use that as a temporary expedient.) I'd use a fine buffing compound to remove as much of the existing surface discoloration as possible to get down to bare metal before starting with the cold blue.

I've only used cold blue for touch up, never an entire firearm, but you have nothing to lose here. Were it mine, I might do the wax thing and live with the "patina."

Cold blue will set you back no more than 10-15 bucks and some time. Results vary wildly and depend heavily on how you go about it. Degrease thoroughly before applying the bluing, warm the metal up a bit, apply the bluing, buff with XXXX steel wool, re-apply -- many, many times. Eventually you may get something you'll like. Note that some manufacturers say their product requires no degreasing -- but don't believe them!

But you know, bare metal isn't all that bad. Keep it well-oiled, of course, and eventually over time it will develop a darker patina that to some eyes (like mine) can get to looking rather pretty. I have an old Rossi .38 that was terribly rusty when I got it (real cheap -- $65, if I recall correctly), so I just stripped the rust and remaining finish and kept it oiled. I has done a couple of decades now as a tackle-box/backpack gun and has not developed a speck of rust.

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Pisgah

At $150 a pop, I'd buy a barrel full of 'em... even if they were painted PINK!!! Absolutely great grab.

Some cold blues have a smell that is offensive, like rotten eggs. I do not use cold blue for that reason, except for the smallest touch-up. I would recommend rust blue, Parkerizing, and spray-on finishes that can all be done at home relatively inexpensively.

I once was looking at a used revolver that was advertised as being made of stainless steel. Hmmm, it didn't quite look right to me, so I asked the gun store owner to look up the serial number on the internet to verify. Turns out, it was a formerly blued gun that was now "in the white" (all of the finish had been removed). Whoever did it (removed the finish) did a good job as there weren't any obvious grinding/sanding marks on the piece (perhaps they did a chemical stripping?). The gun store owner dropped the price dramatically, and I had a good project gun at a decent price. I took my time sanding it with progressively finer grits of wet/dry sandpaper and rubbing compound. I then cold blued it with some Oxpho blue and it came out looking great.

As Pisgah and Inusuit have mentioned previously, preparation is everything. Once you have degreased the piece, only handle it while wearing latex or nitrile gloves. Before you apply the cold blue, heating the piece with a hair dryer, or in the oven at very low heat really helps get great results. If you can disassemble the revolver before hand, it makes the job much easier.

Good luck,

Dave

It's yours and you can experiment and do anything you want to. As for me and my house, I'd leave it just like it is and shoot the snot out of it. If that thing doesn't throw 148 WCs in a knot, I'd kiss a monkey on the toe.

Believe there are worse finish challenged S&W revolvers out there. Inusuit,
had a great first step in "I'd use a fine buffing compound to remove as much of the existing surface discoloration as possible to get down to bare metal before starting with the cold blue." Once you get all traces of the old finish removed you have a blank canvas. Me, I de-grease it with Acetone, then one or three times apply some wax and buff. You may be surprised at how well she looks. The suggestion to wear gloves to keep oils off is a great one. I use the el-cheapo white cotton museum gloves when buffing. Don't be extra frugal like me and buy more than one pair. You will thank me later. They can be had from Hobby Lobby or Amazon.
Good luck, hardcase60

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You want me to do what?

Brown it, shoot it, and carry it. Or do like the old cowboys did, let it continue aging still keeping it oiled. Honestly some people pay for a aged patina on single action revolvers.

I once had a cap and ball with a bad finish. I polished it, left it in the white, treated it with JPW. Then it would sit in the safe for a year before treating it again. Never any rust, and it always was pretty, but I got tired of it, browned it.

If that was mine, I would get aged ivory grips for it. There are a couple of companies that make that look a 100 years old.

My Colt Police Positive looks much worse than yours, and she is a shooter. No signs of any new corrosion since I found her. As ugly as she is she was my wife's favorite carry.



The gun below a USFA is on armslist for $950, it was probably a factory finish. Not bad looking for factory. Most of the ones I have seen just look like steel wool over blue, no character. Yours has character, if I saw it in a gun shop I would snatch it up for a fair price.

Nice revolver. Go with the wax be proud of its condition as it worked hard to get there.

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Mike
S&WCA #3065

Unless subjected to open carry in a rainstorm or very high humidity environment like costal Florida or Louisiana I have not found finish worn guns to rust unless totally neglected. I would just use her as is or try maybe one of the spray and bake type finishes you can apply at home. I certainly would not expend very much money or effort at all on the finish

I'd leave the finish as is rather than trying a cold blue product. If you keep it oiled or waxed you'll be fine. Worst case scenario is that it develops a patina. If you are planning on carrying the gun regularly i'd do something and i'd choose something better than cold blue for an entire gun.

I view cold blue like I view touch up paint for a car. To cover up a small nick is fine but there's no way I'd try and paint an entire car door using touch up paint.

With a gun like that the only thing that matters is how it shoots. If you want a better looking gun sell that and put the money into something nicer.

Parkerize that thing !

Thank you everyone for the advice on this! I actually too like guns with character to be honest. I may just oil it up and see what happens with it before I reblue it. Who knows, maybe later on if I feel like it, it will be my first project gun for bluing. For now though shooting it and keeping it oiled is on the agenda!

Check with the S&W factory, see what a factory reblue would cost.

I agree with all of those who advise you against cold bluing. The nature of cold blue is that you will wind up with a different coloration for different parts of the gun. There is not as stark a difference on Smith guns as on other manufacturers in my experience, but it will be very dependent upon your ability to get a good polish on the gun parts prior to application of the bluing product. Note that this is a skill that takes quite a while to develop.

If you do choose to refinish the gun, I would suggest a good chelation product to remove all of the remaining bluing as well as all other oxidation on the gun. You can find this type of product in farm stores and on line under a few name brands - quite effective in my limited experience.

Dear OP,
Hope my experience helps you if you decide to cold blue your revolver.

A while ago I bought a beat up Maverick 88 shotgun, and I reblued the barrel and mag tube using Birchwood Casey Gun Blue Kit. It's a 3-piece kit that comes with everything you need.

You strip the old finish, thoroughly sand and polish, degrease and then cold blue.

It sounds easy. Well, it's not.
It took me one barrel to realise I didn't want to do it again. You apply coat after coat after coat and it looks like it's never getting darker. Really frustrating.

And the results are mediocre. It's a thin, blotchy looking finish.
Doing a revolver will probably be 20 times harder than a shotgun barrel.

That product is for touch-ups, not entire firearms.

This was what I accomplished, it was almost 8 hours of work.




For a cheap shotgun, it looked OK.
For a S&W Model 13, I'd probably leave it as is. But it's your choice and these were only my 2 cents.

Enjoy your new revolver!